Faculty Profiles

Ron Williams, Jr. earned his Ph.D. in public health education and promotion from the University of Alabama and has held faculty positions at Southeast Missouri State University, Mississippi State University, and Texas State University. He is currently the Vice Provost for Faculty Success and a Professor of Public Health at Texas State University. He previously served as Chair of the Department of Health and Human Performance (2022-2025) and as Public Health Graduate Program Coordinator (2018-2025) at Texas State University. His research focuses primarily on the social ecology of substance abuse and sexual violence prevention among adolescent and young adult populations. He has secured over $2.3 million in funding for community health and prevention research projects from organizations such as the Texas Department of State Health Services, U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Missouri Foundation for Health. Dr. Williams’ research has been featured in leading substance abuse prevention journals such as Substance Use and Misuse, the American Journal on Addictions, the Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse, and the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Other Drugs. Additionally, he has published in top public health journals including the Journal of American College Health, Journal of Community Health, American Journal of Health Promotion, and Health Promotion Practice. As a Certified Health Education Specialist® and a Certified in Public Health practitioner, Dr. Williams has expertise in program evaluation and has served as lead evaluator for numerous substance abuse prevention and treatment programs. He has also served as an evaluation consultant for the U.S. Center for Substance Use Prevention’s Service to Science Initiative.