Spartan Profiles: Carl Williams

ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO

Some might be surprised to learn that the Art Institute of Chicago has a total staff of some 1,800 employees. They are key to Carl E. Williams, '77, M.L.I.R. '85, the Institute's vice president for human resources.

'I enjoy coaching and developing others,' says Williams, who also boasts a master's degree from Harvard. 'I am extremely excited by the challenges and opportunities (at the Art Institute).'

Before coming to the Institute, ranked by some magazines as the nation's top graduate art program, Williams spent six years at the Washington Post--the last four as director of human resources, responsible for the newspaper's 3,300 employees. 'The organizations were similar in that I was surrounded by extremely bright, energetic and committed people,' he notes. 'The people here, like those at the Post, were truly engaged in what they were doing.'

A native of Detroit, Carl came to MSU because, he says, 'Quite frankly, I wanted to get away from home. But I absolutely loved MSU. The sheer beauty of the campus and the quality of the academic programs made my experience the best, most wonderful years in my life. MSU was a place where I came to know who I was and what I wanted to do.'

He cites many people--including Michael Moore, director of the School of Labor and Industrial Relations--with helping him. While at MSU, he worked as a consultant for Detroit's Dept. of Transportation. He then moved to Washington, holding positions at Hewlett-Packard, Scott Paper Co., and the Seattle Times. 'I've been a lucky person,' he says, noting that every institution he has associated with has been helpful to him. He raves about his current place of work. 'We're the largest museum in Chicago, and we're the top graduate art school,' he enhuses. 'We have a really illustrous history.'