Karine Williams

Lecturer
Karine Williams (Headshot)

Background

Kaz is a Lecturer in Applied Leadership and Management at UWTSD, specialising in inclusive education for nontraditional learners. With 35 years’ experience in education and operational leadership, she advocates for learner voice and applying theory to practice. Her career includes 17 years in the RAF, as a commissioned officer undertaking operational and instructional roles in the UK and abroad, including as a Senior Air Traffic Control Officer, Airfield Crisis and Emergency Officer, and a Senior Leadership Lecturer at RAF Cranwell. Post-RAF, she was a department head in FE before owning a UK-wide training company providing apprenticeships and community education in elite sport environments. As a transgender academic, her insight into marginalisation strengthens her commitment to creating inclusive spaces, removing barriers, and amplifying underrepresented voices. She is undertaking a Doctorate in Professional Practice on inclusion, experiential learning and cultural responsiveness. 

Specialist Subjects

  • Applied Leadership and Management
  • Problem Solving and Decision Making
  • Recognised Primed Decision Making
  • Workplace-based leadership and management development
  • Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in higher education
  • Experiential and reflective learning
  • Curriculum Design and Development

Professional and/or Research Experience

Kaz has held academic and leadership roles in both military and educational settings, including serving as a FE department head and curriculum lead. She was part of the RAF Colloge Cranwell Curriculm Review of Leadership delivery and responsble for the training of both potential offiers and new leadership instructors. After her RAF service, she owned and directed a UK-wide training company delivering apprenticeships and accredited programmes in sectors such as in elite sport environments and community development.

Her current research investigates how identity, lived experience, and relational teaching approaches influence student engagement, confidence, and achievement. She is focused on widening access to higher education and improving success for those historically underserved by mainstream education systems. Kaz also delivers ILM-accredited leadership programmes and contributes to institutional quality enhancement at UWTSD, including through the Neurodivergent Working Group.

Qualifications

  • MSc Management of Training and Development, University of Edinburgh
  • QTLS – Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector, Anglia Ruskin University
  • Presently undertaking a Doctorate in Professional Practice. University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Languages Spoken

English, Learning Welsh

Professional Membership or Roles

Fellow, Institute of Leadership (IoL)
Fellow, Society for Education and Training (SET)
Member, Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers

Academic Teaching