Exemplary Community Advocate. Academic Innovator. Visionary. World Class Leader. These are only a few of the words to describe Dr. Michael P. Williams.

As Senior Pastor and CEO of Houston's Joy Baptist Tabernacle Church, Dr. Williams, a St. Louis native, has earned world class recognition and praise.

Elected to the Houston Community College's board in 1999 to represent District IV - one of the most ethnically diverse districts in the HCC system. In his first year on the HCC Board of Trustees he served as Deputy Secretary; Chairman of the Finance Committee; and Chairman of the Ad Hoc Chancellor Search Committee. In 2005, he served as Chairman of the HCC Board.

Dr. Williams earned his undergraduate degree from Westminster College (Fulton, Missouri); his Master of Divinity degree from Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut); and his Doctor of Ministry degree from Southern Methodist University (Dallas, Texas). While at Yale, he earned the coveted Yale Graduate Fellowship and the Rockefeller Foundation's "Protestant Fellowship." At SMU, his doctoral dissertation on 'mentoring as an evangelistic method' was awarded highest honors.

Dr. Williams is the author of numerous articles in scholarly and popular periodicals, as well as, the author of three books. His latest titled, 'REBUILDING THE WALLS: Seven Steps to Reach Communities in Crisis' is scheduled for release in 2007.

Dr. Williams has served as a professor at several universities, including the University of Houston. A commanding presence, he is a highly sought-after speaker for conferences, conventions and on college campuses across the nation. It is his dedication to the community and serving disenfranchised communities that have been hallmarks of his career. It is also part of the unique vision he has brought with him to HCC. In his three decades of public service, Dr. Williams has amassed numerous honors and achievements, including:

• Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum (Class XVII);
• Named as one of Houston's top fifteen African-American ministers by the Houston Defender (1999);
• President of HOPE for the Inner City, Inc. (a community development corporation committed to building affordable housing and small business development);
• Chair, Board of Directors of HOPE for Houston, Inc. (a non-profit agency providing social services to at risk youth and their families);
• Advisory Board, New Hope Housing Corporation;
• Chair, Clergy Partnership for Community Development;
• First African-American to sit on the Connecticut Board of Higher Education (the governing board for the State's higher education system;
• Board of Directors, National Baptist Convention USA, Inc.;
• Governing Board, National Council of Churches
• Inducted into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College, honored as a "Distinguished Preacher whose proclamation and community service exemplifies the social ministry of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." (1994)
• Received the 'Keeping the Dream Alive' Award from MLK Parade Foundation (2007)

In 2004, Dr. Williams received a tremendous honor - the renaming of a Houston street, Carol Lane, to DR. MICHAEL P. WILLIAMS PLAZA. This is an honor that is usually given posthumously.

Dr. Williams is deeply committed to Houston and understands that our youth will play an important role in shaping our city for future generations. As he does from the pulpit of Joy Tabernacle - and now from his seat on the HCC Board - Dr. Williams works tirelessly to help change lives for the better. The venues may change, but his dedication and unwavering spirit do not.

Dr. Williams and his wife, Donna, have three children and two grandchildren. Dr. Williams' current HCC term runs through 2011.