In an historic moment for Nashville's judicial system, Trevecca graduate Stephanie Williams was elected this August as a judge in Davidson County’s Fourth Circuit Court, becoming the first African American woman to serve in that position.
Long before she took office, her unconventional path to the bench illustrated her determination and her passion to fulfill a calling as a servant leader.
After graduating high school in 1992, Williams attended Fisk University and soon became a mother to two children, resulting in a choice to leave school and focus on her new family. After years of balancing a variety of jobs, she ended up as a law clerk at an entertainment law firm, where owner Richard Manson saw her potential.
“One day he suggested I go to law school,” Williams said. “I told him I couldn't because I dropped out of college and didn’t even have a bachelor's degree, but he encouraged me.”
Williams decided to start looking for an undergraduate program that fit her interests and career goals, and came across Trevecca’s Bachelor of Arts in management and human relations (now the Bachelor of Arts in management and leadership).
“At that time Trevecca was the only school that had a program that really catered to nontraditional students and working adults where you could go to school at night,” Williams said. “I was able to take one class at a time so I was not overwhelmed, and it was just a really great way for somebody like me to get back on track without going through the traditional hoops of going to school.”
After finishing her bachelor’s degree coursework in June 2000, she decided to pursue her law degree at the University of Tennessee. Commuting from Nashville to Knoxville for two and a half years, she fulfilled that goal as well.
Williams’ career as a lawyer began at Manson's law office, where she quickly realized the impact of the legal system on individuals, particularly in family law. Inspired by her own experiences and in witnessing the impact of financial limitations on families in court, Williams decided to focus her career on equitable access to legal representation. She obtained grant funds from the state of Tennessee to start a practice where her passion could become her full-time work. After several years at her own firm, her career took an exciting turn.
“In 2014, I was able to expand to a new position as a special master in the Fourth Circuit Court,” Williams said. “I was appointed under the elected judge, and I was able to work in that court to help implement new systems and learn as an understudy of the judge.”
The unexpected passing of that incumbent judge in 2022 created an opportunity for Williams to step into a new position as an elected official. She entered the race to fill the seat and found that she enjoyed campaigning, with every interaction reinforcing her belief in the importance of her work.
“You look at life through a different lens when you can take time to meet people from all different types of communities, with different religious, cultural or socioeconomic backgrounds,” Williams said. “I learned the commonality in it all was family. We are all connected to family in one respect or another, and it really was a wonderful experience to learn about what it means to serve families in Nashville.”
Williams won the primary election earlier this year, and then ran uncontested in the general election on August 1 to become the new Fourth Circuit judge. With plans to modernize aspects of court operations and increase accessibility through technology, Williams wants to ensure that the Fourth Circuit Court remains attuned to the needs of Nashvillians.
“In many ways, the courts operate the same way today that they did 20 years ago,” Williams said. “But we have a responsibility to serve our community in a way that uses modern resources and technologies to increase efficiency. That was one of the silver linings of COVID; it taught us that we do have the technology available to make sure people don't have to be inconvenienced.”
Williams will be sworn in on August 25 and officially begins her term on September 1. At her request, her swearing-in ceremony will take place on Trevecca’s campus, a tribute to the place that launched her career and started her on a path to fulfilling her calling.
That full-circle moment is sure to be a celebration that neither she, her city nor her Trevecca family will forget anytime soon.