American Institutes for Research

Sandra Williamson serves as a vice president in AIR’s Policy, Practice and Systems Change service area. She works with project teams who focus on Early Childhood, Youth Development and Social Emotional Learning, Special Education and Human Services and Public Health. She has more than 40 years of experience working in education and other systems to develop safe and supportive learning environments. For the past eight years, she has directed the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments for the U.S. Department of Education, OSHS. Williamson also directs the National Resource Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention funded by SAMHSA. Over the last 18 years, Williamson has  provided technical assistance to states, schools, and agencies that are developing systems of care school based mental health programs. She led technical assistance for Persistently Dangerous Schools, a project for the U.S. Department of Labor, working in Philadelphia, Baltimore and New York. Her consultation to Cleveland Public Schools created alternatives to suspension in all 130 schools.

Williamson has worked in more than 100 communities building successful collaborations and system integration efforts. Williamson’s doctoral work focused on educational leadership with an emphasis on virtual training and learning communities.