Where it all began: Yolanda Williams, SC State and the power of connection
Rooted in family and focused on the future, Williams leads the SC State University National Alumni Association with resolve for student success.
From growing up in Orangeburg with the campus woven into daily life to returning as a student and now leading its National Alumni Association, Williams’ connection to SC State has been steady and enduring.
“I grew up here,” Williams said. “Orangeburg. Almost grew up on this campus.”
Williams, president of the SC State University National Alumni Association (SCSUNAA), traces her connection to SC State not just to her college years, but to childhood, from the early learning at the Child Development Learning Center and Felton Laboratory School to returning to campus as a student after high school.
Her story is one of continuity — family, education, service — and a steady belief that what SC State gave her is worth protecting, growing and passing forward.
A decision shaped by a family’s faith in SC State
Williams’ connection to SC State spans generations.
Her father, Belvin Williams, is an alumnus. Her mother, Patricia Williams, earned a master’s degree from SC State. An aunt, also a graduate, taught at the university in the early 1980s.
After graduating from Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School in 1990, Williams originally planned to leave South Carolina and enroll in an out-of-state institution. That plan changed quickly thanks to her father’s loyalty to his alma mater.
“He says, ‘Well, I’ll drop you off in August, and I’ll come back and get you in May. I don’t know how you’re paying for it because my money’s going to South Carolina State,’ and so, I just stayed here,” she said.
When her parents moved away shortly before she enrolled, Williams found herself navigating campus life independently but comfortably.
“I had all of the benefits of knowing people in town and knowing the campus without my parents being right there,” she said.
It did not take long for SC State to feel right. The sense of belonging confirmed her decision to stay in Orangeburg.
“I think it took me all of 20 minutes,” she said. “I had friends and dorm life, and so I felt grown and mature. We went in the cafe, we drank the Kool-Aid and that was it. I was like, ‘There is no greater love.’”
A career shaped by opportunity and preparation
SC State ultimately helped open doors beyond Orangeburg, satisfying her desire to explore.
Williams majored in math education with a minor in computer science. Her career path, however, unfolded far beyond the classroom thanks largely to SC State’s personal attention.
In her sophomore year at SC State, Williams received a letter asking her to report to the Career Center, where Mr. Robert Hemby Sr., coordinator of cooperative education, asked her and a friend why they were not applying for internships and cooperative education (co-op) placements.
So, both did, landing co-ops at DuPont in Camden, South Carolina, an opportunity that proved to be short-lived.
“I guess at that time, things weren't great for manufacturing,” Williams said. “So, after one semester, they cut out their co-op program.”
Again, Hemby came through, suggesting that she apply for an internship.
“And I did,” she said. “It was the MUPPIE Program -- minority undergrad program with the Central Intelligence Agency in D.C. That summer, my friend, Stephanie Clarkson Jenkins, and I went up there together. They supplied us with housing, and I worked for two summers there.
“At the end of my second summer, they said, ‘You have a job when you graduate.’ So, my first job was at the CIA,” Williams said.
Williams worked as a computer systems consultant, assisting the Directorate of Intelligence and supporting systems used for high-level reporting.
“I supported the people who wrote the president’s daily brief,” she said.
After her tenure at the CIA, she became a government contractor, working with such agencies as the FBI and U.S. Customs. Ultimately, life in the Washington Beltway was not for her.
“Charlotte felt closer to a city with a hometown feel,” Williams said. “So, I came home. That's how I got into banking.”
Williams serves as a senior lead analytics consultant at Wells Fargo, bringing her expertise in data analytics and strategic consulting to the financial services industry.
“I've done true computer programming and full life cycle development before moving into database," she said. "I did some database administration and realized that I loved the data side of it, not the administration of it.
“I loved the reporting,” Williams said. “I loved looking at the data. I loved finding anomalies.”
Service through alumni leadership
Williams said her deeper involvement in alumni leadership began after moving to Charlotte, where she was literally welcomed with open arms.
“I remember walking into my first meeting,” Williams said. “And Mrs. Barbara Moye Waymer came over, and she gave me a hug. And she was like, ‘What are you going to do in the chapter?’”
That sense of family kept her engaged.
“My kids grew up in the chapter,” Williams said. “I remember being pregnant in February and in March, coming back in and having my baby in my carrier at the meeting.
“I just never stopped,” she said. “The chapter was like a way to sometimes to get away from the day-to-day, and I still had a family there. I had a good time, and we wanted to see each other, and I just got progressively more involved in this committee and that committee.”
Over time, she served in multiple chapter leadership roles and chaired committees at the national level.
“I was chair of the Technology Committee for a long time. That’s when Miss Patricia Lott (SCSUNAA president at the time) tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘Hey, don't you want to be the financial secretary?’ And I did that for a little bit.”
During graduate school at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Williams took a step back from alumni leadership roles but dove back in once her degree was in hand. She served as Charlotte Chapter president and in national office as second vice president.
“I felt like I had more time. My girls were getting older,” she said. “So, it was kind of like, ‘Okay, I can do some things.’ I also thought, ‘What do you do when you're going to be an empty nester?’ And so, you try to find other things to do. I tell my friends and family, ‘Don't wait until your children are gone to try to figure it out.’”
Building on a strong foundation
In August, Williams took the reins from Hank Allen as national president. Her focus is growth, engagement and advocacy.
“There are a lot of alums that we haven’t tapped into yet,” she said. “We talk about finding these pockets of people who are in areas that we have not gotten to.
She pointed to efforts to reach alumni in untapped regions, expand chapters and explore virtual engagement — while also educating supporters about different membership types.
“You have a life member, you have a regular member, you have an associate member. An associate member does not have to be a graduate of South Carolina State,” Williams said. “They just have to love it as much as we do.”
Williams said growing membership strengthens the alumni voice, particularly in advocacy.
“The larger your numbers, when you’re at the State House on Legislative Day, the more you can really start to work on your political advocacy,” she said.
Keeping students at the center
At the heart of her work with the SCSUNAA are students. She described seeing students struggle to remain enrolled and working to help families understand pathways to affordability.
Again, alumni advocacy can bring dividends.
“It can mean big results for the university and big results for our students. Our students probably need more money than most,” she said. “I hate to see a kid come to school and they can’t figure out how they’re going to stay.”
For Williams, alumni leadership is not just about tradition — it is about access, stability and opportunity.
And for someone who grew up on campus, that mission feels personal.
Her family legacy at SC State continues, as the younger of her two daughters, Adriana, has enrolled with plans to study speech pathology and audiology, one of SC State’s highly regarded academic disciplines.
For information about the SCSUNAA, visit the association's website at www.scsunaa.org.