Elyssa Quesada
Senior Contributor
Before the sun rises over San Antonio, Duane Williams is already in motion. He wakes up between 3:45 a.m. and 4 a.m., beginning his day with meditation, a workout, making breakfast and lunch for his family and preparing for a full day’s work at Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
Williams, the associate vice provost of student success and retention, joined A&M-San Antonio in December 2022 and is usually on campus by 7:30 a.m., fueled by coffee, sometimes tea and a passion for students.
By the time he arrives on campus, he’s impeccably dressed—tie perfectly knotted, pocket square and flower in place, hair neatly styled and a friendly smile ready for anyone he meets.
“It’s how I set the tone before I serve others,” Williams said.
Williams’ office is located on the fourth floor of the Central Academic Building, where he can see out into the main courtyard, while his days are packed with meetings, mentoring, grant planning and strategy sessions focused on student success.
When the pace of the day gets heavy, Williams steps away to recharge in quiet corners of campus, such as the library or the garden tucked behind the Madla Building.
Those who work closely with Williams see the same dedication he brings to his mornings reflected in his leadership on campus.
Jessica Reynolds, director of First-Year Experience, says collaborating with Williams for the benefit of the students has shown her just how dedicated he is.
Reynolds, who began as an instructor in 2020 and now oversees five programs, says it was Williams who encouraged her to apply for her leadership role as director.
“He didn’t make me feel like I had to be anybody who I wasn’t in this role,” Reynolds said. “He’s done a really good job allowing me to stay true to who I am, but also growing a lot as a higher ed professional.”
Reynolds is able to collaborate across campus and credits Williams with bringing that spirit to the entire institution.
“I think in Texas, we’re a little slower than what he’s used to, but I think he’s evolved to the Texas culture,” Reynolds said. “We have a family kind of feel, and I feel like he embraces that really well, considering he’s not even from San Antonio, Texas. He really takes on the spirit of San Antonio naturally, and so his evolution has just been more of him being himself, but also being San Antonio.”
Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Williams completed high school before moving to the United States in 1998. Although the weather was not ideal, his first stop was New Jersey, where he began his academic journey at community college.
Williams, the third of seven children, attended Union County College, in Union, New Jersey, now called Union College of Union County, New Jersey, in July 1998, not because it was his dream, but as an international and first-generation student, options and resources seemed limited.
“It wasn’t a college necessarily by choice within a group of schools. It was a choice based on convenience and affordability,” Williams said. “It was closest to home and it was the most affordable. That’s how I selected my college career, at least the beginning pieces.”
After receiving his associate degree, he transferred to Kean University in Union, New Jersey, and earned both a bachelor’s in management science and a master’s of public administration in 2006.
While colleagues at A&M-San Antonio highlight his leadership today, another longtime connection shows how Williams’ mentorship has shaped lives beyond Texas.
Williams has always been an advocate for learning and pushing forward for himself and others, and he found the same passion in Rahjaun Gordon.
In 2008, Gordon was 19 when he first interviewed with Williams for a resident assistant position at Kean University, where Williams was a hall director. That meeting sparked a mentorship that grew into a lasting friendship.
Gordon is now senior director of educational opportunity fund and success programs at Montclair State University, the same university where he and Williams earned their Ph.D.s. and where, in 2019, the tables turned.
“I think I was in year two of my Ph.D. and Duane was settling in to start his and I encouraged him to look at my program,” Gordon said. “He explored it, he loved it and took it on. So he was going through the application and I didn’t realize it, but I was coaching him through it because I already went through it.”
Years later, as their friendship continued through shared goals in education and Jamaican roots, while working at Montclair State University, Williams decided to pursue a Ph.D.
“I didn’t realize it until I watched, like oh wow, he was coming to me for advice, asking about this class or asking about the dissertation process,” Gordon said.
The friendship only continued from there, each sharing bylines on the other’s professional academic articles. Gordon described the friendship between him and Williams.
“Duane is extremely, extremely wise; he’s always talking about wisdom, … wisdom is better than silver and gold,” Gordon said. “One quote I would use is, despite how far we are from home and family, we end up finding family and home. And that’s what I found in Duane.”
Seventeen years later, Gordon reflects on how their dynamic has developed.
