Judge Charles Williams to Deliver Commencement Address

New College of Florida has announced that Judge Charles E. Williams of the 12th Judicial Circuit of Florida will give the keynote address at the College’s 47th Commencement, on Friday, May 24, 2013.
About 185 students are expected to receive Bachelor of Arts degrees from New College, the state’s honors college for the liberal arts and sciences. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on the New College bayfront behind College Hall.

“Judge Williams has a distinguished record of service, as a jurist, an attorney, a mentor to young people and an advocate for fairness, diversity and equality,” said Dr. Donal O’Shea, president of New College. “His engagement with the larger community and his leadership resonate deeply with the central values of New College. We’re thrilled and honored that he will be speaking to our graduates.”
Judge Williams was appointed by Gov. Lawton Chiles in 1997 to the 12th Circuit, where he presides over Sarasota County civil cases. He previously served the 12th Circuit as assistant state attorney, assistant public defender and as an attorney in private practice.
He is chairman of the Sarasota Bar Association Diversity Committee and a judge member of the Central Division of the Mediator Qualifications Board. He has been a member of numerous advisory committees for the Florida Bar Association and the Florida Supreme Court.
Judge Williams is a member of the board of directors of the Palmetto Youth Center and co-chair of the center’s Martin Luther King Committee. He also is a member of the Literary Resource Group for Florida Studio Theater.
When he is not performing his judicial duties, Judge Williams directs and produces documentary films. His film “Through the Tunnel,” about the integration of Manatee County schools, was named best historical documentary at the 2010 DocMiami International Film Festival. More recently, he helped produce “We Are Sarasota,” a multimedia event celebrating the city’s history of diversity and inclusion.
He has been a recipient of the Community Service Award of the Manatee Bar Association, the Public Service Award of the Manatee County NAACP, and the Edgar H. Price Jr. Humanitarian Award of the Palmetto Youth Center.
Judge Williams was born in Durham, N.C. and raised in St. Petersburg, Fla., where he graduated from Lakewood High School. He received his bachelor’s degree from Howard University in 1979 and his law degree from University of Florida in 1982. He and his wife Jacquelyn have two daughters.