A lifetime educator with a commitment to providing access and opportunity to underrepresented students will serve as the inaugural executive director of REP4, a national alliance dedicated to empowering students to help design the future of higher education.

LuWanna Williams, who currently serves as the university director at the Center for Financial Advancement, has also worked as the HBCU/HSI Consortium coordinator for Grand Valley State University for nearly three years. During this time, she worked to enhance student engagement and secure substantial funding for relevant educational programs.

REP4, which stands for Rapid Education Prototyping for Change, Learners, Community, Equity, was founded by Boise State with eight other higher education partners across the country and serves nearly 300,000 learners. Its goal is to empower high school and college students to collaboratively design the future of higher education through idea generation and the creation of prototypes such as REP4 FinLit, a financial literacy tool designed by and for Gen Z.

Williams previously held several roles at Fort Valley State University, one of REP4's institutional partners, where she has actively contributed to REP4 by helping advance a variety of prototypes initially pitched by participating students.

As executive director of REP4, Williams will oversee day-to-day operations and strategic initiatives of the alliance. She will also lead the Council of Presidents' meetings and work to expand partnerships and coordinate an innovative network of REP4 members to optimize collaboration and bring the alliance to new levels of success.

"Stepping into this role fills me with profound excitement and a renewed sense of purpose," Williams said. "This position represents the culmination of my 30 years in education, encapsulating all that I know and hold true. I am eager to build upon the foundation that has been established - to enhance, cultivate, deepen and elevate the voices of students, ultimately contributing to the transformative solutions higher education needs to empower student success."

Learn more about the REP4 alliance on their website.

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