 | This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia.(August 2019) |
Tonjua Williams | |
|---|---|
| President of St. Petersburg College | |
| Assumed office July 1, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | William D. Law |
| Personal details | |
| Alma mater | Clearwater Christian College University of South Florida Barry University |
Tonjua Harris Williams is the current President of St. Petersburg College in St. Petersburg,Florida,assuming the office in 2017.
Williams was one of three children of her single mother,who encouraged them to study. [1]
Williams began her career at the St. Petersburg College in 1986 after earning her bachelor's degree in humanities from Clearwater Christian College. She earned another bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Clearwater Christian,then a master's degree in Counselor Education from the University of South Florida. She studied at the Adrian Dominican School of Education to gain her Ph.D. in Higher Education from Barry University. [2]
Williams was the first woman and first African American to be a president of the college. [2] Dr. Williams worked as a Coordinator for Student Support Services,Sr. Vice President for Student Services,Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and Provost at the college's Tarpon Springs campus. During that time,she initiated and oversaw several successful programs,including The College Experience student success initiative,which expanded partnerships between faculty and advisors,created an early alert system for struggling students and increased student visits to campus learning support centers.
Williams is an Aspen [ clarification needed ] Presidential Fellow,a coach for the American Association of Community College's (AACC) Guided Pathways initiative,a faculty resident for the Community College Center for Student Engagement (CCCSE) institutes and is affiliated with several state and national organizations,often in leadership roles.
Her present affiliations include:
Pinellas County is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census,the population was 959,107,making it the seventh-most populous county in the state. It is also the most densely populated county in Florida,with 3,491 residents per square mile. The county is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area. Clearwater is the county seat. St. Petersburg is the largest city in the county,as well as the largest city in Florida that is not a county seat.
Holiday is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pasco County,Florida,United States. It is a suburb of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater,Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 24,939 as of the 2020 census.
Clearwater is a city and the county seat of Pinellas County,Florida,United States,west of Tampa and north of St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2020 census,the city had a population of 117,292. It is the smallest of the three principal cities in the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater metropolitan area,most commonly referred to as the Tampa Bay area.
Gulfport is a city in Pinellas County,Florida,United States,bordering St. Petersburg,South Pasadena,and Boca Ciega Bay. The population of Gulfport was 11,783 at the 2020 census. Gulfport is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater metropolitan statistical area.
Pinellas Park is a city located in central Pinellas County,United States. The population was 53,093 at the 2020 census. The city is the fourth largest city in Pinellas County. The City of Pinellas Park was incorporated in 1914. It is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area,most commonly referred to as the Tampa Bay Area.
St. Pete Beach is a coastal city in Pinellas County,Florida. Known as a tourist destination,St. Pete Beach was formed from the towns of Pass-a-Grille,Belle Vista,St. Petersburg Beach,and unincorporated Pinellas County. It is part of the Tampa Bay area. The population was 8,879 at the 2020 census.
The Tampa Bay area is a major metropolitan area surrounding Tampa Bay on the Gulf Coast of Florida in the United States. It includes the main cities of Tampa,St. Petersburg,and Clearwater. It is the 17th-largest metropolitan area in the United States,with a population of 3,175,275 as of the 2020 U.S. Census.
St. Petersburg College (SPC) is a public college in St. Petersburg,Florida. It is part of the Florida College System and one of the institutions in the system designated a "state college," as it offers a greater number of bachelor's degrees than traditional community colleges focused on associate degrees. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and enrolled about 29,000 students in the fall of 2018.
Pinellas County Schools is the public school district serving Pinellas County,Florida. The district is based in Largo. With over 104,000 students served in more than 140 schools and centers,the district is the 7th-largest in Florida and 26th-largest in the nation. In addition to neighborhood schools,the district offers 70 application programs,including magnet,fundamental and career academy programs.It includes the entire county.
The Diocese of Saint Petersburg is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Tampa Bay region of Gulf Coast Florida.
Gibbs High School is a public high school of the Pinellas County School District in St. Petersburg,Florida. Gibbs is home to the Pinellas County Center for the Arts (PCCA),Business,Economics,and Technology Academy (BETA) and their television production in Communication Arts. The school is named for Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs,a black man who was Superintendent of Public Instruction and Secretary of State in Florida during the Reconstruction era. Gibbs' current principal is Barry Brown.
Peter Nehr is an Austrian-born American politician and former Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives who represented the 48th District of Florida from 2006 to 2012.
The Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail is a rail trail in Pinellas County,Florida. It stretches from Tarpon Springs in the north to St. Petersburg in the south,passing through the towns of Palm Harbor,Dunedin,Belleair,Clearwater,Largo,Seminole,South Pasadena,and Gulfport. It is utilized for walking,jogging,and cycling. Some trail users are able to commute to work using the Pinellas Trail instead of a motor vehicle.
The Florida education system consists of public and private schools in Florida,including the State University System of Florida (SUSF),the Florida College System (FCS),the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida (ICUF) and other private institutions,and also secondary and primary schools as well as virtual schools.
Harold William Heller was an American politician and educator.
Darryl Ervin Rouson is a Democratic member of the Florida Senate who has represented the 16th district,which includes parts of Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties from downtown St. Petersburg to downtown Tampa,since 2016. He previously served four terms in the Florida House of Representatives from 2008 to 2016.
C. Bette Wimbish was one of the leading African-American woman activists in Florida promoting the desegregation of schools and civil equality. She was most commonly known as a civil rights activist,a politician,and the first African American on the St. Petersburg,Florida city council. As well as being the first African-American to hold elected office in the Tampa Bay area in the 20th-century,Wimbish was also the first black female lawyer in Pinellas County,Florida. She was the wife of Ralph Wimbish and the mother of three children.
Gus A. Stavros was an American businessman and philanthropist. He founded the company Better Business Forms in the 1960s and later sold it. He founded the Stavros Institute and was a founding chairman of the Pinellas Education Foundation to improve the quality of local public education. He also served on the board of trustees of the University of South Florida and the governing board of USF St. Petersburg. He was also a part-owner of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team.
Pinellas High School was a public high school from 1934 until 1968 in Clearwater,Florida. It served African Americans from the surrounding area of northern Pinellas County including Largo,Clearwater,Dunedin,Safety Harbor and Tarpon Springs during the era of segregation. It was at 1220 Palmetto Street. During its existence,it was the first segregated school in the region and it was the only school exclusively serving Black students in Pinellas County.
The 2021 St. Petersburg,Florida,mayoral election was held on August 24,2021,with a runoff on November 2 because no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the first round. It elected the mayor of St. Petersburg,Florida. Incumbent Democratic mayor Rick Kriseman was term-limited and could not seek a third term in office. Municipal elections in St. Petersburg are officially nonpartisan. Former Pinellas County commissioner Ken Welch easily defeated city councilor Robert Blackmon in the runoff. Candidates eliminated in the first round included city councilor Darden Rice,former state representative Wengay Newton,and restaurateur Pete Boland. Welch took office in January 2022,becoming the first black mayor of St. Petersburg.