Crystal Williams
![crystal williams stands by a window in a dimly lit room](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/landscape_10_4_250x100/public/2023-03/2_Crystal%20Williams_Jo%20Sittenfeld.jpg?h=45445790&itok=s1OtmST2)
As our 18th president, Crystal Williams leads RISD in advancing and amplifying the power of art and design in a changing world, and fostering a campus and community that centers equity and inclusion in all we are and do.
A forward-looking dream
“We are galvanized to create art and design spaces, classrooms, and practices that reflect the full breadth of human dynamism and a belief that what makes us distinct from one another is precisely our strength.”
— from President Williams’ October 7, 2022 inauguration address
A vision for teaching and learning
Informing President Williams’ work and leadership is her belief in RISD’s responsibility to amplify the talents of our students, and respond to their needs.
![a RISD student and President Crystal Williams discuss a group of sculptural table lights on display in a gallery](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/original_max_width_250/public/2022-06/grad-show-2022-president-williams-student-discuss-work.jpg?itok=_MqqnN8G)
![R I S D President Crystal Williams looks rightward through a sunlit window](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/original_max_width_250/public/2023-02/crystal-williams-inauguration-day-portrait-3x2.jpg?itok=-tmlWCdq)
Select interviews
“Young creatives... have all the intelligence and ingenuity we need to solve our challenges and advance what is good, right and just among our species.” (Design Milk, Jun 30, 2023)
“The art world is becoming more inclusive. But as with all change there is much to do and a long way to go… ” (The Public’s Radio, Feb 2, 2023)
“We need all artists speaking with the fullness of their voice... . This is one of the ways we might be able to find our way back to one another.” (Rhode Island Monthly, Sep 19, 2022)
Community announcements
Jul 9, 2024
Social Equity and Inclusion leadership change
Dear RISD Community,
I write to inform you that Vice President of Social Equity and Inclusion David T. Carreon Bradley (he/they) will leave their position at RISD to be closer to family and focus on consulting opportunities. David’s last day will be August 1, 2024.
Since joining the community last year, David has provided strategic leadership to support RISD’s vision for social equity and inclusion. Their work to continue implementing the inaugural Community and Culture Assessment, including identification of key themes and the development of next steps to further this initiative, has been crucial as we advance our goal of fostering a greater sense of belonging among students, staff, and faculty.
From spearheading community gatherings, to moderating this year’s First Nations Artist Lecture Series panel discussion and organizing the inaugural Staff and Faculty of Color Galas, to providing additional opportunities for community building for LGBTQ+ people and allies, such as the three-day symposium on Ballroom and Voguing culture, David has demonstrated a commitment to social equity and inclusion that has benefitted RISD.
We are currently working to establish an interim leadership plan and will share additional details soon. Please join me in thanking David for their leadership and contributions to our community and wishing them the very best in their next endeavors.
Sincerely,
Crystal Williams (she/her)
President
Jun 13, 2024
Announcement of New Trustees
Dear RISD Community,
I am pleased to share that we welcomed two new Trustees to the board last month: Jill Hertz Blaustein and C. C. Melvin (“Mel”) Ike.
The role of the Board of Trustees is to help advance RISD’s mission, set policies and to provide organizational oversight. Therefore, we seek Trustees with a range of expertise, life and professional experiences.
Jill Blaustein worked for more than eight years as a commercial litigation attorney at Thacher Proffitt & Wood, a Wall Street Law firm, focusing on international contractual disputes and complex business lawsuits. She took the skills she built as a lawyer and transitioned to the public relations field, with clients involved in mergers, litigations, and reputation development, and served as a vice president at the public relations firm, Edelman. In 2018, Jill co-founded an advisory practice, The Strategic Muses, which works with businesses and nonprofit organizations to develop multi-tiered strategies designed to enhance profitability, public awareness, and to draw funding from a diverse range of sources. In addition to her service on RISD’s Board of Trustees, Jill currently serves on the board of Speak Up Africa (now called “the Access Challenge”).
C. C. Melvin (“Mel”) Ike is the founder and managing partner of The Visualize Group, a hybrid investment firm that makes concentrated investments in generationally enduring businesses. Prior to starting Visualize, Mel was a managing director at Blackstone, and an investor across public and private markets at Third Point and TPG Capital. He began his career in the Restructuring Group at Lazard. Mel earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering with a Cellular and Bio-molecular concentration from the University of Texas, where he was also a student-athlete. He also earned a JD, cum laude, from Harvard Law School where he earned numerous Dean’s Scholar Prizes and an MBA with High Distinction from Harvard Business School, where he graduated as a George F. Baker Scholar, was the winner of the John L. Loeb Prize, graduated with the highest academic standing in his class and was the highest ranked student in the Finance Department. Mel currently serves on the boards of several public and private companies and nonprofit organizations.
I am thrilled to welcome Jill and Mel to the Board of Trustees, and I look forward to working with them to advance RISD’s mission and vision.
Sincerely,
Crystal Williams (she/her)
President
Jun 5, 2024
Marketing & Communications leadership announcement
Dear students, faculty and staff,
I am pleased to inform you that we have completed the search for our next chief marketing and communications officer. Sofiya Cabalquinto, currently the chief communications officer at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, will join us on July 15.
During the interview process, I was impressed by the depth and relevance of Sofiya’s experience and her passion for both our mission and our commitment to making RISD more accessible. She has helped prestigious higher education institutions strengthen their reputation, connect with important audiences, amplify the voices and work of their community members and navigate complex situations. I was also struck by Sofiya’s warmth and the ease with which she connected with the many people she met at RISD during her visit.
Sofiya has more than 20 years of marketing and communications experience working with highly visible brands in the higher education and nonprofit sectors. For almost three years, she has led the communications and public affairs office at Harvard’s school of public policy and leadership, focused on unifying the Kennedy School’s brand, advancing the school’s reputation, amplifying faculty research and insights, and engaging students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends to gain support for the school's priorities. Previously, Sofiya served as Emerson College’s associate vice president of communications and marketing and Wellesley College’s senior director of communications, and she also held communications roles at the Museum of Science, Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Corcoran Group. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from The New School.
The search for this position was expertly led by Jamie O’Hara. I would like to thank him, the members of the search committee listed below and the many members of our community who participated in interviews during the finalist stage of our search.
I would also like to extend my appreciation to Kerci Marcello Stroud who has continued to lead the Marketing and Communications team this spring while transitioning to her new role at The Perry Group, a strategic communications firm that specializes in building the brands of educational institutions and other nonprofits.
Please join me in welcoming Sofiya to the RISD community!
Sincerely,
Crystal Williams (she/her)
President
Search Committee
Jamie O'Hara – chair; vice president, Enrollment Management
David T. Carreon Bradley – vice president, Social Equity & Inclusion
John Caserta – dean, Architecture & Design
Amanda Clark MacMullan – vice president, Institutional Advancement
Jaime Marland – senior director, Public Relations
John Murphy – interim executive director, Continuing Education & Expanded Education Operations
Julie Temple – marketing & public relations manager, RISD Museum
Get to know RISD
Learn what drives all we do—as an institution and an engaged creative community.
See how our current creative practices respond to the critical social, political and environmental challenges we face today.
Look back at how RISD’s commitment to art and design education has evolved since our 1877 founding.