Director, Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA)
Fontana Unified School District

U.S.: California Hub | NORTH AMERICA

Jacque Williams, Ed.D. is the Director, Special Services/SELPA for Fontana Unified School District. With an enrollment of 36,000 students, Fontana USD is one of the largest school districts in California. The city of Fontana is located approximately 45 miles east of Los Angeles. Previously she served as the Assistant Superintendent of the West San Gabriel Valley (WSGV) Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) located in in Los Angeles County, California. While at WSGV SELPA, she was one of three SELPA Administrators awarded the 5-year SELPA System Improvement Lead (SIL) Grant. The SIL Team joined the Californian State System of Support. The overarching goal of the SIL grant project is to support Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in improving outcomes for students with disabilities.

Jacque started her career in the field of education in 2006. She has served as the Director of Student Services for Bear Valley USD, Program Manager for Desert Mountain SELPA, Director of Special Education at Torrance USD, was selected as the Assistant Superintendent for WSGV SELPA in 2014 and began her tenure with Fontana USD in July 2021.

Prior to her career in education, Jacque worked in the fast food industry, as a plumber’s helper building laundry mats, a food server, reconditioned dumpsters and a few other interesting occupations. After dropping out of high school Jacque passed the GED when she was 18. Seventeen years later she became a first-generation college student when she enrolled in Chaffey Community College, later transferring to California State University, San Bernardino where she was selected as the School of Behavioral Sciences Outstanding Undergraduate, 2003, as well as earning a BA in Psychology and a BA in Human Development. She then attended the University of California, Riverside and was awarded a full scholarship, earned her MA in School Psychology, and subsequently completed the required coursework for a Ph.D. in Education. She completed her Doctorate dissertation in 2021. Jacque is married, the proud parent of two beautiful grown daughters, grandmother to an amazing and talented 14-year-old granddaughter, Yaya/mom to a very special 12-year-old boy and is honored to be a member of the Choctaw Tribe of Muskogee Oklahoma, Chahta Achvffa (One Choctaw).

By participating in the Compassionate Systems Master Practitioners program, Jacque hopes to bring Compassionate Systems awareness to Special Education Administrators in California with a vision to see a systemic change in the way we support children with disabilities and their families.