Chief of Staff

Lori Williams

Education

PhD, Interdisciplinary Studies, concentration in Education Leadership, Union Institute & University

MA, Applied Linguistics and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Saint Michael’s College

BA, Political Science, Rutgers University

About Lori Williams

Lori Williams serves as chief of staff at Excelsior University and has more than 25 years of experience in higher education administration. She leads the units over data analytics and science, project management, strategic partnerships, veterans, and military. Williams also leads strategic planning for the university.

Prior to beginning this role at Excelsior in January 2023, she served as president of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), as vice president at the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), and as provost, vice provost of curriculum development and innovation, vice president of product strategy and development, executive director for student success, co-lead of IT, and other administrative roles. She has extensive experience building new programs in virtually all disciplines and at all degree levels, including those taught face-to-face, hybrid, and completely online. Williams has written extensively about the regulatory environment in higher education and serves on the Council for Higher Education Accreditation board.

Throughout her career, Williams has been invited to speak at national and international conferences about adult and online learning and has taught extensively, serving as a professor, thesis advisor, and mentor.