Dr. Burton-Williams’ appointment to the Kenner Board of Directors furthers Kenner University’s dedication to providing a well-rounded education that fosters critical thinking, innovation, creativity, and the next generation of leaders.

An advocate for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI), Dr. Melissa Burton-Williams is a chief collaborator specializing in management, leadership, continuous quality improvement, research, policy and legislation, government relations, and workforce development. Dr. Burton-Williams is a local government administrator responsible for managing and administering the Township of Schaumburg. This includes monitoring the leaders of Welfare Services, Senior and Disabled Services, Transportation, Human Resources, and Facilities.

Having served as a higher education administrator for more than 15 years, Dr. Burton-Williams has a wealth of experience in the strategic initiatives of assessment and institutional effectiveness (IE). During her tenure in higher education, through these initiatives, Dr. Burton-Williams addressed academic and strategic planning, program review and accreditation reaffirmation, administration of academic programs and policies, organizational change and management, academic business operations, and intercollegiate cooperation. Her ability to disaggregate data to better focus on JEDI aspects for all stakeholders enabled her to develop academic strategies, committees, and data resources that were DEI-oriented. To support university-wide efforts, Dr. Burton-Williams provided consultation to schools, departments, and programs in the planning, assessment, and review processes while focusing on understanding the policies and regulations regarding higher education, workforce development, and university-wide strategic planning. To her credit, Dr. Burton-Williams has academic and professional publications in institutional newsletters and peer-reviewed journals.