College Leadership
New Leadership for Wake Tech Board of Trustees
RALEIGH, N.C. (August 20, 2024) – Wake Tech announces a new leadership team for its Board of Trustees. Local business leader Kellie J. Falk has been elected chair, and experienced higher education leader Dr. Saundra Williams is vice chair.
Appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper, Falk has served on the board since 2017. She has served as vice chair for the past four years, helping lead the college through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, a successful $353 million bond referendum in 2022 and, most recently, a major expansion in Wendell and record enrollment.
Falk is a principal and managing Director of Drucker + Falk, a family-owned real estate management company operating since 1938. She is a past president of the Apartment Association of North Carolina, which represents the owners of 500,000 apartments within the state. She currently serves on numerous boards and has been the recipient of multiple awards for leadership.
A graduate of Meredith College with a BA in Business Administration, Falk was listed in Who's Who in the American Universities and Colleges and was the recipient of the Business and Economics Award from Meredith. She received her master's degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Real Estate Finance and Urban Development from American University.
Williams joined the Wake Tech Board in 2020. Appointed by the Wake County Board of Commissioners, Williams served as senior vice president and chief of information technology at the North Carolina Community College System for 16 years before retiring. She is an author, speaker, strategist, leadership coach and chief executive officer of WMS Corp., a professional development consulting and training company that supports women leaders across multiple sectors. She also serves as co-chair of Wake Invests in Women, a public-private partnership dedicated to closing the gender wage and representation gaps in Wake County.
Williams holds a bachelor's degree in Mathematics, a master's degree in Applied Mathematics and Statistics and a Doctor of Education degree in Adult and Community College Education from North Carolina State University. An ordained minister, she earned a Master of Divinity degree from Regent University. She was also awarded an honorary Associate in Science degree from Richmond Community College and a Certified Government Chief Information Officer credential through UNC-Chapel Hill. She earned several awards during her career.
Wake Tech is served by 12 trustees, all of whom are appointed: eight by the North Carolina General Assembly and four by the Wake County Board of Commissioners. Trustees establish policy for Wake Tech, approve the annual budget and serve as advocates for the college and its services. Wake Tech is North Carolina's largest community college, serving more than 72,000 students each year.
