Williamson departs WPCC, Hildebran

MORGANTON, N.C.,None — With eight years at Western Piedmont Community College and seven years on the Hildebran Town Council, Emily Williamson's departure from the county won't go unnoticed.

Williamson has served as the college's vice president for student development and executive director of Western Piedmont Foundation since 2007. She joined the WPCC administration team in 2003 as director of planning and research.

She has served as a council member on the Hildebran Town Council since 2003.

Williamson chose to relocate to Chapel Hill due to her marriage to a professor at the University of North Carolina.

She said the decision was hard to make because Burke County is her home, but building a family is also important.

And she won't be straying too far from community colleges. Williamson has accepted a position with the North Carolina Community College System as the SuccessNC Director.

"I feel very blessed that this opportunity was available," Williamson said of her new position.

Williamson has lived in Burke since she was about 2 years old and expects to visit frequently because "this will always be my home."

An East Burke High School graduate, Williamson earned her bachelor's degree at UNC. She came back home and worked as a counselor and teacher at East Burke High School.

In 2003, she earned her master's of public administration from UNC and began her career at WPCC.

"I'm a mission-driven person, and I just love the college's mission and what we do," Williamson said. "I think we provide educational opportunities in the community that wouldn't be possible otherwise.

"And I think that education improves people's lives by helping them find fulfilling work and be able to earn an income to support their families. So I think the work the college does is incredibly important, and I'm grateful I got to be part of it."

Of her work at the college, Williamson said she was most proud of serving as WPCC's project manager for the Foothills Higher Education Center, helping start Burke Middle College, assisting with retention rates and growing the Western Piedmont Foundation.

More than 200 students attend classes at FHEC and are earning degrees, Williamson said.

Burke Middle College allows high school students to take high school and community college classes at the same time, Williamson said. About half the students finish with an associate's degree when they graduate from their high school courses.

"For students with limited income, it makes college affordable," Williamson said.

With Williamson's help, WPCC ranked first and second for its retention rate some years, she said. Her efforts have also provided more college services online.

Her efforts helped increase Western Piedmont Foundation's assets from $500,000 to $2 million. The foundation primarily provides scholarships to students.

Williamson also is committed to public service, something instilled in her as she grew up.

"Public service was always important to my family, and they always taught us it was important to be part of your community and to serve in some way," Williamson said.

Her mother served on the Hildebran Planning Board and her grandmother served as the deputy clerk. She also credits former Hildebran Mayor Albert Parkhurst for pushing her toward public service.

During her time on the council, Hildebran developed a downtown master plan and is moving forward with the creation of the town's first park. About half of the funding for the park is through grants, Williamson said.

Serving as the town's representative on the Burke Partnership for Economic Development, Williamson played a part in helping local industries expand.

"I think the town is growing and moving forward in a really positive way," Williamson said. "…And I think the town council is really trying to make wise investments of the town's resources and make the community a place people want to live and work."

Her love for the area is deep, as she returned to Burke after obtaining her bachelor's and master's degrees.

"I think anytime you grow up someplace you feel a desire to see other places and live somewhere else," Williamson said. "And I felt that, too, but then after I went to school in Chapel Hill, which I enjoyed very much, I came to appreciate Burke County more … And it was important for me to live near my family."

Her accomplishments within and outside of WPCC and the Hildebran Town Council haven't gone unnoticed.

Morganton Business and Professional Women club named Williamson the 2008 Woman of the Year. The following year UNC named Williamson a distinguished alumna.

Williamson served on Options' board since 2005 and Community Foundation of Burke's board since 2006.

She was one of 15 founding members of Burke Women's Fund. Dues are $365 a year, $1 for each day of the year, Williamson said. The fund has awarded $30,000 in grants.

WSOC