As Director of Outreach Services for Learning Innovations at WestEd, Cheryl Williams promotes growth in schools and organizations resulting in the adoption of practices that emphasize collegiality, student achievement, and accountability. Williams also provides technical assistance in district leadership development, school improvement, instructional coaching, and team building.

She currently is working with the New York Comprehensive Center to help build state capacity to support low-performing schools. Specifically, Williams works with both state education staff and district/regional school personnel to ensure a systematic process that represents all stakeholders in research-based models to improve schools. She also works with mostly urban school districts in Massachusetts, Indiana, and other states on accountability and assessment, leadership development, and effective communication practices. For example, one group of urban middle schools changed the school schedule to allow more time to focus on instruction as a result of the training and those schools involved the longest reported an increase in student math achievement scores.

Williams has extensive marketing experience in education, nonprofit, and for-profit organizations. She also has expertise developing leadership skills for educators and community members and for planning and organizing large-scale, multi-year professional development events. Prior to joining WestEd in 1996, Williams worked at the Close Up Foundation, a civic education program that partners with teachers nationwide to bring students to Washington, D.C., to experience their government in action, participate in peer-to-peer learning, and develop the skills needed for active citizenship.

In 2002, Williams received WestEd's Award for Exceptional Contribution to the WestEd Community.

She received a BS in psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park, and an MA in organizational development from George Mason University.