Meet the Staff

LORI WILLIAMSON

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
FOUNDATION RELATIONS

Lori Williamson joined the University of Illinois Corporate and Foundation Relations staff in fall 2003 as Associate Director. She was appointed Senior Director of Development to oversee the University’s foundation relations efforts in August 2005. Her responsibilities include working with faculty members and units to identify foundation sponsors, preparing funding proposals for research and teaching initiatives, and developing institutional relationships with foundations. Prior to assuming her position in CFR, Dr. Williamson served as Director of Development and Communications in the UI office of International Programs and Studies, where she was responsible for expanding the resource base for international programs through grants and gifts from individuals, foundations, companies, and government agencies.

Dr. Williamson previously spent thirteen years on the staff of the College of Business where she held positions as grants consultant, editor, and annual funds manager. From 1993 to 1999, she served as Associate Director of the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) responsible for managing CIBER’s academic and outreach programs and securing external support for the center.

Dr. Williamson received a Ph.D. in French Studies from the University of Illinois and served as Assistant Professor of French in the Romance Languages Department at the University of Tennessee—Knoxville. She has also taught as a French instructor at Parkland College and the University of Illinois. She obtained a Certificate in Fundraising Management from the Fundraising School at Indiana University in Indianapolis in 2003.