The state’s largest teachers union, the Connecticut Education Association, announced Monday that had it hired outgoing Sen. President Pro Tempore Donald Williams as its new deputy policy director.
Williams, who didn’t seek re-election, has been job hunting since at least last spring when he unsuccessfully sought a position as president of Quinebaug Valley Community College.
There were concerns that if Williams was named president before the expiration of his term in January 2015 that it would violate the state constitution, which prohibits such a relationship as a conflict of interest. Williams was one of the three finalists, but was not named to the position.
Williams will start the CEA job in January 2015, after the expiration of his term.
“With 22 years of direct legislative policy experience in the Connecticut State Senate, Don’s skills and commitment are a perfect match for what CEA needs during this time of extraordinary challenges in public education,” Sheila Cohen, president of the Connecticut Education Association, said Monday in a press release. “He shares our goal to have every student succeed and every teacher respected as a professional educator.”
Williams has a law degree from the Washington and Lee University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Syracuse University.
“I have enjoyed my years in public service as an advocate for education, where I have listened to teachers and learned about policy from those in the classroom,” Williams said. “As president of the senate, I have helped draft and pass initiatives regarding every major aspect of public education.”