Dr. Carolyn Williams was a member of the advisory council that created the first faculty/administrator Salzburg Global Seminar program. When I was asked to join her and two other colleagues in the summer of 2004, I was honored and nervous. There was no need to be. I was welcomed warmly and she put me to work right away.

During that week I observed her leadership in action as she encouraged us to be innovative. Dr. Williams called a meeting later that summer to decide if Bronx Community College should continue to participate in Salzburg. We did and her support never wavered. BCC’s Center for Tolerance and Understanding was conceived at the 2004 seminar. Later on, Global Perspectives, a series of co-curricular events and programs, was created by another BCC faculty/administrator Salzburg cohort. From Austria to South Africa, she empowered us.

I was privileged to work with Dr. Williams and our team on BCC’s Ford Foundation-funded South Africa New Linkages: Building College to University Pathways project. Often, there were long weeks of traveling hundreds of kilometers daily to hold workshops at technical colleges in cities across numerous, far-flung provinces. The work was exhilarating.  And, yes, we were all tired. She never complained, however, setting for us an example of selflessness and service. Through these experiences, we formed bonds of collegiality and friendship that remain.

Since her retirement, we had kept in touch. I will miss our expansive conversations. I will miss her.