Williams, who also is the E. Desmond Lee Professor of Racial and Ethnic Diversity, is the first to be named to the new position.

James Williams

"Professor Williams is in a unique position to build more bridges between the community and the University," Wrighton said. "His leadership role as associate dean in the School of Social Work and his experience in developing community-related programs bring exceptional ability to this important endeavor."

In addition to his duties at GWB, Williams will now work with the University to strengthen its service to the community.

"The University already has a strong commitment to the community, as seen in all of the service projects that the individual schools support," Williams said.

"I want to look at all of the community service that the students, faculty and staff have organized in the past and see how the University as a whole can make a bigger and more sustained impact on the St. Louis region."

In addition to assessing the University's current community service initiatives, Williams will look at how some of these projects can be linked, assist in developing partnerships among the University's schools, identify service projects in the St. Louis community that would benefit from University involvement and work to increase the number of undergraduate students who are involved in community service in St. Louis.

He noted that the direction of his work will be influenced by what he hears from community leaders and the University's deans.

Williams joined the University as a faculty member in 1995 and has become an integral part of GWB's administration, first as assistant dean for academic affairs in 2000 and then as associate dean in 2002.

"This appointment ties perfectly into my work as the E. Desmond Lee professor, a position that requires that I bring together intellectual resources to help the St. Louis community," Williams said. "I look forward to working with the chancellor and the other deans at the University."

Williams' research, scholarship and community activities focus on youth and families. He concentrates on the development of youth, specifically African-American populations, through the creation of innovative programs that decrease individual and contextual risk factors and enhance resiliency.

His most recent project in St. Louis was with the Sustainable Neighborhoods Initiative, in which Williams worked with three neighborhoods in north St. Louis to help residents take leadership in the revitalization of their communities.