Lee Ann Williams

Williams, L.A. (2026).  Strengthening disaster preparedness for aging populations. National Council on Aging (NCOA), Aging + Action Training Conference, Arlington, Virginia.

Williams, L.A. (2026). Disaster preparedness and life care planning: Bridging the critical gap in rehabilitation and disability management. Journal of Life Care Planning, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.70385/001c.160135

Williams, L.A. (March, 2026). Teaching through the storm: Advancing teacher mental health and resilience in crisis contexts. In Proceedings of the 2026 International Technology, Education and Development Conference (INTED), Valencia, Spain (ISBN: 978-84-09-82385-7; Abstract ID 0495). 10.21125/inted.2026.0495.

Williams, L.A. (February, 2026). I asked students whether they’d want to be teachers? They quickly responded, “Why would I?”.  The Conversation. I asked students whether they’d want to be teachers? They quickly responded, ‘Why would I?’.  Doi: https://doi.org/10.64628/AAI.shm73smed

Williams, L. A. (2026, January 21). Caring for elders in times of crisis: What families need to know. NCFR Nexus. https://www.ncfr.org/ncfr-nexus/winter-2026/caring-for-elders-in-times-of-crisis?

Williams, L.A. (2025).  Ethics in Crisis:  Disaster impacts on rehabilitation professional practice. National Rehabilitation Counseling Association (NRCA), December 18, 2025. (Virtual Presentation)

Williams, L.A. (2025).  Tech, Trust & Tension: Ethical decision-making in high-tech rehab world.  National Rehabilitation Counseling Association (NRCA), December 18, 2025. (Virtual Presentation).

Williams, L.A. (2025).  The United Nations,  Geneva, Switzerland.  UN Library and Archives:  Library Accessibility Initiative.  Consultant.

Williams, L.A. (November, 2025). Disaster preparedness and the future of rehabilitation.  Alabama Rehabilitation Association (ARA).  Perdido Beach, Alabama, November 3-4, 2025.  Keynote Address.

Williams, L.A. (November, 2025). Rehabilitation and AI: Ethical implications for professional practice.  Alabama Rehabilitation Association (ARA).  Perdido Beach, Alabama, November 3-4, 2025.  Invited Speaker.

Williams, L.A. (October, 2025). College faculty are under pressure to say and do the right thing-the stress also trickles down to students.  The Conversation. College faculty are under pressure to say and do the right thing – the stress also trickles down to students

Williams, L. A. (October 31, 2025).  Sustainable science starts with people: Mental health, resilience, and the future of research.   International Forum on Research Excellence (IFoRE), October 20-November 1, 2025 (Virtual Presentation).

Williams, L. A. (August 28–30, 2025). Invisible aftershocks: Addressing mental health gaps in disability-focused disaster recovery and rehabilitation. Paper presented at the World Disability and Rehabilitation Conference, Bangkok, Thailand. (virtual)

Williams, L.A. (August 6, 2025). Featured on SiriusXM “Doctor Radio”- with Dr. Jessica Stern of NYU Langone Health. (Disaster and Impact on Mental Health).

Williams, L.A. (July, 2025).  When disasters fall out of the public eye, survivors continue to suffer – a rehabilitation professional explains how sustained mental health support is critical to recovery.   The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/when-disasters-fall-out-of-the-public-eye-survivors-continue-to-suffer-a-rehabilitation-professional-explains-how-sustained-mental-health-support-is-critical-to-recovery-260781

Williams, L.A. (2025). The impact of disaster on education:  Understanding loss and pathways to recovery.  International Conference on Education and New Developments 2025 (END 2025), Budapest, Hungary.

Williams, L.A. (2025). Reimagining Educator Support: A Framework for a Multi-Tiered System to Promote Teacher Well-Being and Mental Health.  International Conference on Education and New Developments 2025 (END 2025), Budapest, Hungary.

Williams, L.A. (June, 2025). Invited Attendee: UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, 8th Session Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, Geneva, Switzerland 

Rawlins Williams, L.A. (2025).  Resilient educator: Prioritizing mental health in challenging times workshop.  Pages and Pathways: PreK-12 Science of Learning Conference, UND College of Education and Human Development, Grand Forks, ND.

