Following a nationwide search that yielded a large, diverse, and talented pool of applicants, Fairfield University President Mark R. Nemec, PhD, is pleased to announce that JoAnne P. Williams, JD, will be joining Fairfield as the University’s senior vice president for finance and administration. Williams will start with the University leadership team effective February 14, and will hold executive responsibility for planning, development, and management of the University’s financial, physical, and technological resources, and auxiliary services.

A native of Costa Rica, Williams’ personal and professional experiences have provided her opportunities to live and work in countries around the world — most notably in Central America and Europe — as well as here in the United States.

Williams holds a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from McNeese State University in Louisiana, and has worked in multiple applied engineering, software development, and finance and administrative roles for Citgo, General Motors, Unigraphics Solutions, and other firms prior to bringing her talents to higher education. After obtaining her law degree at University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, Williams followed her lifelong interest in higher education to roles in academia at Clemson, Cornell, Rutgers, and Columbia universities. She comes to us following recent interim vice president positions at Albertus Magnus College in Connecticut, and Kalamazoo College in Michigan.

In a recent message to the University community, President Nemec said that Williams’ track record as a strategic thinker, innovator, and collaborator — coupled with her commitment to Fairfield’s Jesuit Catholic mission — impressed the faculty, administrators, and trustees with whom she met throughout the search process. He added, “I look forward to her contributions and leadership as we continue to rise in national prominence and answer our call to be the modern, Jesuit and Catholic University that our world needs today.”