Tara Williams, PhD
Tara Williams, PhD, is an educator, executive functioning coach, and founder of Innovative Collegiate Consultants, Inc., based in Pasadena, California. She specializes in supporting neurodivergent students, including those with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and other learning differences, with a particular focus on guiding students through the transition from high school to college. Her work centers on helping learners develop self-advocacy, confidence, and personalized executive functioning strategies that support long-term academic independence and success.
Dr. Williams holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Sussex, which she earned in 2011, and has more than 20 years of experience in teaching and higher education. She currently serves as a tenured Professor of Chemistry at the College of the Canyons, where she teaches introductory and general chemistry courses while also contributing to instructional development and student success initiatives. Throughout her academic journey, she has credited her PhD advisor, John Turner, as a key mentor who played a significant role in shaping her research discipline and academic career trajectory.
Through Innovative Collegiate Consultants, Dr. Williams has expanded her impact by building a team of approximately 10 professionals dedicated to delivering individualized academic and executive functioning support. This growth reflects the increasing demand for her student-centered, research-informed approach to education. Her mission is to broaden access to high-quality, compassionate support services so that more neurodivergent students can thrive academically, build independence, and successfully navigate their educational pathways.
• Certified sculpt yoga instructor
• Florida State University - BS, Chemistry
• University of Sussex - PhD
• American Chemical Society
• Campaign for Ryan Williams for State Attorney
What do you attribute your success to?
I would attribute my success to help from other people. I definitely think it takes a village. I've had a lot of great, influential women in my life, and then my PhD professor was fantastic and truly believed in me and let me know I could kind of do anything that I put my mind to. My PhD advisor, John Turner, has been my big mentor so far.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received would be just to go for it, even if you're scared. Start the business, branch out. This advice really helped me take the leap into starting my own consulting business even when I felt uncertain.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say to be confident and to work through the imposter syndrome. We can all do the hard things to achieve what we want. It's important to believe in yourself and push through those feelings of self-doubt, because you are capable of accomplishing difficult goals.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think that education is going through a major overhaul due to AI, so I think that's both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is in teaching students to use it the right way, where we can also keep our critical thinking skills. But it's also an advantage, because it's another tool that we can use to help us in business, in our assignments, in our writing, but just using it as a tool and not a crutch. I feel like in education, maybe students are using it for a shortcut, and it's sort of hurting critical thinking skills.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty would be a big one. Hard work. Transparency. And empathy is a big one. These values guide both my professional work with students and my personal relationships.