Trustee
Reared in a family of educators from Gulfport, Mississippi, Dr. Thea H. Williams-Black was appointed by Lamar W. Powell to serve as Executrix and Trustee of the Lamar W. Powell Revocable Trust. Dr. Williams-Black oversees the day-to-day operations of the Trust and the facilitation of the scholarship process from start to finish with each applicant.
Dr. Williams-Black received a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Tougaloo College and a Master of Education in Elementary Education and Gifted Education from William Carey University. After teaching for several years in the K-6 classroom, she returned to school full-time to obtain a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction-Literacy Education from The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS.
After obtaining a doctorate, Dr. Williams-Black began her higher education career at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, LA, as an Assistant Professor of Literacy Education and Director of the Summer Gifted Program.
After teaching at Nicholls State University, she moved to Williamsburg, VA, to become the Director of Pre-Collegiate Learner Programs and an Adjunct Professor in Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary. Having a desire to return to Mississippi, Dr. Williams-Black was afforded the opportunity to teach undergraduate and graduate courses at The University of Mississippi in the School of Education, Department of Teacher Education. Earning tenure and promotion at the University of Mississippi, she also developed the School of Education’s first online program, a Master of Education in Literacy Education. While the Department Chair and Professor of Elementary and Early Childhood Education at Jackson State University, Dr. Williams-Black raised fund in a year and a half span to revitalize the esthetics of the department, enhance the resources for faculty and students, and provide scholarships for students in Elementary Education. Dr. Williams-Black was former Dean and Professor for the Division of Education, Supervision, and Instruction at her alma mater, Tougaloo College, where she revised the curriculum for all programs, was awarded over $5 million in grants, and oversaw the Jackson-Tougaloo Early College High School and the YOUCAN! Institute.
Dr. Williams-Black is a contributor to Literacy Education, where she has published several manuscripts on literacy, diversity, social studies, gifted, and technology. She co-authored three books, two chapters, and numerous peer-reviewed journal articles.
She is the wife of Terrence D. Black and mother of Thea Emerson.
