TROY M. WILLIAMS, Ph.D.
Social Impact Practitioner and Scholar
For over ten years, I have collaborated with community organizations and higher education institutions where I have had the opportunity to entertain, educate, and empower students and local community members on how they can address systemic issues that impact their daily lives. Most of my professional experience involved identifying community needs, co-creating responses with community members, and evaluating programs. Currently, I work with multiple organizations as an evaluator, ensuring that they are having the intended impact on the communities that they serve. I have worked with multiple organizations to create a systems thinking framework to measure efforts that address issues in the cities and communities that they serve. As an Atlanta native, a first-generation, non-traditional college student, I have seen first-hand the impact that community-based organizations can have on neighborhoods, and I am committed to ensuring that these organizations flourish.
EVALUATIONS
The Lifecourse Initiative for Healthy Families
Conducted a summative evaluation of The Lifecourse Initiative for Healthy Families (LIHF) project. This evaluation surveyed and interviewed stakeholders, grant recipients, and community members that could reflect on the successes, challenges, and next steps for the initiative.
Building Capacity for Action to Address Opioid Drug Harm in African American Communities
Evaluated the historical, institutional, and structural factors as underlying and persistent conditions that contribute to the vulnerability of African Americans individuals, families, and communities with respect to opioid use and harm in Madison, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Public Television (WPT) Education Team
Conducted a formative evaluation of the educational resources provided by Wisconsin Public Television (WPT) Education Team. This evaluation maps the various structures, conditions and programming components of WPT Education.
Culturally Responsive Evaluation Practice in Wisconsin
Collaborated with ¡Milwaukee Evaluation! Inc. Board members to engage evaluators and individuals who conduct evaluation-related work to co-create meaning and provide recommendations for the culturally responsive evaluation (CRE) survey.
MEDIA
Featured on an episode where I was interviewed by about my experiences engaging community members and organizations and the challenges of working within institutions that still have a lot of work to do on issues of race.
Featured on an episode where I was interviewed by about my experiences engaging community members and organizations and the challenges of working within institutions that still have a lot of work to do on issues of race.
California State San Bernardino organized a panel that discussed the history of police and communities of color throughout the United States.
This article discusses the racial dynamics of Atlanta, Georgia and how Black politicians and residents navigate white power structures.
I was interviewed by the University of San Diego: School of Leadership and Education Sciences about my time as a student and my life following graduation.
PUBLICATIONS
This study analyzes conversations of Black women, men, and youth throughout Dane County as they discuss the role of social infrastructure, specifically Third Spaces, as a contributing factor to drug abuse. Interviewees reveal that opioid use in Black communities throughout Dane County is exceptionally complex and involves multiple systems and structures that reach far beyond individuals’ choices and behaviors, which are often alluded to as the root of drug abuse. The first-hand accounts depict the impact of being denied access to spaces and how the absence of social infrastructure has impacted their lives.
This article explores the unequal power dynamics between academic and community partners in an initiative that addresses disparities in Black infant mortality in Southeastern Wisconsin. Survey and interview respondents revealed that many Black community members and academics perceived white academic partners as avoiding addressing root causes of systemic racism, maintenance of structural power imbalances, and how these disparities are related to the very long history of racism and disparities throughout the state. The white respondents (mostly) saw a lack of willingness and/or capacity for the Black community partners most vocally involved to effectively deal with the policy, systems, and environments that contributed to the disparities. Evaluators concluded that if the community and academic partners are interested in making long-term impacts, they will have to let go of traditional ways of community-academic collaborations and begin to embrace future possibilities to more effectively impact communities of color.
This chapter presents a call to action grounded in a graduate student clinical program at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The WCER Clinical Program (wcerclinicalprogram.org) creates a reciprocal space where graduate students and community-based partners develop and practice connections between research, evaluation, practice, and policy through applied projects in the community, in real time, in real contexts, and with real impact. The Evaluation Clinic evolved from two primary needs: systematic and applied learning in Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluation (CREE) for graduate students in the School of Education; and accessible, high-quality evaluation from WCER for local community-based partners. Our ultimate vision is that people and organizations have the capacity to critically reflect on and mobilize knowledge to support equitable opportunities and outcomes.
CONSULTING
The Mulvaney Center for Community, Awareness and Social Action
Immersion Consultant
Organized international immersion experiences for the University of San Diego and Clayton State University graduate and undergraduate students in Trelawny, Jamaica. This included co-creating social education techniques to build community connections between these students and Jamaican community members. Over the course of the class, students were encouraged to gain a more thoughtful perspective of Jamaican culture and service-learning through projects with local schools and community organizers.
