Spotlights
- Lily Arbab Camet '95
- Linda M. Correia '91
- Ronald L. Early '68
- Karen M. Lockwood '78
- Kenneth Lore '73
- Cheryl L. Williams '99
Alumni Spotlight
CHERYL L. WILLIAMS '99
Cheryl Williams is the Associate Director of Government Affairs for the United Negro College Fund, the nation's oldest and most successful organization dedicated to helping minority students pursue a college education. In this position for nearly two years, Cheryl has, among other things, worked to reauthorize the Higher Education Act and to secure additional federal funding for colleges and universities and for low-income students.
In spite of her love for public policy, Cheryl's path to public policy did not follow the traditional route. In fact, while a student at WCL, she traveled a nontraditional path to an anticipated career in sports law. Her love of sports prompted her membership in the Black Entertainment and Sports Law Association and internships with the NBA's Washington Wizards and the National Football League Players' Association, where she worked in media relations and labor law matters, respectively.
It was, however, her experience in WCL's Community and Economic Development Law Clinic that nurtured and developed her interest in public advocacy. During her clinic experience, Cheryl worked with Manna, a nonprofit organization that focuses on issues surrounding housing development for low-income residents. "I've always felt that I have a responsibility to lend a voice to those who aren't able to speak for themselves. My experience in clinic and my subsequent work in public policy allowed me to do that in a way that the traditional practice of law would not."
After graduating from WCL, Cheryl took a job on Captiol Hill as legislative assistant to The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC). During her three year tenure, Cheryl was promoted to senior legislative assistant. She developed policies and drafted legislation for issues as diverse as health care, education, housing, economic development, and congressional voting rights for the District of Columbia.
"Most people don't think of a career in public policy as the traditional practice of law. Instead, the law is viewed as an end result-a lawsuit based upon case law or statute. However, public policy allows you to see much of the law from its inception, whether it's the constitutional questions raised by the law, its legislative history, or its administrative effect. I am proud that WCL prepared me for that."
As a student at WCL, Cheryl worked as a Dean's Fellow for the Legal Analysis Study Group and served as the community service coordinator for the Black Law Students Association. Additionally, Cheryl worked as a research assistant to Professor Candace Kovacic-Fleischer. She is a member of the New York State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Cheryl graduated summa cum laude from Spelman College with a degree in economics.
A native of Silver Spring, Maryland, Cheryl now resides in the District of Columbia.
