Dr. Graham-Williams will provide leadership in the development, implementation, and evaluation of all aspects of Counseling and Wellness Services’ mission and goals while also managing the day-to-day operation of the subunits. She will also work closely with students, couples and groups on assessments, counseling, treatment planning, implementing crisis intervention and crisis communication.

With over twenty years of experience in healthcare service delivery, Dr. Graham-Williams has provided both behavioral health and substance use disorder direct client treatment, advocacy, and leadership in numerous settings. She holds licensure as a Professional Counselor in Louisiana and Professional Counselor, Psychologist, and Board Certified Clinical Supervisor in Michigan. 

“Dr.Graham-Williams’s professional experiences and values align perfectly with Xavier’s mission and we look forward to the work we will do together,” said Virginia Pellerin, Associate Dean of Students at Xavier University of Louisiana. “Our work in Student Health Services is essential to the health, success and overall well-being of not only our students but the faculty and staff who support them as well,” 

Prior to joining Xavier University of Louisiana, Dr. Graham-Williams served in myriad senior leadership capacities, hosted a radio broadcast seeking to destigmatize behavioral health care in urban communities, won awards teaching within the Social Science department on the collegiate level, and drew on her experience as a classically trained ballerina to found a nonprofit organization seeking to expose young Black girls to classical dance technique.  

In 2019, she was selected by the United States Department of State to devise infrastructure and build a curriculum that advances the self-esteem and empowerment, personal agency, and self-actualization of young girls from across the African Diaspora as National Capacity Building Specialist in Eswatini Africa.  In this role, Dr. Graham-Williams was responsible for furthering the launch of the NGO, Girls Leading Our World, within its existing 88 locations across the nation. 

Most recently, Dr. Graham-Williams led the Foundation for Excellence (FFE) as President.  The FFE manages an endowment of $500 million dollars and with an anti-racism mission, seeks to address racial disparities in the areas of education, economic security, and birth outcomes via access to education, job placement, affordable housing opportunities, etc. for vulnerable urban families.

An award-winning leader, Dr. Graham-Williams has served on boards of directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kalamazoo Michigan, the Urban League of Southwest Michigan, the HBCU Campaign Fund, and appointed by the Mayor of Kalamazoo, Michigan to serve as an inaugural member of the city’s Civil Rights Board. She has established a reputation as a strong, committed, and ethical colleague.

“It’s important for me that the entirety of the university know that the Department of Counseling and Wellness serves at the pleasure of our students, faculty, and staff,” said Dr. Graham-Williams. “It is my hope for this department to engage with our clients and university stakeholders in a way that destigmatizes the process of receiving counseling services.  Further, I am committed to the promotion of counseling and wellness as a viable, first-choice towards living our best lives especially as we all transition back to campus in the midst of this global pandemic.” 

Dr. Graham-Williams earned a Bachelor’s degree from Spelman College, a Master’s degree from Western Michigan University, a Ph.D. from Sofia University. She has achieved numerous certifications in Care Integration, Counseling Supervision, and Ethical Research practices.

###

About Xavier University of Louisiana 

Being America’s only historically Black and Catholic University is only the first among many distinctions that have set Xavier University of Louisiana apart for more than nine decades. Despite its relatively small size (3,300 students), Xavier is a nationally recognized leader in the STEM and the health sciences, producing more African American students who graduate from medical schools each year than any other university in the United States. Its College of Pharmacy is among the top producers of African American pharmacists. Its liberal arts-based programs in such areas as art, business, education, psychology, and political science – as well as recent additions in bioinformatics, data science, neuroscience, crime and social justice, and jazz studies – offer students an unbeatable combination of traditional classroom study, hands-on research, service-learning opportunities, and life experiences. The winning Xavier formula provides students with a well-balanced curriculum and an environment that nurtures their intellect and feeds their souls. For more information about Xavier University of Louisiana, visit us online at www.xula.edu or follow us on Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter @XULA1925. To book interviews and/or to speak with our experts in the field of pharmacy, education, premed, public health, science, technology, math, business, English, communications, and the arts, contact Ashley Irvin at xula1925@xula.edu.