Chan Williams

Chan is responsible for critical components of the MDP program. These include advising students on program requirements and course selection, partnering with community-based organizations, managing summer field practicum logistics and funding, supporting admissions and onboarding of new students (including international students), and facilitating student access to on-campus support for success and wellbeing. She also oversees the management of human, financial, infrastructural, and informational resources — running a tight ship in doing so!

Chan received her Master of Divinity degree from Emory's Candler School of Theology (CST) and a B.A. in Psychology from Saint Leo University in Florida. Her previous work included counseling at-risk youth and facilitating the reintegration of institutionalized children and adolescents into their communities. Chan joined the MDP program in 2011 while still a CST student and stayed on after graduation, having discovered her passion for supporting student engagement in higher education — especially among students from underserved communities and from low- and middle-income countries.

Chan’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion motivates her active involvement in national events and networks centered on community engagement in higher education, such as the Global Inclusion Conference and The Research Universities Civic Engagement Network (TRUCEN), a Campus Compact initiative. She is a member of Cultivating Community Voices, a Campus Compact working group composed of representatives from research universities tasked with identifying and promoting best practices in university–community partnerships. Based on findings from a survey of over 100 U.S. colleges and universities, the group is developing a toolkit outlining strategies for universities to engage community partners more equitably. In addition to informing Chan’s work with MDP partner organizations, these experiences enable her to serve as a resource across campus — for example, representing MDP on the Emory Civic and Community Engagement Roundtable and teaching courses for the Emory Office for Undergraduate Education on topics such as connections, communication, civic engagement, and academic planning.

Chan has completed the year-long Aspiring Leaders at Emory program and the Family Liaison and Incident Management training by the Risk and Strategic Management Corp, which qualifies her to act as a responder in emergency prevention, response, management, and recovery. In recognition of her commitment and accomplishments, Chan received the 2023 Outstanding Program Administrator Award from Laney Graduate School.

In addition to her professional roles, Chan is actively involved in civil rights advocacy and protection. She volunteers with the Emory Vote Initiative and serves as a leader in the ACLU Georgia Local Election Advocates and Defenders (LEAD) project, monitoring elections to ensure equitable voter access across Georgia.