When Dean of Students Kevin Williamson began his tenure in the late 1990s, only one grade of 90 students occupied the upper school campus.
Over the last 26 years, Williamson has held the same title while the school transformed into a community of over 800 students. He originally interviewed for a middle school administration role, but the administration at the time saw a different path for him.
“The visionaries at the school at the time, Mr. and Mrs. Nichols, decided they wanted to add a high school to a very successful K-8 program,” Williamson said. “They said, ‘We really like the thought of you coming on board as dean of students for our high school.’ I said, ‘Sure, I’d love to do that.’”
Williamson sees his role as the caretaker of the non-academic side of student life, alongside academic discipline. For nearly three decades, he managed the development of the advisory program, the honor council, clubs and class trips.
“I now view [my role] as being able to parse out different parts of the job and be more of a manager of the different departments, whether it’s class deans or the advisory program,” Williamson said. “Students see the dean of students as the disciplinarian, which is a big part of the job, but there’s a lot more than most students realize.”
Williamson’s approach to leadership and independence has its roots in his own teenage years. Attending a boarding school in eastern Pennsylvania, he found that a strong advisory program and a culture of independence shaped his educational trajectory. Bringing that experience into Harker, he hopes to prepare students at Harker for their own future.
“I really learned to think for myself,” Williamson said. “Being away from home, that helped me. To a certain extent, the same thing applies here, even though we’re a day school. You learn how to be more independent.”
He cites the introduction of the advisory program at Harker as one of his proudest contributions. Originally functioning more like a homeroom, the program has evolved to mirror the supportive, close-knit environment that he experienced as a student.
“I was 14 away from home — I missed my friends and I didn’t know anybody,” Williamson said. “But I had a really great adviser who was there and would have his group over for dinner. It felt like I was home again. So, I’m really proud to bring the advisory program to Harker.”
Beyond his administrative duties, Williamson is an avid outdoorsman. Whether hiking, biking, skiing or climbing mountains, he finds a sense of perspective in nature that he hopes to impart to the community. This passion for the outdoors influenced many early school traditions, including class trips that involved sailing and kayaking.
“It’s just such a beauty in the world when you go out and look at waterfalls or climb a mountain and look down in the valley below,” Williamson said. “It can be overwhelming at times to look out and see how vast the world is and what a small part you really are in it. I find a lot of peace in that.”
As he looks toward retirement, Williamson advises students to preserve their own intellect and character in an increasingly relying on technology.
“What I impart is that the grades aren’t everything,” Williamson said. “Don’t do something that’s going to impact your relationship with your teachers and the trust. Do things with integrity and character, because that’s going to take you a lot further than an A versus a B-plus. At the end of the day, the grade isn’t as important as who you are as a person.”
Williamson’s influence is embedded in the upper school’s history. Beyond his contributions to Harker’s legacy, he reflects upon over 26 years of service defined by seeing generations of students become parents and colleagues become family.
“Woody Allen once said, ‘99% of success is showing up,’” Williamson said. “Just being here every day for as many years as I have, watching advisors and having students now come back and tell me about their kids, I feel like I’m leaving a lot behind. That sense of community and that sense of being part of something bigger than myself. It makes me feel good.