College of Arts and Sciences

Diversity and Inclusion Expert Elizabeth Williams-Riley Provides Martin Luther King Day Symposium Keynote Address  

Photo of diversity speaker Elizabeth Williams-RileyElizabeth Williams-Riley, president and CEO for the American Conference on Diversity, will present the keynote address at the Martin Luther King Day Symposium. The award-winning diversity and inclusion expert has more than two decades of experience in the field. A nationally recognized facilitator and trainer, she provides insight and guidance in higher education as well as with companies from throughout the public and private sectors to implement inclusive leadership, healthcare disparities, conflict management, cross-cultural communication, advocacy and social justice initiatives.

Williams-Riley is a connector who helps individuals navigate the complexities of living in an increasingly diverse society, tackling the nation's unfinished business of race relations and inclusion. Her approach to dismantling systemic and institution bias and bigotry is described as charismatic, engaging and thought provoking.

She provided expertise at the LinkedIN "DayIN" Trailblazers in Diversity forum, as a featured workshop presenter at the L'Oréal USA Executive Women's Leadership Conference in New York, and at the 2018 St. Thomas University Forum on Workplace Inclusion on the intersections of Diversity and Inclusion and Social Justice. She has served as keynote speaker, panelist and facilitator for many organizations, including the New Jersey Bar Association, Superior Court of New Jersey Vicinage XIII Advisory Committee of Minority Concerns, Young Democrats of America National Conventions, Middlesex Regional Chamber of Commerce, Capital Regional Minority Chamber of Commerce, Alliance of Artists Communities and Council of State Government Justice Center.

The 2016 NAACP New Brunswick Corporate Community Service Award Winner, Williams-Riley also received the Girl Scouts of American Jersey Shore 2015 Woman of Distinction, 2014 Lead New Jersey Fellow, and 2013 Woman Worth Watching. She has been recognized by Diversity Journal, InSight Diversity and Diversity Best Practices. She is a member of the Capital Region Minority Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, National Association of Professional Women, and serves as president of the NAACP Perth Amboy Area Branch.