DR. TONJUA WILLIAMS

As the economic landscape continues to shift and evolve, Dr.  Williams is committed to positioning SPC as a community collaborator to meet workforce demands and secure high-paying jobs for its graduates.

Dr. Tonjua Williams was named one of the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Power 100: Tampa Bay’s most influential business leaders. Dr. Williams is recognized for her work in  enhancing today’s workforce.

Dr. Williams joins area community college leaders to express support backing free tuition plans to assist students in their pursuit for a higher education.

Dr. Williams is recognized by the Tampa Bay Business Journal as one of the rising leaders in Tampa Bay. Her leadership at St. Petersburg College has positioned the college to expand its workforce programs and boost diversity.

These letters to the community are offered by community leaders, including Dr. Williams, in response to the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and the subsequent riots and non-violent protests that have rocked the Tampa Bay region and cities across the nation.

An open letter from Dr. Tonjua Williams in response to the brutality and injustice of recent events to the St. Petersburg community.

Dr. Tonjua Williams reaches out to the St. Petersburg community in a time of distress and injustice to offer support and solidarity.

An open letter from Dr. Tonjua Williams in response to the brutality and injustice of recent events to   reaches out to the St. Petersburg community

College presidents from both sides of Tampa Bay issue statements on the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the protests that have wrenched the nation in recent days.

While the learning environment may look different, Dr. Williams isn’t wavering from the commitment to changing lives, advancing economic mobility and supporting the community. She has led SPC through this time to continue student success and prepare for the future work of reopening and rebuilding.

Through challenging times, Dr. Williams has led SPC to adapt a new normal and continue building a community of care. She discusses how SPC has reimagined the student experience to ensure that SPC students are prepared for success.

With more than 30 years of experience in higher education, Dr. Tonjua Williams is recognized nationally as an expert in student development. Her start as a first-generation college graduate has shaped her advocacy for student success and motivated her career path.

Dr. Tonjua Williams brings a four-pronged plan to create and facilitate an educational ecosystem that gives both local higher education institutions and workforce a seat at the table.

The collaborative partnership between St. Petersburg College and the University of South Florida is strong and continues to strengthen due to our shared focus on new initiatives to increase higher education access for all students. Together, we are creating pathways for students to pursue their educational goals starting with an associate degree at SPC to a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida, one of Florida’s most-esteemed, preeminent research universities. We are stronger together, and so are our students. Go Titans and Go Bulls!

St. Petersburg College recently received a $283,781 grant for the Garrett Lee Smith Campus Suicide Prevention initiative from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This grant will fund Project HEAL (Healthy Emotions and Lives), a collaborative infrastructure targeting suicide prevention and mental health and substance abuse awareness. In addition to SAMHSA contributions, SPC will provide a one-to-one match for the project.

In 1986, while pursuing her second bachelor’s degree in business, McKnight alumna Tonjua Williams became a Senior Accounting Clerk at St. Petersburg College (SPC). Thirty-one years later, after having worked in most key administrative departments at SPC, Dr. Williams began her tenure as its President. Recently, FEF Focus spoke with Dr. Williams about her journey

Dr. Tonjua Williams, President of St. Petersburg (Fla.) College, has been chosen as keynote speaker for the September 12 Inaugural Gala of Dr. Michael A. Baston as President of Rockland Community College. RCC’s first Gala, at the Hilton Pearl River, kicks off a three-day celebration revolving around the inauguration ceremony/reception on September 13 at the College’s Cultural Arts Theater and bookended by a faculty symposium on September 12 and student/alumni social on September 14.

He can’t vote. He’s not even old enough to drive. But William Maillis already has a college degree. William, 11, walked across a stage Saturday to receive his Associate in Arts degree from St. Petersburg College in Florida. “I am totally fascinated by William and the work that he has done,” Dr. Tonjua Williams, President of St. Petersburg College, told CNN affiliate Bay News 9. “He’s extremely brilliant, very open and collaborative.”

In partnership with Florida College Systems (FCS) schools and community colleges, the program offers an alternative option for students to earn their degree after completing their associate’s degree. The 2+2 system (two years at community college, two years at the University) helps students to reduce the overall cost of attending a four-year university, in addition to reducing debt by offering scholarship programs and helping to eliminate excess credit hours.

NISOD’s conference offered 300-plus outstanding presentations—including pre-conference seminars, special sessions, breakout sessions, and roundtable discussions—with topics ranging from how to use new technologies in the classroom to meeting faculty and staff professional development needs.

The St. Petersburg Metropolitan Section National Council of Negro Women, Inc.(NCNW) celebrated 76 years of serving the St. Pete community last month at the historic Manhattan Casino. “It is the shoulders of our founders that we all stand on,” declared mistress of ceremony and President of St. Petersburg College Dr. Tonjua Williams.

St. Petersburg College Student from Nigeria, Margaret Moku-olu, speaks about her admiration of Dr. Tonjua Williams. Among her short-term goals is to meet SPC President Dr. Tonjua Williams, whom she greatly admires.  Both Margaret and Dr. Williams have brought honor to their family’s name.

New scholarship opportunities aim to boost higher education accessibility. Dr. Tonjua Williams helps to facilitate these pathways to education.  

USFSP wants to reach students who could be left behind in the education system. Tonjua Williams talks of creating an “Education Ecosystem” in Pinellas. 

USF St. Pete announces plan to expand scholarship opportunities. Tonjua Williams hopes that this expansion reaches beyond college.

Dr. Tonjua Williams receives the Erica Riggins Community Service Award at the Men in the Making event at the Vinoy. 

The Vinoy Renaissance is a luxurious million-dollar resort in downtown St. Petersburg, but it’s doubtful if it had ever hosted such a distinguished group of young men before the Men In The Making (MIM) held their rite of passage celebration last Friday, May 11.

Dr.Tonjua Williams helps couple that has been together since 1976 graduate along with 1,947 other students, helping them achieve a long awaited dream.

The Carter G. Woodson African American History Museum held its fourth First Ladies in African American History event honoring local trailblazer in Pinellas County last Sunday. Held at the St. Petersburg Marriott Clearwater, the community, local politicians and even gubernatorial candidate Philip Levine stopped by to congratulate the honorees.

Hundreds attended the April 21 grand opening of the Clearwater East Community Library at St. Petersburg College. Years in the making, the joint-use facility at the SPC Clearwater Campus marks the college’s third such partnership with municipalities. Other library partners include the cities of St. Petersburg and Seminole.