Rebalanced-Life Wellness Association
Program Evaluation
Created and implemented a marketing plan to encourage the local community to engage in health initiatives that focus on Black men’s health throughout Dane County. Increased the impact of the Rebalanaced-life wellness association among Black Dane County residents by developing and leveraging relationships with fraternities, religious organizations, and athletic teams.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Greater Sacramento Urban League
Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services
Opioid Harm Prevention Community Outreach Specialist
Supported community organizations, public health agencies, and other stakeholders by facilitating training and technical assistance around communication, planning and the use of data to address the opioid epidemic.
Population Health Institute
Program Evaluator
Conduct qualitative interviews with key participants in multiple counties throughout Wisconsin. Analyze interview data and collaborate in writing and disseminating reports on findings. Collaborate with community-based and governmental organizations to address systemic issues.
The P.O.W.E.R. Collective
Program Director
Serve as office liaison to other campus units, students, and community organizations. Work with these other units to ensure the infrastructure and operational needs of P.O.W.E.R. are met and maintained. Coordinate all fiscal related activity requests with appropriate backup paperwork for submission and processing for payment. Manage and maintain organizational partnerships and community relationships.
Black Resource Center
Facilities, Operations, and Event Coordinator
Oversee BRC infrastructure including maintenance. Serve as office liaison to other campus units and work with these other units to ensure the infrastructure and operational needs of the BRC are met and maintained. Develop and analyze budgets for each event, keeping detailed records of income and expenditures, ensuring the projects are within projected costs and that all volunteers comply with established university procedures. Oversee all day-to-day operations of the facility including maintenance, room reservations, and front desk operations. Develop, interpret and explain facility policies to affiliates.
Oversee directors, managers, and coordinators in managing company operations to ensure positive and safe working environments. Collaborate with community members, directors, managers, and staff to evaluate key productivity indicators and implement process improvement initiatives. Develop and implement strategies to maximize organizational impact throughout Northern California. Ensure all employees follow the company standards, policies, and strategies while partnering with the executive team. Coordinate with the executive team, directors, and managers in planning short- and long-term projects, budgets, and board reports.
Population Health Institute
Action Researcher and Evaluator
Conduct qualitative interviews with key participants in multiple counties throughout Wisconsin. Analyze interview data and collaborate in writing and disseminating reports on findings. Collaborate with community-based and governmental organizations to address systemic issues.
Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services
Opioid Harm Prevention Community Outreach Specialist
Supported community organizations, public health agencies, and other stakeholders by facilitating training and technical assistance around communication, planning and the use of data to address the opioid epidemic.
The P.O.W.E.R. Collective
Program Director
Serve as office liaison to other campus units, students, and community organizations. Work with these other units to ensure the infrastructure and operational needs of P.O.W.E.R. are met and maintained. Coordinate all fiscal related activity requests with appropriate backup paperwork for submission and processing for payment. Manage and maintain organizational partnerships and community relationships.
Black Resource Center
Facilities, Operations, and Event Coordinator
Oversee BRC infrastructure including maintenance. Serve as office liaison to other campus units and work with these other units to ensure the infrastructure and operational needs of the BRC are met and maintained. Develop and analyze budgets for each event, keeping detailed records of income and expenditures, ensuring the projects are within projected costs and that all volunteers comply with established university procedures. Oversee all day-to-day operations of the facility including maintenance, room reservations, and front desk operations. Develop, interpret and explain facility policies to affiliates.
Young Kings Entertainment
Chief Executive Officer
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Young Kings Enterprises. This organization was responsible for planning concerts, all-inclusive vacations, and exclusive events for corporate entities such as VIACOM, Radio One, Anheuser-Busch, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Atlanta, Georgia; Miami, Florida; and Cancun, Mexico.
Chief Impact Officer
EDUCATION
University of Wisconsin
Ph.D., Human Ecology 2017-2021
This program trains doctoral students to become participant-scholars; scholars who work toward change processes by putting human ecological theory into practice. Through intense interdisciplinary coursework, scholars are trained to use participatory methods for system-level interventions.
University of San Diego
MA, Leadership Studies 2013-2015
The School of Leadership Education and Sciences Master of Arts in Leadership Studies. Through leadership and development theories, critical thinking and analytics. I was able to refine my understanding of organizational systems and group dynamics.
Clayton State University
BS, Sociology 2009-2013
Through multiple courses, study abroad experiences, and internships this major provided valuable insights into social factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, education, and social class that laid the foundation for my academic and professional career.