Rev. Dr. Joan W. Williamson is the wife of Donald R. Williamson, the mother of three adult children, Maisha, Adina, and Donald S. (Shawnna) and the grandmother of 7.  Professionally, she is the first known resident of the State of Delaware of African-American descent to obtain a license as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) also becoming Delaware State University's first African-American to obtain the CPA license.  Dr. Williamson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting/Business Administration from Delaware State University and a Master's of Business Administration degree (MBA) with a concentration in accounting from the University of Pittsburgh.  In addition, she completed the Ph.D. in Urban Affairs and Public Policy with emphasis in economics and finance from the University of Delaware.  Graduating Magna Cum Laude, she received numerous honors and recognition ranging from various academic awards to Outstanding Teacher's awards.

As an ordained minister with a Masters of Divinity Degree from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now Palmer Seminary), Rev. Dr. Williamson has served as Associate Pastor, Director of Christian Education, Church Treasurer, Choir President and Sunday School Teacher.  She has also served as Treasurer and member of Care Partners in Action, an HIV/AIDS task force, and on the Haiti Project, a missionary outreach program providing support for Missionary Ruth Applewhite of Port Au Prince, Haiti.  She is the founder of the Spirit of Life-God Loves Me (GLM) Ministries, Inc., a nonprofit organization with weekly radio broadcasts airing on various stations (see Radio Broadcast Page for more detailed information).  Currently, she serves as a member of the Ministerium’s Credentialing Committee in District #41-East of the Church of God. She served as the Assistant Treasurer of the Interdenominational Ministers Action Council of Delaware (IMAC) from 2016 until 2022.

In employment, Dr. Williamson was the first African-American female to serve on the professional staff of the Philadelphia office of Arthur Young & Company (now Ernst & Young), a "Big Four" CPA firm.  Before retirement she served as a Full Professor of Accounting at Delaware State University, Treasurer of the faculty union - American Association of University Professors (AAUP), faculty advisor to the Accounting & Finance Club/student chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants, Chair of the Department of Accounting & Finance, and other committees.

Rev. Dr. Williamson is a published scholar and researcher.  She has studied concentrated poverty and the socioeconomic impact on residents of New Castle County, Bank Deregulation and its impact on employment opportunities for each county in the State of Delaware, the impact of the Enron bankruptcy on accounting, auditing, and public policy, management accounting vs. financial accounting in the Hotel tourism industry, and the impact of the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act on the 2007-2012 financial crisis, economic recession and resultant mortgage foreclosures. 
Dr. Williamson comes to you with a broad range of interests and experiences.  Most importantly, she is a child of the King of Kings!