One of the most powerful aspects of our community is the degree to which alumni drive their engagement with one another and with Williams. Our culture of volunteerism takes many forms and is most impactful when a vision for bettering ourselves through altruistic connection surfaces from within. Such was the case in early 1982, when a group of Black students, led by seniors Byron Walker ’82 and Robin Powell ’82, shared a proposal with the Williams president, trustees and Executive Committee of the Society of Alumni that began: “Desiring to reverse a trend of negligible participation by black alumni in Williams activities, an ad hoc committee of students proposes the formation of a network among the College’s black alumni. This proposal has the central goal of increasing interaction between Williams and its black alumni.”
In action, these networks perpetuate a cycle of goodwill and support.
And so Williams’ first identity-based alumni network was founded. As the Williams Black Alumni Network (WBAN) celebrates its 40th anniversary, it’s appropriate to honor the history and legacy of all our networks. In addition to WBAN, these networks seek to provide a voice and home for members of our diverse student and alumni communities:
• BiGLATA, the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Alumni Network, founded as the Williams Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae Association (GALA) in 1987
• WLAN, Williams Latinx Alumni Network, founded as the Williams Latino/a Alumni Network in 1993
• WAAAAN, Williams Asian and Asian American Alumni Network, founded in 1993
• WFAN, Williams Firsts Alumni Network, founded in 2015
First-generation college students have always been part of our community. WFAN’s founding reflects the college’s increasing commitment to enhancing access for students who are the first in their families to attend college, first in their communities to travel away after high school or first in their high schools to attend a college like Williams.
In action, these networks perpetuate a cycle of goodwill and support, and we are grateful for the hard work and dedication of the alumni volunteers leading them. That gratitude extends to three staff members who have stewarded the networks over the past decades: the late Paula Moore Tabor ’76 (from 1992 to 2013), Sharifa Wright ’03 (from 2014 to 2020) and Zorelly Cepeda Derieux ’14 (who took on the role in 2021).
The networks are a logical extension of work happening in all corners of campus to ensure that students, faculty and staff from historically marginalized backgrounds, too, find opportunity and belonging. Nowhere is that more evident than The Davis Center, whose mission is to propel campus engagement toward action for equity, access and inclusion. Renovation and construction of The Davis Center’s new physical home is currently underway, thanks to the support of alumni.
We remain forever in debt to those who have helped to shepherd—and continue to shape—The Davis Center and our alumni networks.
Sending best wishes from Williamstown,
—Brooks Foehl ’88, Executive Director of Alumni Relations;
Secretary, Society of Alumni