Crystal Williams

Career Williams was raised in both Detroit, Michigan and Madrid, Spain.

Education Williams began teaching at Reed College as a professor of English, becoming dean for institutional diversity from 2011 to 2013.

In 2021, it was announced that Williams was leaving her position as vice president and associate provost for community and inclusion at Boston University to become Rhode Island School of Design's 18th president. A student with work removed from the show said it "felt like censorship." The premature closure was condemned by the National Coalition Against Censorship, among other community members. Williams has previously threatened students with expulsion for pro-Palestine protest actions.

The previous fall, Williams was profiled in the New York Times, saying of her own creative practice: "Poetry requires a kind of heart space and solitude I don't have."

She received $635,176 in compensation from RISD in 2024.