Tiffany Williams honored at Power of Diversity Breakfast
Tiffany S. Williams of the University of Missouri-Kansas City was one of three emerging leaders honored with the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Ace Award at the annual Power of Diversity Breakfast July. 27.
Williams serves as Assistant Dean of Students for Student Success at UMKC. The Ace Award is presented annually to culturally diverse mid- to senior-level managers who are achieving excellence and having an impact that exceeds expectations for their employer and the company’s bottom line; inspiring and mentoring others; and making exceptional contributions to the success of their organizations.
Also honored at the 11th annual Power of Diversity Breakfast were fellow Ace Award winners Tahir Atwater of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City and Raul Duran of Arvest Bank; DuBois Consultants, recognized as the Diverse Small Business of the Year; and the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, the Champion of Diversity. The Federal Reserve Bank is led by President Esther George, a UMKC alumna.
In addition to the awards, the breakfast also featured a panel discussion about best practices for diversity. Led by nationally-syndicated columnist Mary Sanchez, panel members included Kori Carew of Shook, Hardy & Bacon; Marvin Carolina of JE Dunn Construction; Karen Cox of Children’s Mercy Hospital; and Don Hall Jr. of Hallmark Cards.
Williams is a native of Kansas City, Mo. As a first generation college student, she learned early on that in order to succeed she had to work twice as hard to obtain half as much. Her natural knack for math and problem-solving led her to pursue Computer Science at UMKC on a full academic scholarship. Though successful, sixteen weeks before graduation she realized she was not living her purpose or passion.
Reflecting on how education impacted her life, she knew she wanted to impart that same experience to others who looked like her and shared similar experiences. She changed her path, obtaining a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration.
Williams began to open doors to post-secondary education for her community. She became a UMKC recruiter serving metro area schools. With great success in attracting students to her alma mater, she obtained a subsequent role as Assistant Director of Admissions. As her passion would continue to lead her, she served Kauffman Scholars as a College Coach, supporting hundreds of students from the urban core in pursuing their post-secondary endeavors. In 2008, Williams began serving UMKC as Director of Multicultural Student Affairs; in 2013 she was promoted to Assistant Dean of Students for Student Success.
Williams also has demonstrated her dedication through service on various boards and committees, including the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, Diversity Task Force with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kansas City and the Education Committee of the Urban Summit. She is First Vice President of the Kansas City, Missouri Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She is currently working on her Educational Doctorate at UMKC. Above all, her greatest role is serving as mom to her daughter, Imani R. Everette.