Dr. Reiko Williams has more than 30 years of experience supporting children and families throughout the Portland metropolitan area. Her work has focused on helping children and families to navigate schools, community colleges, universities and other public service agencies, to achieve self sufficiency and healthy futures. Dr. Williams worked as social worker, mental health therapist, program director and also served as a school principal where she was responsible for ensuring the safety and well-being of children in partnership with their families, school staff, and community. She has worked both for and in partnership with local non-profit organizations, i.e., Casey Family Programs, the Youth Employment Institute, REAP (Reaching and Empowering All People), African American Health Coalition, Portland State University, Portland Community College, Portland Public Schools and many others. Dr. Williams has served as a federal grant writer, professional development facilitator and consultant to a number of agencies and organizations. Her dissertation study was an exploration of the ways in which single Black mothers demonstrate their value for education. Dr. Williams is a Black woman who has had to navigate predominantly white spaces both personally and professionally and is especially committed to working in partnership with Black and other non-white women with achieving personal and economic independence and mental and emotional well-being. 

Dr. Williams worked at Portland State University in the office of admissions where her focus was on the recruitment of Black and brown students. She worked in partnership with local, regional and statewide schools and non-profit agencies to support academic development and economic advancement of families who experience financial marginalization. She has worked as an equity director, school administrator (both assistant principal and principal), program director, advisor, counselor, mental health therapist, social worker, grant writer and federal grant reviewer. Dr. Williams has served on the boards of several local non-profit organizations dedicated to serving students and promoting educational equity. She is committed to working to dismantle systems of racial oppression, to surfacing and help decision makers to understand intersectionality. She has both created and supported programs to center the needs of students whose academic, social, emotional and mental health needs have too often been ignored, devalued and trivialized. Dr. Williams has worked for decades to develop programs that are responsive to the needs of families and communities and works to eliminate social hierarchies that disregard their perspectives, desires and needs.