Let me first introduce myself…

Hi all, my name is Janeé Williams and I’m the new Associate Director of Operations here at the National Council for Community Education and Partnerships (NCCEP). I’ve got to say, it has been an absolute delight joining this team and learning about all the incredible work each member does. Let me give you a little background about myself. My family is originally from Baltimore, Maryland but I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii (Aloha, GEAR UP Hawaii!). My father was in the United States Army and as a child, we did a lot of traveling, primarily because of station changes but also because my parents loved road trips and it was a great way for all of us to spend time together. As I mentioned on NCCEP’s IG stories, I took ballet, tap, jazz, and opera lessons in high school. It was a great way to meet new people and do something I loved. I also dance and sing at my local church and led the dance team there for a while. I love reading, but I must admit that I haven’t done too much of it in previous years. My goal is to read more this year! I went to Hampton University and received my Bachelors in English Arts. From there, I completed graduate school at Marymount University and received my Master’s in Literature, Language, and the Humanities. Before NCCEP, I was the membership manager at the Air Force Association (AFA), leading membership, database administration, and customer service initiatives. Although membership was my focus, I had the opportunity to work cross-functionally on several different projects which, in many ways, prepared me for my work at NCCEP.

What drew me to NCCEP? Well, I’ve always had a passion for education. Even as a youngin, I loved to learn, and I knew, at a very young age, that I was going to college. Over the last few years, I realized I needed to figure out what I wanted to do. After some thought, my epiphany was that I wanted to move into work that supported education. NCCEP’s mission to encourage education and provide resources to receive that education (I’m paraphrasing here, Ha!) was perfect. It checked off my desire to help others and to work in education to some capacity. The fact that I’m indirectly helping to change the trajectory of how education is administered and received, is just a bonus. I also believe that, in a way, working at NCCEP allows me to honor my parents. Although they grew up in underserved communities and didn’t consider college an option at the time, they always encouraged it in their children; working for NCCEP allows me to change the narrative and make achieving post-secondary education a possibility for my family and future generations. My parents pushed to achieve a post-secondary degree much later in life, which can be difficult with full-time jobs and children to look after. I appreciate them for continuing to be such great examples for us and our family. In a world where society can often paint the picture that it is impossible to further your education because of where you grew up, NCCEP and GEAR UP encourages students and families to be whatever you want to be while helping you get there. I’m so happy to be a part of such an incredible mission and such a driven team. I can’t wait to grow together!