By Carol Traynor
Valencia College

Falecia Williams, former assistant vice president for Workforce Development at Valencia, has been named president for the college’s West Campus. She succeeds provost Jared Graber, who retired last December.

Williams has worked at Valencia for 13 years, first as an adjunct professor, then in leadership roles in conjunction with dual enrollment, high school outreach programs and workforce development. Most recently, she led a team charged with the creation of the college’s first bachelor degrees.

Prior to Valencia, she was a leader in gifted and honors education at the secondary level. She also served as the director of a community-based grant program to increase enrollment and college completion among first-generation college students.

Williams holds a Doctor of Education with a specialization in Community College Leadership from the University of Central Florida. She currently resides in Windermere.
In August, the college decentralized some academic operations, changing the title of its most senior campus leaders from “provost” to “president” and giving them more authority to innovate based on the needs of their particular campus.

The West Campus, with a fall enrollment of more than 19,000 students, is located on South Kirkman Road in Orlando, one of Valencia’s four Central Florida campuses.