“In our relationship, we met because he started to supervise me as a student worker and he literally opened the gates on what this profession could be; we spoke the same cultural language because of our Jamaican heritage,” Gordon said.
Gordon and Williams are still in contact to this day and share the same doctoral degree in family science and human development from Montclair State University.
“In different seasons I’ve watched him play a big brother, a father figure, a counselor and a listener as well as a student and a teacher,” Gordon said. “And it’s just interesting to see one person embody all of those things.”
Williams’ San Antonio journey continues: A new chapter on campus
Williams’ office wall is lined with framed accomplishments, and he points to each one as he shares the story behind it. The sunny room also tends to draw in colleagues, whether they’re stopping by for a quick chat or just grabbing another cup of coffee or tea, giving the space an inviting atmosphere.
Williams, who began his educational career in 1998, accomplished another milestone on April 22, 2022.
“So I had finished my Ph.D. in April, actually, I defended on my birthday, on Earth Day. I did that purposely,” Williams said. “I literally planned the day, so it would be on my birthday.”
Williams smiled as he recounted the memory of being able to choose the date he defended his dissertation.
“Life is an adventure, so sometimes it’s just a good story, nothing else. Sometimes it’s just a fun thing,” Williams said. “It’s like you want life to be interesting, so I defended on my birthday, just because, nothing more, nothing less.”
However, his story does not end in New Jersey. Leaving his first home for warmer weather isn’t always as bright as it may seem.
After 24 years in New Jersey, Williams and his family — a wife and two daughters — arrived in Texas in December 2022. This December will mark his third year at A&M-San Antonio.
“My girls had to leave friends, family and everything they knew,” Williams said. “But I wanted them to see that sometimes you chase something bigger and that means change.”
Building foundations for student success
Even when moving between buildings and meetings, he takes the time to pause and talk with students, making each interaction personal and meaningful.
Since arriving, Williams has led efforts in advising, first-year seminar and academic support. He also managed multimillion-dollar grants that aim to improve student retention and success, including summer bridge programs and core scheduling reforms.
One example is that Williams and Reynolds expanded peer leader support to freshman students throughout the year instead of solely working with students in the fall.
Recognizing the gap, Williams asked Reynolds, “What would you do about it?” and gave her the space to get creative, gather input from her team and first-year students.
“It developed into a huge initiative where now we have a cord ceremony at the end of the year for freshmen,” Reynolds said. “They get a certificate, they’re engaged more with outside of class things, all because he recognized a gap.”
Williams said that to be successful, there are three key factors.
“Student success is everyone’s job,” Williams said. “Academics, financial support and a sense of belonging. If a student doesn’t have at least two of those, it’s hard to thrive.”
Williams brings his full self to work — scholar, husband, father, immigrant, first-generation graduate — and he never stops learning.
He reads every day. His bookshelf holds subscriptions to The Chronicle of Higher Education and he often scribbles notes in the margins of books by Malcolm Gladwell or authors on student development.
Reynolds has worked with Williams since he arrived at A&M-San Antonio, and has admiration for him and recognizes the type of leadership he exudes.
“One thing that I would like to say about him that I admire and also try to demonstrate for my team, is that it’s never about him,” Reynolds said. “I have never gotten the feeling that he is looking for the spotlight, he is doing the work to help students.”
Reynolds reflects on how she has been able to model her own leadership after Williams’ example.
“I try to do that for my team. I always think to myself, ‘Is this choice more effective for the team or for Jess?’” Reynolds said. “If it’s just Jess, it’s not the right way to go. It always needs to be about the team and it always needs to be about students. And the success that comes from that is about helping my team and helping students, not any recognition or the next thing. I really think he has instilled that into me and I want to keep that forever.”
As Reynolds carries those lessons forward, Williams also looks to the future, focusing on where the university and his path is headed next.
“In the next few years, I want us to stabilize — build a strong foundation, then grow from there,” Williams said. “We’ve had growing pains, but we’re heading in the right direction.”
For himself, he hopes to return to the classroom one day, not to leave administration behind, but to reconnect directly with students and better inform his leadership.
“I want them to develop a love for learning. I want them to be curious, to belong, to walk away empowered. And I want them to feel that this place — this experience — was special.”
