REP4 announces inaugural executive director LuWanna Williams

A lifetime educator with a commitment to providing access and opportunity to underrepresented students will serve as the inaugural executive director of REP4®, a national alliance dedicated to empowering students to help design the future of higher education.

LuWanna Williams, who currently serves as the university director at the Center for Financial Advancement , has also worked as the HBCU/HSI Consortium coordinator for Grand Valley for nearly three years. During this time, she worked to enhance student engagement and secure substantial funding for relevant educational programs. 

REP4, which stands for Rapid Education Prototyping for Change, Learners, Community, Equity, was founded by GVSU and eight other higher education partners across the country and serves nearly 300,000 learners. Its goal is to empower high school and college students to collaboratively design the future of higher education through idea generation and the creation of prototypes such as REP4®FinLit, a financial literacy tool designed by and for Gen Z. 

Williams also previously held several roles at Fort Valley State University, one of REP4’s institutional partners, where she has actively contributed to REP4 by helping advance a variety of prototypes initially pitched by participating students.

"With her extensive experience in higher education, strategic partnership development and student empowerment, LuWanna is prepared to lead REP4 forward in its mission to transform education through innovation and user-centered design,” said President Philomena V. Mantella.  

As executive director of REP4, Williams will oversee day-to-day operations and strategic initiatives of the alliance. She will also lead the Council of Presidents’ meetings and work to expand partnerships and coordinate an innovative network of REP4 members to optimize collaboration and bring the alliance to new levels of success.

In recent years, REP4's growth has included annual national convenings and the expansion of REP4®FinLit , a student-oriented financial literacy tool that began as an idea pitched at a regional summit and recently received a nearly $2 million investment from The Fifth Third Foundation. REP4 leaders also had the opportunity to showcase the alliance in Washington, D.C. earlier this year, meeting with a variety of elected officials and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to discuss the importance of the work being done across the country. 

"Stepping into this role fills me with profound excitement and a renewed sense of purpose,” said Williams. “This position represents the culmination of my 30 years in education, encapsulating all that I know and hold true. I am eager to build upon the foundation that has been established—to enhance, cultivate, deepen, and elevate the voices of students, ultimately contributing to the transformative solutions higher education needs to empower student success."

Williams holds a doctorate of education in Higher Education Leadership and Practice from the University of North Georgia and holds a Master of Science in Education with a specialization in Higher Education Leadership and Administration from Capella University .