Dr. Julie Williams

Dr. Julie Williams

Dr. Julie Williams is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Administration at St. Cloud State University with more than 20 years of experience in K-12 education. Throughout her career, she has served in a variety of district-level leadership roles, including Director of Student Services, Director of Teaching and Learning, Program Supervisor for Special Services, and executive-level human resources leadership. Her experience spans special education administration, human resources, teaching and learning, staff development, and organizational leadership. Her work as a practitioner continues to inform her teaching and scholarship and her preparation of current and future educational leaders.

Dr. Williams’ research interests include teacher recruitment and retention, special education workforce development, human resource leadership, and special education administration. Her research on teacher recruitment and retention challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic has been published in The International Journal of Educational Organization and Leadership. Her ongoing scholarship examines strategies for developing sustainable special education teacher pipelines and strengthening educator recruitment and retention. She is particularly interested in applied research that addresses challenges facing schools and provides practical solutions for educational leaders.

Dr. Williams earned her B.A., M.A., Ed.S., and Ed.D. degrees from the University of St. Thomas.

Professional Credentials/Licensure

Administrative Licensure:

  • Minnesota Superintendent
  • Minnesota Director of Special Education
  • Minnesota K-12 Principal

Teaching Licensure:

  • K-8 Elementary Education
  • 5-8 Language Arts
  • K-12 Special Education

Program Areas

Doctoral, Specialist, Post-Master’s Graduate Certificate, Masters, and Graduate Certificate programs in Educational Leadership and Administration

Courses Taught

  • Supervision of Special Education
  • Administration of Special Education
  • Diversity Leadership
  • Special Education Program Development for Administrators
  • Legal and Financial Aspects of Special Education for Administrators
  • Intro to Personnel Administration

Research Interests

  • Teacher Recruitment and Retention
  • Special Education Teacher Pipelines and Workforce Development
  • Special Education Administration
  • Human Resource Leadership in Education
  • Educational Leadership
  • Organizational Leadership and Improvement