Ronald C. Williams, Ph.D.

Dr. Ronald C. Williams is a passionate educator and mentor, currently serving as the Interim Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research at Coppin State University. With a strong belief in the potential of emerging professionals, Ron takes great pride in seeing his former students succeed and thrive in their careers.

Over the course of nearly four decades in higher education—including 29 years at Coppin State—he also served as interim dean of the College of Business from 2013 until 2017. Deeply committed to community-centered innovation, Ron pioneered the nation’s first partnership between an HBCU and a community-embedded makerspace. In 2019, he released the “Turning Makerspaces into Greater Spaces” research report which helped justify the first public investment into the expansion of makerspaces in the nation. In addition to his research focused on local production, workforce development, and youth entrepreneurship, he is a frequent speaker on the value of diverse transdisciplinary research teams and innovative organizational communities.

Ron’s commitment to expanding access to economic opportunity is rooted in his upbringing in the industrial coalfields of West Virginia. Reared in a family of educators and community advocates, his approach to economic and social progress is shaped by the legacy of college-educated grandparents and his early experiences navigating school integration. Mechanism's mission to rebuild opportunity pathways resonates deeply with Ron’s rural roots, his family's experiences during the Great Migration, and his belief in the transformative power of education.

When he’s not in the classroom or community, Ron enjoys time with his college sweetheart and wife since 1981, staying active at the gym, and relaxing along Florida’s southern Gulf Coast.