Williams, L.A. (May, 2025).  Educator self-care and sustaining the heart of education.  15th International Research Conference on Education Language and Literature (IRCEELT). Tbilisi, Georgia, May 2-3, 2025.  Keynote Address.

Williams, L.A. (May, 2025).  Hurricane disaster planning with aging parents should start now, before the storm: 5 Tips.  The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/hurricane-disaster-planning-with-aging-parents-should-start-now-before-the-storm-5-tips-254917

Williams, L.A. & Oswald G. (2025).  Fundamentals of Case and Caseload Management:  Skills for rehabilitation practice.  Springer Publishing.

Bruce, A. & Williams, L.A. (2025).  Access and citizenship for those with disabilities: Digitally enabled education and AI as a bridge to innovative inclusion. In Digital citizenship and the future of AI engagement, ethics, and privacy (pp. 123-145). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. doi: 10.4018/979-8-3693-9015-3.ch002.

Williams, L.A. (February, 2025).  What Los Angeles- area schools can learn from other districts devastated by natural disasters. The Conversation. Reposted by United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), USA: What LA-area schools can learn from disaster-affected districts | PreventionWeb. 

Williams, L.A. (February, 2025).  What Los Angeles- area schools can learn from other districts devastated by natural disasters. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/what-los-angeles-area-schools-can-learn-from-other-districts-devastated-by-natural-disasters-247777.  

Williams, L.A. (January, 2025) Featured on episode of Prairie Public’s Main Street. Disaster Prep, New Eats, Hemp Revival, and Carter: the First "Green" Presidenthttps://news.prairiepublic.org/podcast/main-street/2025-01-08/disaster-prep-new-eats-hemp-revival-and-carter-the-first-green-president

Williams, L.A. (December, 2024).  Digital divide and impact on rural education during emergency.  The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/why-natural-disasters-hit-harder-in-rural-school-districts-241416

Williams, L.A. (2024). Navigating the global impact of mental health: Strategies for enhancing well-being in educational environments and supporting educators. In Proceedings of the 2024 International Conference on Education, Research, and Innovation (ICERI), Seville, Spain (ISBN: 978-84-09-63010-3; Abstract ID 1967, pages 8061-8066). doi: 10.21125/iceri.2024.1967

Rawlins Williams, L.A. (November, 2024) Navigating the global impact of mental health: Strategies for enhancing well-being in educational environments and supporting educators.  17th Annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (ICERI), Seville (Spain), November 11-13, 2024.

Rawlins Williams, L.A. (October, 2024).  Navigating the mental health tsunami: Integrating disability into diversity.  UND Multicultural Conference.

Rawlins Williams, L.A. (October, 2024) Mental health coming educators.  Southeastern Region Action Council (SERAC).  Invited speaker.

Rawlins Williams, L.A. (September, 2024).  KCBS Radio, On Demand.Young professionals are having trouble communicating with older coworkers.

Williams, L. A. (September, 2024). Young professionals are struggling to socially adapt in the workplace – educators can help. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/young-professionals-are-struggling-to-socially-adapt-in-the-workplace-educators-can-help-219072

Rawlins Williams, L.A. (August, 2024).  Welcome to case management:  Tips and Tools. National Rehabilitation Counseling Association (NRCA), Lunch and Learn Series.

Pipia, E. & Rawlins Williams, L.A. (February, 2024).  Navigating the “new normal” in higher education: Interplay between social disruptions, academic achievements, and emotional well-being. International Technology, Education and Development Conference (INTED), article publication #1742.

Rawlins Williams, L.A. (February, 2024).The Academic Minute : Teachers have feelings too:  Fostering mental health support in education. https://academicminute.org/2024/02/lee-ann-rawlins-williams-university-of-north-dakota-teachers-have-feelings-too-fostering-mental-health-support-in-education/

Rawlins Williams, L.A. (2024).  Students do better and schools are more stable when teachers get mental health support.  The Conversation. Students do better and schools are more stable when teachers get mental health support

Williams, L.A. (September 20-22, 2023). Rehabilitation caseload management: Tools for professional practice. [Conference Session]. National Rehabilitation Counseling Association (NRCA)/ Rehabilitation Counselors and Professionals Association of Arkansas (RCPAA) Joint Conference, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States.

