Born to Patrick and Inez Williams on April 23, 1961, I am the fifth of seven siblings. However, I have four other siblings by my Dad (Patrick, Denise and Donna, and Ayisha. I am from the beautiful, tropical island of St. Croix, Virgin Islands. I am divorced and have a deceased son (Michael Bryson) and three step-children. I did not have to change my last name after the divorce; since Williams is my maiden name (isn’t God Good).
As a child, I began my early childhood through the eighth grade at St. Patrick’s Catholic School. I went on to St. Croix Central High School, a public school, were I attained my high school diploma. In high school, I chose the business field, where I became a member of the Future Business Leaders of America. I was inspired to be a business major in college. I enjoyed the business management field while in high school, and joined the U.S. Army in September 1979, and completed a career of 24 years. During my 24 years of Active service, I travelled to many states in the United States and countries (Nurnberg, Germany; Ft. Jackson, South Carolina; Seoul, Korea; Ft. Gillem, Georgia; Ft. Wainwright, Alaska; Ft. Huachuca, Arizona (where I met and married my ex-husband); Camp Red Cloud, Korea; Ft. Hood, Texas; Camp Wolf, Kuwait (in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom) and back to Ft. Hood, Texas to retire.
After retiring from the Army in 2004, I returned to Atlanta, GA, and worked for the private and public sectors, and presently the federal government. While employed in the Army and civilian sector, I continued my education and received my Associate Degree in Liberal Arts and continued on to attain my Bachelor in Business Administration in 2002. My degree in Business Administration helped my career as a Human Resources Specialist. I later attained my Masters with a concentration in Human Resources Management, which helped to make me a better soldier and supervisor. Many of the courses taken, assisted me with my daily operations as the subject matter expert in the Army and civilian organizations. I became the go-to person on all personnel issues. It was rewarding to know that my knowledge and experience were being used to assist others and I received self-satisfaction knowing I was able to provide great customer service to others.
Education has always been important to my family. My parents believed that education was the key to our wealth, along with other things. Today, I look back and thank my parents for pushing us to be the best we could be and that’s why I entered the doctoral program. I was given the opportunity as a veteran to apply for the Post 9/11 program, which assist active duty members and veterans who served on active duty during 9/11 the opportunity to attend college for 36 months at little or no cost to obtain a degree. Receiving my Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) with a concentration in Management is one of my aspirations in my life. With the push from family and friends, I decided that given the opportunity I would walk out on faith and pursue my DBA. I completed my course work in 2014, but still have to complete my Dissertation to graduate.
Today, I serve as the Building and Facility Manager for the US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, Atlanta, GA. I oversee the Regional Building and Facilities (B&F) operations which includes offices in Atlanta, remote emergency response operations in Norcross, GA; Regional Laboratory in Athens, GA; and field office in West Palm Beach, Florida, supporting approximately 1,080 employees, on site contractors and Senior Environmental Employees (SEEs). I attend Our Lady of Lourdes (OLL) Catholic Church in downtown Atlanta and enjoy volunteering to build homes for some members of our congregation with Habitat for Humanity. I also volunteer with Atlanta Track Club and OLL to hydrate runners on race day.
I look forward to visiting my Mom and family in St. Croix, every time the opportunity knocks. My family is very important to me and I am looking forward to be a grandmother for the second time. It’s a boy and I am very excited for my daughter Kiyonna and husband Stephen. I am your Mystery Classmate for the Month of November, 2018, my name is Patrice-Ann Williams. As our class song in 1979, McFadden and Whitehead “Ain’t No Stoppin Us Now! We’re on the move! Ain’t No Stoppin Us Now! We’ve got the groove!” I am looking forward to seeing and interacting with my classmates of 1979.
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