College of Arts and Sciences - Spring 2021 - University of Miami
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ENDNOTE<br />
<strong>College</strong> champion brings business expertise <strong>and</strong> humanistic perspective to role<br />
A Constellation <strong>of</strong><br />
Passions <strong>and</strong> Pursuits<br />
C<br />
omprising UM’s most<br />
varied disciplines <strong>and</strong><br />
interdisciplinary<br />
programs, the <strong>College</strong><br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong> is the intellectual<br />
hub <strong>of</strong> the <strong>University</strong>. So it’s only<br />
fitting that the <strong>College</strong> is now<br />
receiving guidance from an advisor<br />
who brings a broad range <strong>of</strong> interests<br />
<strong>and</strong> experience to the role.<br />
As a member <strong>of</strong> Dean Leonidas<br />
Bachas’s Advisory Committee, Trae<br />
Williamson, Ph.D. ’20, is dedicated to<br />
building connections on campus <strong>and</strong><br />
in the community.<br />
“Trae brings valuable insights <strong>and</strong> is<br />
an effective ambassador <strong>and</strong> advocate<br />
for the <strong>College</strong>,” says Dean Bachas.<br />
“He underst<strong>and</strong>s the importance <strong>of</strong><br />
teaching <strong>and</strong> learning on many<br />
different levels.”<br />
President <strong>of</strong> Williamson Cadillac<br />
-Buick-GMC, Williamson works<br />
closely with his parents, Ed <strong>and</strong> Carol<br />
Williamson, longtime business leaders<br />
<strong>and</strong> supporters <strong>of</strong> the <strong>University</strong>. He<br />
readily acknowledges the vital role<br />
<strong>of</strong> STEM disciplines (science,<br />
technology, engineering, <strong>and</strong> math)<br />
in advancing progress <strong>and</strong> innovation.<br />
“But,” he says, “they must be balanced<br />
with the humanities, which make life<br />
worth living <strong>and</strong> keep us connected<br />
with each other.”<br />
Williamson champions fields such<br />
as sociology, history, philosophy,<br />
<strong>and</strong> art for their power to deepen our<br />
underst<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>of</strong> the world <strong>and</strong> our<br />
place in it. “I like the idea <strong>of</strong><br />
constellation thinking,” he says.<br />
“For instance, I might take an<br />
idea from an essay on ethics,<br />
a breaking news story, <strong>and</strong> an<br />
experience in our business, <strong>and</strong><br />
then pull those threads together<br />
in a meaningful way.”<br />
A theater aficionado since<br />
childhood, Williamson is<br />
particularly passionate about<br />
the performing arts. His longterm<br />
interest in psychological<br />
well-being—he started a peer<br />
counseling program as a high<br />
school student at Ransom<br />
Everglades—now drives his advocacy<br />
for mindfulness in the workplace <strong>and</strong><br />
individual lives.<br />
Williamson earned a doctorate<br />
in interdisciplinary studies at<br />
UM in 2020. His dissertation was<br />
“Portrait <strong>of</strong> the Mindful Worker:<br />
Traits <strong>and</strong> Training Toward a More<br />
Mindful Workplace.” He has been<br />
involved with the UM Mindfulness<br />
Research <strong>and</strong> Practice Initiative for<br />
several years.<br />
“Mindfulness can be any activity<br />
that allows you to focus your attention<br />
on the present moment while<br />
gently acknowledging <strong>and</strong> releasing<br />
the mental clutter that builds up in<br />
our busy lives,” he says. “Especially<br />
during the COVID-19 p<strong>and</strong>emic, the<br />
practice eases feelings <strong>of</strong> stress <strong>and</strong><br />
isolation.”<br />
Williamson earned a bachelor’s<br />
degree in public policy <strong>and</strong> international<br />
affairs from Princeton<br />
<strong>University</strong>, then a law degree from<br />
Columbia <strong>University</strong>. He practiced<br />
entertainment <strong>and</strong> intellectual<br />
property law until returning to <strong>Miami</strong><br />
in 2002 to join the family’s automobile<br />
dealership. Highly active in<br />
the South Florida community, he<br />
is a member <strong>of</strong> the UM President’s<br />
Council <strong>and</strong> the boards <strong>of</strong> several area<br />
nonpr<strong>of</strong>its. Williamson also enjoys<br />
exchanging ideas <strong>and</strong> insights with<br />
students at <strong>Miami</strong> Herbert Business<br />
School as an adjunct faculty member<br />
in management.<br />
Now Williamson is drawing on his<br />
impressively varied interests <strong>and</strong><br />
experiences to help support the<br />
<strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong> as it<br />
moves into the future. “It is a<br />
pleasure,” he says, “to support UM in<br />
this time <strong>of</strong> transformation.” n<br />
32<br />
SPRING <strong>2021</strong>