Biography

Liz Marcell Williams is the founding Executive Director of the Center for Resilience. In this capacity, Liz has been responsible for the design, launch, implementation, and expansion of a citywide therapeutic day program for children with diagnosed behavioral health disabilities, in partnership with faculty from Tulane University’s Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Previously, she served as Executive Director of Intervention Services at ReNEW Schools and oversaw special education, response to intervention, Section 504, pupil appraisal, homebound services, and instruction for English Language Learners.  She has served as the Vice Chair of the Louisiana Special Education Cooperative and as the state charter school representative on the Special Education Advisory Panel to Louisiana's Department of Education. Liz holds a B.A. in Italian Language and Literature from Smith College, and a Masters in Education and a Doctorate in Culture, Communities, and Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.  She began her career teaching early childhood special education in Texas's Rio Grande Valley and has since taught both special education and Italian language at the middle school, undergraduate, and graduate level, and worked on Teach For America’s Greater New Orleans program staff. Liz consults with schools and districts to develop effective, student-centered special education policies and practices, serves on a number of advisory boards, and is passionate about developmentally informed, child-centered, relationships-based educational practices. Liz enjoys cooking, reading, travel, yoga and horseback riding, and live music. She is mom to Xavier, 3, and stepmom to Graham, 15, and Zoe, 21, and she and her husband Jason live uptown.