Full Name
Dr. Richard Williams
Job Title
President
Company
Dixie State University
Speaker Bio
As the 18th president in Dixie State’s rich and storied history, Dr. Richard B. Williams is eager and qualified to help the university carve out its niche. He recognizes the importance of moving quickly and methodically when deciding what programs and offerings the institution should focus on, build and add.

Prior to his arrival at Dixie State, Williams served as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Indiana State University. In this position, he worked with all university academic departments and focused on helping students succeed in their studies while attending the university, and he continued to help them as they started their careers.

Before he was appointed provost, Williams was the founding dean of ISU’s College of Nursing, Health and Human Services. In this capacity, he created a vision for a robust college while carving out niche offerings. Under his direction, school enrollment increased 100 percent, and retention went up 21 percent.

Williams also served as an associate dean of the College of Education at the University of Northern Iowa, where he was a faculty member and executive associate director of the School of Health, Physical Education, and Leisure Services. During his tenure at UNI, Williams proposed a new baccalaureate degree in athletic training. In three years under his leadership, the athletic training program’s passing rate on the Board of Certification exam was 100 percent, compared to the national average of 27 percent.

While at UNI, he helped create a private/public partnership with the local hospital, medical community, and university, which resulted in the construction of a two-story human performance center that served the surrounding rural communities. Williams holds a Bachelor of Science degree in lifestyle management from Weber State University, a master’s degree in athletic training from Indiana State, and a PhD in curriculum and instruction from New Mexico State University. Williams has authored numerous published articles, manuscripts and abstracts that he has presented at several national conferences. In addition, he has held leadership positions within the National Athletic Trainers Association and other organizations.
Dr. Richard Williams