DETROIT -- Wayne State University Director of Athletics Erika Wallace has announced that Jeff Williams was selected as the WSU Assistant Athletic Director for Mental Health and Wellness.
"This position is a monumental addition for our Athletic Department," remarked Wallace. "It will serve as our first full-time member of our department dedicated solely to the mental health of our student-athletes. When I first came into this role six months ago, we asked our student-athletes what their needs were. Their responses made it overwhelmingly evident that this addition needed to happen. Our number one focus will always be our student-athletes and this addition is a direct result of that."
"I am beyond thrilled to come home and serve my fellow Warriors," commented Williams. "The Wayne State Athletic Department is where I grew up as a young man and became a two-time alumnus along with learning valuable leadership skills that have stuck with me until this day. My desire is to serve the student-athletes with excellence so they can have a great experience as a Wayne State Warrior!"
"I am very excited to welcome Mr. Williams's home," stated Wallace. "With as important of a position as this was, I knew it was even more important that we found the right fit and that is exactly what we did in Jeff Williams. His wealth of knowledge, personal and professional experiences will benefit our student-athletes and department greatly. I'm excited to watch how he helps the growth of our department moving forward."
A Detroit native and graduate of Romulus High School, Williams began at WSU in 2008, and joined the football program as a filmer the following season. He played in eight games from 2010 through 2013 while earning a bachelor's degree in Communications. Williams had four carries in a 2011 win over Tiffin during Wayne State's run to the national championship game.
He received his master's degree in Social Work from WSU in 2016 and worked the next two years as a Clinician/Case Manager with Southwest Counseling Solutions in Detroit. Williams then worked for both the Adolescent Day Treatment program Stuckey Center in Redford as well as serving as a Clinical Therapist with Transformative Mind Counseling in Southfield. He also received a CBT Certification in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in 2021.
Williams returned to the athletics realm in December of 2020 as the assistant director of mental health and wellness at the University of Tennessee Athletics Department. After 18 months in Knoxville, he returned to Michigan as the Director of Student-Athlete Wellness at Michigan State.
Since his time in East Lansing, Williams served as Owner and Lead Therapist at Revived Mind Counseling.
He is slated to earn an Ed.D. degree from Middle Tennessee State in August of 2024 in Assessment, Learning and Student Success.
Williams and has wife, Ashley, are the proud parents of three children.
