Anne Williamson to Direct the School of Public Affairs at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Anne Williamson, an expert in housing policy, has been selected as the new director of the School of Public Affairs at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

“It’s a real honor to join such a talented faculty and a school with marvelous programming,” Dr. Williamson said. “The faculty has a strong commitment to community engagement and to issues of social equity. I would like to build on the excellent work that is already happening so that we can be part of the solutions for issues facing communities in the state and the country. We hope to serve as an example of excellence in undergraduate and graduate education and how scholars can be strong collaborators in the community.”

Dr. Williamson joins the University of Arkansas at Little Rock from the University of Missouri–Kansas City, where she served as the Victor and Caroline Schutte/Missouri Professor of Urban Affairs and director of the L.P. Cookingham Institute of Urban Affairs. Earlier, she served on the faculty at the University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Alabama. Before working in higher education, Dr. Williamson served as director of the Office of Research and Analysis at the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

Dr. Williamson is a summa cum laude graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, where she majored in finance. She holds a master’s degree in finance from the University of Florida and a Ph.D. in public administration and policy from the University of Georgia.