Leodrey Williams

Hall of Fame Class of 1996

Leodrey Williams has made a career of helping to render educational programs and services to citizens outside the mainstream of society. Much of this work involved mobilizing community leaders and seeking funding to establish water and sewer systems in rural communities and small towns. He served as Administrator of the Cooperative Extension Program at Southern University and A&M College where he co-chaired a task force to take an in-depth look at the Cooperative Extension System, identify problems, and recommend solutions. He then guided the implementation of the recommendations in Washington as Special Assistant to the Extension Administrator. Upon the Administrator's retirement, Williams was appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to fill the position.

He was later appointed Associate Administrator of the newly formed Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service. He held this position until he returned to the State Extension Administrator's role at Southern University in 1955.

He had served as President of the Association of Extension Administrators, Executive Committee Member of the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy, member of USDA's advisory committee to the Secretary of Agriculture, and consultant to the governments of Ethiopia and Sierra Leone in the areas of Extension administration and adult and continuing education.