Guest Bio

A. Hope Williams is in her 30th year as president of North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU), the statewide office of the 36 private, nonprofit colleges and universities in North Carolina. She works closely with the State of North Carolina and the federal government, and with the North Carolina public K-12 and higher education sectors to address education and related public policy and funding issues. In addition, she oversees fundraising for student scholarships and grants, professional development opportunities for campus leaders, as well as the development of collaborative programs for the benefit of NCICU campuses. 

Dr. Williams received her undergraduate degree from Duke University, an MPA from North Carolina State University and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  She is a member of the Governor’s Education Cabinet and was named a 2017 CEO of the Year by the Triangle Business Journal. She chairs the boards of MCNC, Dupont Circle Investments, and the North Carolina Aquarium Society, serves on the boards of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center and the National Student Clearinghouse, College Foundation, Inc., the National Advisory Board of the Institute for Emerging Issues, the NCWorks Commission, myFutureNC and Communities in Schools of North Carolina.