Faculty: Linda Williams
Grades Coordinator and Faculty Chair
Dr. Williams is a long-time member of the Detroit Waldorf family. She served as a Class Teacher for grades one to five from 1987-1992, spent a year opening DWS’ 3-year-old Kindergarten and then taught grades one to three at the Urban Waldorf School in Milwaukee, the first public Waldorf initiative in the country. Upon her return to Detroit, she became the Elementary Program Director of the Waldorf Institute of Southeastern Michigan. She remained in this role while also serving as a Class Teacher for grades two through eight.
After graduating her class from DWS in 2006, Dr. Williams became a tenured professor of Teacher Education at Eastern Michigan University, where she taught undergraduate and graduate courses in elementary literacy and urban education.
Dr. Williams returned to DWS in 2014, to lead a class of students from grades one to eight. She graduated her beloved students in June of 2022, after which she became the Grades Coordinator, supporting and connecting teachers and families as they journey through the grades. She continues to serve as a member of the DWS College of Teachers, Administrative Council, Board of Trustees and the DEI Committee.
In addition to her work at DWS, Dr. Williams is a teacher mentor, teacher evaluator, and accreditation team member for several Waldorf schools. More recently, Dr. Williams became a founding partner of Alma Partners, a consulting agency that works with many Waldorf schools on issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, including curriculum and faculty development.
Dr. Williams is a member of the DWS College of Teachers, Administrative Council, Board of Trustees and the DEI Committee. She also serves nationally on the Pedagogical Section Council, and on the boards of AWSNA, Sunbridge Institute and the Center for Biography and Social Art.
Dr. Williams received her doctorate in Curriculum, Teaching, and Educational Policy, with a cognate in Literacy from Michigan State University. Her M.A. was earned in Waldorf Education from Mercy College, and her B.A. was received from Justin Morrill College at Michigan State University.