Dr. Thad Williamson
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Profile
Dr. Thad Williamson is professor of leadership studies and philosophy, politics, economics, and law (PPEL) and a civic activist. His research focuses on the intersection of theories of social justice and public policy, particularly as applied to urban politics and economic policy. In addition to his teaching and scholarship, he has made significant contributions to local policy and governance through his work for the city of Richmond during the past decade.
Following the November 2024 municipal elections, Williamson served as transition director for Richmond Mayor-elect Dr. Danny Avula. In January 2025, Mayor Avula appointed him senior policy strategist, a position in which he serves part-time while continuing to teach at the University of Richmond.
Williamson and University colleagues Drs. Julian Hayter and Amy Howard co-authored The Making of 21st Century Richmond: Politics, Policy & Governance, 1988-2016, published in 2024. Currently, Williamson is engaged in a long-term research project concerning democracy and inequality in the United States, focusing on the promise of community wealth building. The first major publication to come out of this project was the 2020 book he co-edited with Melody C. Barnes and Corey D.B. Walker, Community Wealth Building and the Reconstruction of American Democracy: Can We Make American Democracy Work?
As the first director of the city of Richmond’s Office of Community Wealth Building (OCWB) from 2014–16, Williamson led the effort to implement a comprehensive poverty reduction initiative encompassing education, employment, housing, and transportation. From 2017-2018, he served as a senior policy advisor for Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and led the development of the RVA Education Compact. The Richmond City Council appointed him chair of the City Charter Review Commission in 2022. He currently serves on the boards of the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation and the Richmond Health Equity Fund.
Williamson has received multiple awards at the University of Richmond, including the University’s Distinguished Educator Award in 2012. He served as president of the University Faculty Senate during the 2020-21 academic year.
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Awards
Contribution to the Institution Award, Bonner Center for Civic Engagement, University of Richmond, 2021
LGBTQIA Faculty Ally of the Year, Lavender Graduation Committee, University of Richmond, 2020
Servant Leader Award, Jepson School of Leadership Studies, 2019
Distinguished Educator Award, University of Richmond, 2012
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Awards
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Selected Publications
Books
Williamson, Thad, Julian Maxwell Hayter, and Amy L. Howard. The Making of Twenty-First-Century Richmond: Politics, Policy, and Governance, 1988-2016. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2024.
Williamson, Thad. Sprawl, Justice, and Citizenship: The Civic Costs of the American Way of Life. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.
Williamson, Thad, David Imbroscio, and Gar Alperovitz. Making a Place for Community: Local Democracy in a Global Era. New York: Routledge Press, 2002.
Journal ArticlesWilliamson, Thad. (December 2023). "A General Model of Good Executive Leadership in Policy Contexts." Interdisciplinary Journal of Leadership Studies, 2: 54-63.
Book ChaptersWilliamson, Thad. "Richmond, Virginia's 20-Year Experiment with 'Strong Mayor' Government." In Case Studies in Political Leadership, edited by George R. Goethals and Scott T. Allison. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2025.
Williamson, Thad. "Economic Justice." In The SAGE Encyclopedia of Leadership Studies, edited by George R. Goethals, Scott T. Allison, and Georgia J. Sorenson. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2023.
Williamson, Thad. "Property-Owning Democracy." In The SAGE Encyclopedia of Leadership Studies, edited by George R. Goethals, Scott T. Allison, and Georgia J. Sorenson. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2023.
Williamson, Thad. “Community Wealth Building.” In The SAGE Encyclopedia of Leadership Studies, edited by George R. Goethals, Scott T. Allison, and Georgia J. Sorenson. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2023.
ReviewsWilliamson, Thad. "Democracy in the Real World." Boston Review (Dec. 7, 2023).
Williamson, Thad. "The Privatization of Everything: How the Plunder of Public Goods Transformed America and How We Can Get it Back, by Donald Cohen and Allen Mikaelian." Journal of Urban Affairs (online Dec. 23, 2022).
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In the News
New Books: The Making of 21st-Century Richmond (New Affairs Review podcast)
Thu., Oct. 16, 2025RVA's got baggage (RVA's Got Issues podcast/VPM)
Wed., Feb. 12, 2025How one city cut its poverty rate by more than a third (Governing)
Fri., Dec. 20, 2024Michael Paul Williams column: Can our doctor mayor heal what ails Richmond (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Thu., Nov. 7, 2024Michael Paul Williams column: In Richmond, Black political power has limits (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Sat., Aug. 31, 2024New ballpark? Unless poverty becomes our top priority, RVA will keep on losing (Richmond-Times Dispatch)
Sun., May. 12, 2024Applying theories of justice to the real world (The Caravel, Georgetown University)
Mon., Apr. 15, 2024Democracy in the Real World (The Boston Review)
Thu., Dec. 7, 2023City's Charter Review Commission releases report (VPM)
Tue., Aug. 8, 2023City's Charter Review Commission releases report (Richmond Free Press)
Thu., Aug. 10, 2023Richmond considers government shift that may limit a mayor's power (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Sat., May. 20, 2023Williams: Will a cashless flying squirrels venue be a homerun or an error? (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Tue., Feb. 28, 2023MLK's legacy guides Richmond's Office of Community Wealth Building (VPM)
Mon., Jan. 16, 2023 - Links