Williams wins award

Williams

Dr. Janet Williams, R.N., Ph.D., dean of the Joseph and Nancy Fail School of Nursing at William Carey University, was recently awarded a 2011 Woman of Achievement Award in the education category by the Lighthouse Business and Professional Women organization. Lighthouse BPW represents successful women in every sector of the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s business community, and to be eligible for this award a candidate must have at least 10 years of work experience in her career field.

Williams has served in the WCU nursing school for over 20 years as a teacher and administrator and most recently as acting dean. She received a B.S. in nursing from the University of Southern Mississippi, MSN in adult health nursing from the University of Alabama-Birmingham, MBA from the University of South Alabama and a Ph.D. in educational leadership from USM.

As a registered nurse with licensure in Mississippi and Louisiana, she held various positions before coming to WCU. She worked as a critical care supervisor at the Doctor’s Hospital in Mobile, Ala., as an instructor at Providence School of Nursing in Mobile, as a sales representative for Norwich Eaton Pharmaceuticals in Norwich, N.Y., as a critical care consultant and educator at University of South Alabama Medical Center, as director of education and quality assurance at Gulf Coast Medical Center in Gulfport and as a staff nurse at Memorial Hospital at Gulfport, among other positions.

In 1990, Williams began her career at WCU, on the Tradition campus, rising through faculty ranks to associate professor, and serving as the nursing program director. In addition to nursing, she also taught classes in the MBA program. In 2009, she was named associate dean of nursing for WCU’s Mississippi campuses, and in 2010, was named acting dean for all WCU school of nursing programs on all campuses before being named dean in 2011.