Vice Chancellor Arlanda Williams Honored among Women of the Year

December 08, 2020

Congratulations to Arlanda J. Williams, Vice Chancellor for Workforce Development and Institutional Advancement and Dean of the Technical Division, on being spotlighted by New Orleans City Business as one of the 2020 Women of the Year. The awards have been given for the past 22 years to honor local women for professional accomplishments and community impact.

Here is a link to the digital edition of the publication. This content may be available to online subscribers only, so the article about Vice Chancellor Williams follows:

Arlanda J. Williams

Vice Chancellor, Workforce Development & Institutional Advancement

Dean of Technical Education 

Delgado Community College

Arlanda J. Williams’ father, a former superintendent for the Terrebonne Parish School system, encouraged her to work in education and inspired a desire for service.

“He made me take the teaching exam and I soon realized I had a love of teaching and helping,” she said.

Her career has blended policy work and education; she served over 13 years on the Terrebonne Parish Council and was the first female elected to serve as council chair.  Williams worked in risk management for a company that worked with the Terrebonne Parish School Board.

Her current position at Delgado Community College allows her to develop workforce programs that give students the option to earn certifications and enter the workforce immediately.

“My job is to meet with industry partners to find out their workforce needs to grow their company and develop talent,” she said.

In-demand programs include welding, advanced manufacturing, technology, fiber optics and mechatronics. 

“We can’t graduate enough students to meet demand,” she said. “We also built the program so students can cross over if they want to get an associate degree. We educate, empower and employ, and nothing feels better than a person completing a program and successfully going into the workforce.”

Williams is a member of the Terrebonne Parish Foundation for Academic Excellence and sits on the South Central Planning and Development Commission, which involves long-range planning for seven parishes. She also volunteers at her church.

She continues to be inspired by her passion for helping others.

“Passion will give you drive, drive will give you success, and with success comes the power to affect change,” she said.

--Jenny Peterson