Sprong M.E., Hollender H., Lee Y.-S., Rawlins Williams L.A., Sneed Z., Garakani A. and Buono F.D. (2023). Disparities in program enrollment and employment outcomes for veterans with psychiatric and co-occurring substance use disorders referred or enrolled for VHA vocational rehabilitation. Frontiers in Psychiatry 14:1200450. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1200450

Rawlins Williams, L.A. (2023).  Impact of COVID-19 on the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Crisis: Promoting Mental Health Literacy in Family Life Education.  CFLE Network, Spring 2023.

Rawlins-Williams, L.A. & Williams, T. (2021).  The experiences of community college students impacted by COVID-19:  Transitions from traditional didactic learning to online formats.  The Rehabilitation Professional, 29(3), pp. 185-198.

Rawlins-Williams, L. A., & Oswald, G. R. (2021). Facilitating knowledge in rehabilitation counseling professionals on caseload management: A pre-test/post-test evaluation. The Rehabilitation Professional, 29(1), pp. 5–12

Oswald, G., Huck, G. & Rawlins Williams, L.A. (2020).  Undergraduate Rehabilitation Student Perceptions of Post-Graduation Outcomes and Professional Identity. Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling 51(3), 249-263.

Oswald, G., Alderman, L., & Willmering, P. (2017). Short-Term Job Shadowing Experience Benefits for Undergraduate Rehabilitation Students. The Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1017/jrc.2017.2.

Oswald, G. R., Flexer, R., Alderman, L. A., & Huber, M. (2016). Predictive value of personal characteristics and the employment of transition-aged youth in vocational rehabilitation. Journal of Rehabilitation, 82(4), 60-66.

Alderman, L.A., & Oswald, G. (2016). The current state of specialization and self-identity among Certified Rehabilitation Counselors. The Rehabilitation Professional, 24(2), 69-74.

Tidwell, P., Fleming, C,  Kraska, M.  & Alderman, L.A. (2016).  Transition assessment practices:  Identifying resources, tools & technical assistance needed by rehabilitation transition counselors. Journal of Rehabilitation, 82(1), 3-11.

Rawlins-Alderman, L. A., Dock, R., Steele, M. & Wofford, L. (2015).  Current vocational assessment methods.  Vocational Evaluation and Career Assessment Professionals Journal (VCAP) and Vocational Evaluation and Work Adjustment Association Journal (VEWAA) Tools of Evaluation Special Joint Issue, 18-36.*

Rawlins-Alderman, L.A. & Dunn, P. L. (2015).  A review of case and caseload management course availability in undergraduate rehabilitation and disability studies programs.  The Rehabilitation Professional, 23(3), 163-168.

Ph.D. Human Development, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (2003)     

M.S.  Rehabilitation Counselor Education, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN  (1998)

B.S.  Human Services, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (1997)

RHS 250 Introduction to the Rehabilitation Professions

RHS 260 Inclusion in Recreation Settings:  Technology and Rehabilitation

RHS 350 Overview of Disabilities

RHS 375 Psychosocial Aspects of Disability

RHS 450: Assessment and Rehabilitation

RHS 455 Rehabilitation Process: Case and Caseload Management 

RHS 493 Senior Capstone Seminar

RHS 497 Internship in Rehabilitation 

RHS 499 Special Topics in Rehabilitation

COUN 536:  Medical & Psychosocial Aspects of Disabilities

COUN 593:  Readings in Counseling: Case Management and Community Partnership in Rehabilitation

(SPEA-UD) COUN 536: Medical & Psychosocial Aspects of Disabilities

(SPEA-UD) COUN 539: Case Management and Community Partnerships in Rehabilitation

Awards

• 2026 Excellence in Service Award Recipient-UND College of Education and Human Development
• 2025 Excellence in Research and Scholarship Award Recipient-UND College of Education and Human Development
• 2024 Building Inclusive Campus and Culture (Special Issue)-UND Today Article
• 2024 Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award Nomination-University of North Dakota (UND)
• 2023 UND, President Armacost Message (08/22/2023)

Certifications

• Human Services Board Certified Practitioner (HS-BCP) (2025-present)
• Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) (1998- present)
• Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE)   (2003-present)