Founders' Day Convocation
January 31, 2024

We invite you to join us for our annual Founders’ Day Convocation.

Keynote Address by Vivian Williams-Kurutz '86
Date: Wednesday, January 31, 2024
Time: 4:00 p.m. 
Location: Shattuck Music Center Auditorium

This event has been approved for a Convocation point.

For more information or to RSVP, please contact Caroline Vanevenhoven: cvaneven@carrollu.edu.

Event Program

Founders’ Day Keynote

Vivian Williams
Vivian Williams

Vivian Williams-Kurutz '86 is a vision-driven founder and executive director of Harlem Wellness Center, speaker, health activist, community organizer, yoga and meditation teacher, writer, and business owner based in Manhattan, NY. Through her two decades of work at the intersection of racial, health, and environmental justice, and as co-owner with her husband of Plowshares Coffee, she is committed to contributing to the vibrancy, health, and stability of her community and the world. 

Through her national and international work as a speaker and facilitator, Vivian draws on her training in the arts, mindfulness, and psychology, to lead racial healing initiatives aimed at bringing diverse groups of people together in ways that foster deeper understanding, connection, empathy, personal healing, and social change.  

Prior to her current areas of focus, Vivian's degrees from Carroll University and The American Musical and Dramatic Academy led to a career that encompassed performance, stage direction, stage management, producing, writing, and teaching. She is a longtime union member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity, and a 2016-2019 Columbia University Scholar. In 2021, she was awarded a proclamation from the New York Senate, recognizing service to her community and New York. 

Panoramic View of campus