Professional Affiliation

Professor of Sport Management; Advisor of Esports and Gaming Management Program, Johnson C. Smith University

Expert Bio

Dr. BerNadette Lawson-Williams is a woman of many talents and interests. She is a proud Mommy-scholar, an entrepreneur, an innovator, and an educator. She is a tenured Full Professor of Sport Management at Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU), where she developed and implemented its fully online Sport Management and an Esports and Gaming Trifecta, both of which are the first at an HBCU.  As Founder/Advisor of JCSU’s Esports and Gaming Trifecta,

Dr. Lawson-Williams manages the Esports and Gaming Management academic program/Certificate program, built and coordinates the Esports Lab, and serves as Advisor for the Game Development Club, and Coach/Advisor for JCSU’s Esports Club, which has become a formidable force in the HBCU/collegiate esports and gaming ecosystem as evidenced by its long list of victories against well-known PWIs and HBCUs across the nation. She has also been instrumental in solidifying the Trifecta’s brand as a premier collegiate esports and gaming dynasty through her establishment of partnerships with leading global endemic and non-endemic corporations such as: Riot Games, POINT3, and the CEV Collection, a Black-owned premier eyewear company based in Dallas, Texas, among others.

Dr. Lawson-Williams’ commentary regarding esports academia, as well as the esports and gaming industries has been featured in over 20 local, state, regional, national, and international publications, as well as televised segments on NBC and CBS. Most notably, in collaboration with MetArena, a Tampa-based technology company, she assisted in co-producing the first ever HBCU Esports Conference and Career Expo to be held in a blockchain ecosystem. Through her efforts, JCSU’s Esports and Gaming Trifecta is widely recognized as a blueprint for HBCU Esports.

 

When she's not engaged in professional endeavors, Dr. Lawson-Williams enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and favorite gamers, her pre-teen "supertwins." She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.