Houston campus president appointment announcement

Dear Texas Woman’s Colleagues,

I have some exciting news to share. I am pleased to introduce to you Monica Williams, PhD as the inaugural Houston campus president. She will begin her role on Monday, August 26—a welcome event is planned for that day at 12:15 pm on the Houston Campus—but she will also join us for Fall Assembly 2024: Open Doors on August 19.

A native Houstonian, Monica has deep education roots in Houston, from her earliest career move as an English teacher in Houston ISD, to board service ranging from the Greater Houston Partnership starting in 2000 to Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated still today. Her higher education journey runs from adjunct faculty to doctoral dissertation committee service to vice president, more than twenty years serving higher education institutions at Texas Southern, Prairie View A&M, Rice, and for the past nine years as the foundation president/CEO & vice president of advancement at the University of North Texas at Dallas.

At UNT Dallas, former president Bob Mong respectfully called Dr. Williams his vice president of everything as the fledgling university— accredited in June 2013—grew with a small staff and meager resources from an enrollment of around 2,400 in 2015 to 3,798 in Fall 2023, about 60% increase in eight years.

Her colleagues say she is someone who would not ask anyone to do anything she would not do herself. They say she is an extraordinary team builder who lends a participative leadership style that values collaboration, precision, and authenticity. I see one of her key strengths as her experience co-developing and rolling out a five-year, values-based strategic plan coupled with her fundraising that extended into governmental relations. Only three of 38 public universities in Texas received a tuition revenue bond of more than $100M in the 87th Texas Legislature. One was Texas Woman’s. A second was UNT Dallas for a project championed by Dr. Williams, whereby she was instrumental in shaping its eventual impact on the healthcare workforce in southern Dallas. In the feedback from her campus visits, I heard, “Her brilliance is being able to say so much with so few words.” The community feedback rated her highly in fundraising, community relationships, leadership, collaboration, and shared governance—all key dimensions for where we are today at Texas Woman’s – Houston.

We had an outstanding pool of candidates, and with your feedback and the search committee’s work, we have selected the best leader for this time. I want to thank the search committee for their many hours reading applicant materials, interviewing candidates, and having frank conversations about the campus’s needs in leadership. Thank you to everyone who submitted feedback. Your perspectives were duly considered. I also want to thank the team that has been working hard on putting together a 90-day transition plan culminating in an installation event on November 7—mark your calendars. Finally, I want to thank Christopher Johnson, who has led the search process.

When I first told you about the system news, I borrowed the JFK notion—delivered in his famous speech less than a mile from campus—that we are not doing this because it is easy. Rather, because it is hard, it will bring out the best in us. I charge President Williams with bringing out the best in us as we work together to advance our woman-focused mission and touch the lives of so many more women and men we can serve in Houston through higher education and our research that matters.

With a pioneering spirit,

Carine M. Feyten, Ph.D.
Chancellor and President

Page last updated 1:26 PM, July 24, 2024