Sandra Henderson Williams's Page

Current Home {City, ST}

Chicago

Attended HP {No, Attended, or Graduate}

Graduate

High School Graduation Year {yyyy}

1967

June, January, or August

June

Elementary Schools Attended

James McCosh (Emmett Till)

Education after High School

University of Illinois - Urbana/Champaign
BS - Communications - Advertising
Argosy University - Chicago
MBA - Finance/Marketing

Business

College Professor

Kids {Name, Birth Year; ...}

Samuel Brandt Williams - Son

Biography

Sandra Henderson Williams is a Fashion Marketing and Management professor for the Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago and Columbia College – Chicago. Her industry expertise centers in the areas of marketing, advertising and retail merchandising. She teaches courses on retail buying, direct importing, product development, merchandise assortment planning, entrepreneurship and advertising.
She developed the rationale and supporting industry specifics that led to the creation of the Accessories Design Associate Degree Program at the Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago. She also developed and wrote the "Retail Marketing Plan" Challenge selected for the Fashion Group International - Chicago Scholarship Competition. And she was also a member of the "Student to Career" Committee for Mayor Daley's Fashion Advisory Board. She has been twice honored as Distinguished Educator of Year.
Prior to beginning a second career as a college professor, Ms. Henderson Williams spent thirty years at Sears Holdings corporate headquarters in advertising, marketing and buying. For nearly twenty-five years she was a national buyer with assignments in Ladies Accessories, Fashion Jewelry and Sterling Silver, Sleepwear, Intimate Apparel and Exercise Wear. Her accountabilities included buying for all retail stores located in the USA, Puerto Rico and Mexico. She also provided input and direction to her counterparts at Sears Canada.
A favorite buying assignment included the very popular church hats classification specifically targeted to the discerning African American female consumer. She was the point person who worked directly with Essence Communications and former editor-in-chief Susan Taylor to develop the very successful Essence sheer hosiery program sold at Sears and other department stores. During her career with Sears she and her team members were the recipients of four Chairmen's Buying Excellence Awards for product development and the achievement of the corporate initiatives. She retired as the National Buyer of Ladies Accessories and Exercise Wear.
Ms. Henderson Williams has a B.S in Communications-Advertising from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She began her career as a copywriter and graphic designer for a Chicago advertising agency. Her MBA is from Argosy University - Chicago with a concentration in Finance and Marketing and has a special certificate in retail management from Lake Forest University Graduate School of Business in retail management. She is also a marketing and brand/product development consultant and operates her own company, The SanWil Group. Her client base includes local fashion designers and other creatives and develops and presents workshops on brand development and management, entrepreneurship, and professional presentation tactics. Ms. Henderson Williams is a mentor and coach and a member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches.
Sandra is a native Chicagoan, a mother and grandmother. Her community involvement includes the South Shore Drill Team Board of Directors - Chairperson Resource Development. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.