Amy Williams

Amelia (“Amy”) Williams has carved a distinctive career pathway that traverses the fields of fashion design, post-secondary design education, and change leadership consulting, all united by a core theme of sustainable innovation. Trained as a fashion designer, Amy's creations found form in factories across the globe. Transitioning into academia, she emerged as a design ideation professor, nurturing nascent innovators to chase their aspirations while adhering to responsible and ethical practices. Now part of the global consulting group MAPx Guild, Amy applies her design expertise to inspire creativity and mindfulness in her change leadership practice. Committed to high integrity, she develops sustainability leadership coursework and leads professional development design thinking workshops to foster industry behavior change. In her roles as a consultant, a professor, and a founding board member, Amy aids individuals, teams, and organizations to align their purpose-driven practices with value, challenging traditional paradigms.

Amy completed her BFA in fashion design from Parsons School of Design at The New School. She holds two graduate certificates, one in learning, design, and technology from the University of Southern California, and the other from the California College of the Arts Leading by Design Fellowship program. Amy earned her EdD in organizational change and leadership from USC’s Rossier School of Education, with her research focused on sustainability leadership. Throughout her multidimensional career, Amy continues to contribute to responsible innovation across a variety of industry sectors.

  

   Reid Hall 242
   (406) 994-2016

Education

Doctorate: EdD in Organizational change and leadership (OCL) from USC’s Rossier School of Education. Research focused on female sustainability leadership. 

Leadership Certification

Learning, design, and technology from the University of Southern California, 
Leadership for sustainability education in design from the California College of the Arts (CCA) Leading by Design Fellowship program. 
Fashion Design: BFA in fashion design from Parsons School of Design at The New School. Global designer and creative director working with fibers and in factories around the world developing apparel for the United States fashion markets.

Board affiliations

Fashion Incubator of San Francisco (FISF): Founding board member (2012-16) 
Textile Exchange Advisory board (2016-2019) 
ReGenerate Fashion Organization: Founding board member (2019 – present)

Leadership

Academia
  1. California College of the Arts (CCA): Associate professor and program chair Fashion Design 2007-2016. Faculty team of 12-15, 4 yr. UG BFA program, precollege program
  2. Academic/career liaison: CCA (2004-2016) 200+ students
  3. MSU DSEL: Hemp: Back to the Future. MDA/USDA funded. Course lead/developer (2019-2021) 45+ students/3 faculty
Professional Practice
  1. MAP x Guild, LLC (2023- present). Co-Founder/Managing Member - International Change Leadership consulting guild. Workshops and coaching to enable emergent leadership to navigate change.
  2. amelia°williams Design Studio: Owner. Global/local design and production development studio with numerous client projects for 2+ decades. Practice teaming with internal and external teams for product conception and scaled global production.