»Marie Williams - SVP of Marketing and Public Affairs

Marie Williams serves as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Public Affairs at Chapman. She was appointed in June 2024, bringing to the role more than 25 years’ experience as a strategic communications and marketing leader and higher education administrator. At Chapman, Marie is a trusted adviser to executive leadership who is responsible for leading a portfolio that includes Strategic Marketing and Communications, the Office of Community Relations, and Information Systems and Technology.

Marie has served in strategic roles throughout her career across industries and contexts, including higher education, healthcare, corporate, and agencies. Most recently, Marie was vice chancellor for Marketing and Communications at the University of Colorado Denver, where she led the team responsible for activating the university’s 2030 strategic plan, increasing its brand awareness, improving its reputation, and enhancing its engagement with key stakeholders. Marie also served as vice president of Marketing and Communications at Saint Joseph’s University, where she initiated the institution’s first-ever in-house-led rebranding and repositioning effort to make the university more contemporized and reflective of its high quality, supported planning for the university’s $300 million Soar comprehensive campaign, and served on key councils and working groups in support of presidential priorities and the university’s growth.

Prior to Saint Joseph’s, she was senior vice president at Edelman, the world’s largest independent communications and public affairs firm, where she led a practice area in Edelman NY’s Public Affairs group, which saw significant growth under her leadership and attracted and maintained a diverse multi-million-dollar client portfolio. This included higher ed clients such as Columbia, Yale, New York University, and the University of Virginia; educational technology companies and startups; financial services, fintech, and cyber-related organizations; and non-profit organizations such as PBS and the United Way. 

Marie holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the American Marketing Association and the Public Relations Society of America.