Who is Dr. Wendi?
I am a scholar, thinker, auntie, truth-teller, and educator.
Dr. Wendi Williams is a dynamic psychologist, passionate advocate, and inspiring educator who skillfully combines the realms of education and psychology to drive impactful scholarship and leadership. Her research and intervention projects illuminate the rich inner lives of Black women and girls, tapping into their profound knowledge and experiences to create culturally-responsive educational and psychological strategies.
With a robust portfolio of authored and edited works, Dr. Wendi has made significant contributions to her field, showcased through her engaging conference presentations, professional development workshops, and coaching practice. Her recent publications, Black Women at Work: On Refusal and Recovery and The Majestic Place: The Freedom Possible in Black Women’s Leadership, powerfully highlight the unique challenges and triumphs of Black women's work and leadership journeys.
In her insightful blog, Through Liminality, Dr. Wendi explores the transformative potential of leadership in uncertain times, offering personal narratives and actionable strategies that prioritize the growth of diverse leaders in rapidly changing environments. With over 20 years of experience in both higher education and non-profit sectors, she has consistently harnessed research and inquiry to foster the health and well-being of communities.
I am also a Black woman who leads and who studies the ways Black women have led over time. I am immensely curious about the ways Black women carve out pathways for their leadership and how necessary Black women’s positionalities are for expanded articulations of leadership of ALL people. In my work I continuously ask…
What lessons can be gleaned from the life experiences of Black women in life, love, and relationship to inform their liberatory leadership praxis?
There is theory and poetry in our liberatory moves and my work in this time is to elevate that and make it visible to deepen the leadership canon and offer another way. It is possible. It is necessary!
Drawing from the leadership legacy of Black women’s global and U.S.- based resilience my current work articulates leadership pathways for women and girls across diverse contexts and backgrounds and has informed the promotion of health and well-being among youth, their families, and the educational and mental health practitioners who work with them.
I offer my expertise on issues of race, gender, and class in academic and popular media. My work has been featured in Ebony.com and NowThis News and published in scholarly journals in the educational and psychology disciplines.
On Refusal and Recovery: What we learn from Black women about reclaiming our wellness at work
Keynote, American Psychological Association Convention 2023
