J. Audra Williams
-
H.B. Farmer Education Building 1050 S Forest Mall Tempe, AZ 85281
-
-
Student Information
Graduate StudentEducational Policy and Evaluation
MaryLouFulton Teachers College
J. Audra Williams (he/they) has worked in higher education since 2012, most recently in the Office for Equity & Diversity (OED) at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities supporting the Education Program. J. Audra holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Luther College (2011) and recently earned an MA in Higher Education from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. In fall 2024, J. Audra will begin doctoral studies in Arizona State University's Educational Policy and Evaluation PhD Program under the mentorship of Dr. Antonio Duran with several research projects already underway. In addition to research, they are serving in leadership roles with two professional associations, NASPA: Student Affairs in Higher Education and The Association for the Study of Higher Education.
Identifying as a queer man, J. Audra focuses their research on both the broad and specific experiences of queer and trans people, particularly within higher education—a group that is often overlooked and under researched. Their research emphasizes queer and trans joy, aiming to shift the narrative from trauma and negative experiences to highlight that queer and trans people are more than just their struggles. For their MA thesis research titled, (Un)even Terrain: Queer & Trans Staff Experiences Building Affinity, Community, & Kinship at the University of Minnesota, J. Audra received the NASPA GSKC award, which provided funding to compensate the study's collaborators.
Ph.D. Education Policy & Evaluation, Arizona State University, anticipated 2028
M.A. Higher Education, University of Minnesota, 2024
B.A. Sociology, Luther College, 2011
- Higher Education
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice
- Queer and Trans Identities and Communities
- Qualitative Inquiry and Methods
Duran, A., & Williams, J. (accepted). Frameworks to guide TQ center(ed) diversity work: Bridging critical theories with practice. In D. C. J. Catalano, A. Duran, T.J. Jourian, & J. T. Pryor (Eds.), Envisioning a critical and liberatory approach to trans and queer center(ed) diversity work. Peter Lang.
Orozco, R. C., Williams, J. A., & Galioto, L. (Manuscript in preparation). Imagining possibilities…visionary organizing: A praxis of joy, love, hope, and liberation for queer latinx/a/o college student activists.
Duran, A., Foste, Z., & Williams, J. A. (accepted for 2024, August). “Who are the ‘scholars’ in ‘scholarship?: How higher education researchers represent positionality in their studies [Paper presentation]. Association for the Study of Higher Education 2024 Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Collins, K. C., Williams, J. A., Woodward, S., Awal, A., & Eltink, J. (2024, March). From performative to powerful: Collective action diversity leadership in higher education contexts [Presentation]. UMD 2024 Summit on Equity, Race, and Ethnicity: Learning from Our Past, Minnesota “Not So” Nice, Duluth, MN.
Orozco, R. C., Williams, J. A., & Galioto, L. (2024, March). Imagining possibilities…visionary organizing: A praxis of joy, love, hope, and liberation for queer Latinx/a/o college student activists [Conference presentation]. 2024 NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education Annual Conference, Seattle, WA.
Williams J. A. (2023, December). Queer- & trans-identifying staff Experiences and ways of building community, affinity, & kinship [Research Proposal Presentation]. Steven J. Schochet Endowment's Queer Research Symposium, Minneapolis, MN.
Collins, K. C., Williams, J. A., Bazemore-James, C., Cottledge, A., Jones, L., kaur, j., O’Berry, W., & Whyte, A., Jr. (2023, November). From performative to powerful: Collective action diversity leadership in higher education contexts [Interactive Symposium]. Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) 2023 Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN.
Association for the Study of Higher Education (September 2023–Present)
- Social and Networking Co-Chair, Graduate Student Committee (July 2024–May 2026)
- ASHE 2024 Session Chair and Program Reviewer (July 2024)
NASPA - National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (September 2023–Present)
- Core Member for Awards, Gender & Sexuality Knowledge Community (July 2024–July 2026)
- Region IV-E, Gender & Sexuality Knowledge Community Representative (October 2023–June 2024)
- PhD Advisor, Dr. Antonio Duran, Arizona State University
- MA Advisor, Dr. Cori Bazemore-James, University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota (UMN), Office for Equity and Diversity
- Education Program Coordinator (November 2022–August 2024)
- Co-Interim Director of Education (July 2021–October 2021)
- Administrative Assistant/Program Coordinator (February 2019–November 2022)
University of Iowa (UIowa), Communication Sciences & Disorders
- Administrative Services Coordinator (November 2015–February 2019)