Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, Jonathan Williams
A national leader in college admissions, Jonathan B. Williams became Pomona’s next vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid effective August 1.
Williams joins Pomona from New York University, where he most recently served as associate vice president of undergraduate admissions, precollege, access and pathways.
Under his leadership since 2016, applications to NYU’s three degree-granting campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi and Shanghai increased by 97%. He has played a key role in attracting the most diverse and academically accomplished student body in the school’s history. In addition, Williams extended the reach of the admissions office by creating the Precollege Access and Pathways division at New York University. Through that work, upward of 5,000 students participated each year in NYU pre-college programs that foster a college-going culture in communities nationwide.
“Jonathan joins Pomona at a pivotal time for higher ed admissions and the College,” says G. Gabrielle Starr, president of Pomona College. “He will be instrumental in ensuring that access to a Pomona education regardless of family income remains a bedrock value of the College. We look forward to welcoming Jonathan to campus.”
With a track record of success in college admissions, nonprofit management and enrollment management, Williams is a leader in identifying pathways to opportunity for people seeking postsecondary education. Through his work with organizations such as Reach for College! and Heads Up of Washington, D.C., as well as college admissions offices at Oberlin College, the University of Pennsylvania and Dartmouth College, he has helped thousands of young people and their families through their educational journeys.
Williams earned degrees from Dartmouth College and the University of Maryland at College Park, and he is completing his doctorate in higher education administration at New York University. He serves on the boards of the Common App, the Enrollment Management Association and Minds Matter NYC.
“I am honored to be joining the Pomona community and to work with this incredibly talented team of professionals,” says Williams. “I am excited to build upon the legacy of diversity, inclusivity and academic excellence that are hallmarks of the College’s student body. I am thrilled to continue my work of helping students find and unlock their potential through access to higher education.”
Williams succeeds former Vice President for Strategy & Admissions and Financial Aid Seth Allen, who started at Pomona in 2011 and retired in February 2024. Since then, Ray Brown has been serving as interim vice president for admissions and financial aid for the College.