Lorita Williams is the CEO and founder of Accelerated College Experiences (ACE), a nonprofit 501c3 based in Boston, MA with a unique approach to ensuring students’ academic success. She is an experienced leader in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors. Before establishing ACE, Lorita spent over 20 years as a corporate executive at IBM and Digital Equipment Corporation, now known as Hewlett Packard (HP).
In 2004, Williams transitioned into Higher Education as the Executive Director of Alumnae Relations and later as the Associate Vice President of Alumni Affairs and the Annual Fund at Simmons University. Prior appointments include the Vice President of Advancement and Community Engagement at Roxbury Community College (RCC), the President of Advancement and Alumni Relations at Becker College, and the Interim Executive Director for various nonprofit organizations for Third Sector New England.
Lorita’s passion for supporting the development of young adults led her to serve as an Adjunct Professor at Roxbury Community College (RCC), where, for over ten years, she taught a course designed to help incoming first year students successfully transition into college life.
At both RCC and Simmons University, Lorita witnessed the challenges students had adjusting to college. Many became overwhelmed or disengaged as they tried to acclimate to their first year of college. It was through observations and trying different approaches in her classroom that she developed the ACE approach and then founded Accelerated College Experiences in 2012.
Lorita has earned many awards, recognitions, and achievements. These include the Recognition for Service Excellence for five consecutive years and the District Quality and Productivity Award for Operations Excellence from Digital. She has been a speaker at the New England Regional CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) for Simmons University and developed a national services process to evaluate and qualify alternative service providers at IBM. Lorita is a graduate of Northeastern University. Her memberships and affiliations include The Boston Club, The Association of Fundraising Professionals, and the Commonwealth Institute.