Gwendolyn (Gwen) Williams joins NACDD’s Diabetes Technical Assistance and Support Team as a Diabetes Public Health Consultant from her former role as Communications Consultant Lead for NACDD’s Cancer Portfolio. 

With more than 20 years of experience in quality improvement, Gwen had the opportunity in 2006 to pilot and lead the Everyone with Diabetes Counts, a disparities quality improvement project funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to improve outcomes in the underserved minority, diverse, and rural populations. The program was expanded nationally from 2014 to 2019. As the former State Program Director for the Medicare QIO for the US Virgin Islands, Gwen successfully led QI projects including cardiovascular disease and the CDC Million Hearts initiative, chronic kidney disease, prostate and breast cancer, behavioral health, transitions of care, hospital-acquired infections, and two special innovation projects: telehealth for behavioral health care and the Senior Lifestyle Improvement Movement (SLIM) program. She served as the diabetes subject matter expert for Arizona, California, Florida, Ohio and the US Virgin Islands and as the Senior Trainer with the University of Illinois at Chicago Diabetes Empowerment Education Program. 

Gwen graduated summa cum laude with a master’s degree in health administration and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix and magna cum laude with an Associate of Science degree in fashion design and marketing from the International Academy of Design and Technology. She holds advanced certifications in communications, critical thinking, and collaboration. Gwen is pursuing a doctorate in health administration and aspires to make an indelible impact in rural health care upon graduation in spring 2024.

Gwen co-leads NACDD’s Bright Spot Initiative, providing grants management and technical assistance and support to State Health Department grant recipients and co-leads the Health Equity/Social Determinants of Health learning collaborative. She currently serves as an advisory member for the University of South Florida Muma College of Business Digital Marketing Program.