Christopher Williams

Dr. Christopher Williams is the Director of School-Based Mental Health and Wellness at the Sacramento County Office of Education. He leads a team intent on bringing the health and education systems together as partners to create a continuum of care for mental health and wellness throughout Sacramento County. The team’s mission is to intervene as early as possible to eliminate the school-to-prison pipeline, reduce the number of “system-involved” adults and adolescents, and mitigate the onset and impact of mental health disorders in Sacramento County.

For close to 20 years, Chris has been involved in education, mental health, and youth development. He is currently a member of the California State Student Mental Health Policy Workgroup and the California State Student Attendance Review Board (SARB). Before relocating to the West Coast, Chris was a founder and Executive Director of P2L: Pathways to Leadership as well as the Vice President of Social Emotional Learning for The Leadership Program, both in New York City. Chris’ work there centered on students who were at risk of dropping out, focusing on altering the trajectory of their lives. Chris has taught at Columbia University, NYU, and Harvard, where he was awarded the Excellence in Teaching distinction. He holds a master’s degree in Social Work from New York University and a Doctorate in Education Leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education. He lives in Roseville, CA, with his wife, two boys, and Lexie, a 70 lb. rescue shepherd-mutt whose goal in life is to be a lap dog.