Dr. Tonjua Williams continued her 30-year run as an employee of St. Petersburg College and worked her way to the top. In May 2017, she was named the school’s first female and first black president.
A crowd that included faculty and staff broke into applause as the college’s five-member board of trustees unanimously chose Dr. Williams, 53, as their new leader.
“It is truly an honor,” Williams said later in an email. “What this proves is that there is no ceiling, not just for me, but for everyone who has a dream. This is what SPC is all about, helping people reach their dreams.”
Williams won over the board with her deep local ties, data-driven plans, and sheer love of SPC.
Williams, they said, delivered the best interview by far. Despite concerns that an internal candidate would have stale ideas, they liked her detailed plans for improving recruitment and retention.
Above all, they applauded her focus on students. She proposed that SPC change its mindset to become a “student-ready college,” able to serve those with all kinds of capabilities, rather than waiting for “college-ready students.”
In all things, she said, SPC should be championed as a proud choice: “the plan, not the fallback.”
Though she made history by being the first female and black president, these attributes were overshadowed by her qualifications, resume, and love for SPC.
“She met every qualification,” Rouson said of Williams. “Neither her gender nor her race is a qualification, but certainly is a reflection of the student body and how far we’ve come in St. Petersburg.”