Dr. Henry N. Williams, professor at the School of the Environmental (SOE) at Florida A&M University, earned the Master’s and Doctorate degrees from the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB). He began his professional academic career at the UMB Dental School as an Assistant Professor of Microbiology. In 2004, he re-located to Florida A&M University (FAMU) where he served as the Director of the Environmental Sciences Institute until 2010. He currently holds the rank of full professor in the FAMU School of the Environment. Outside of academia, his service includes the American Society for Microbiology Congressional Science Fellow in the U.S. Congress; the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Committee on Equal Opportunity in Science and Engineering, a congressionally mandated body; co-chair of the American Society for Microbiology’s Minority Task Force; grant review panels at the NSF and the National Institutes of Health and reviewer for several scientific journals including NATURE. Since 2011, he has served on Advisory Boards of the NSF Science and Technology Center – The Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations at the University of Southern California; the Florida Center of Ocean Sciences Education Excellence and the NSF Division of Graduate Education Committee of Visitors IGERT/GK12 subcommittee. Williams’ research group is an international leader in studies on the predatory group of bacteria, the Bdellovibrio and like organisms (BALOs), and the microbiological quality of dental unit water. His current research interests include exploring the ecology of BALOs in nature with specific focus on their role in controlling bacteria populations and recycling of nutrients in estuaries and oceans and also their potential use as a novel alternative live antibiotic agent against human and animal pathogens. Williams’ research teams have published extensively. He has organized, convened and presented at scientific sessions at General Meetings of the ASM, the International Symposium of Microbial Ecology, the American Society for Limnology and Oceanography and other organizations. Williams has been nationally recognized for his work mentoring and training students and young university faculty, including those traditionally underrepresented in the sciences.