Executive Vice President Treby Williams ’84 to depart, third recent admin departure

Executive Vice President Treby Williams ’84 announced her resignation on Tuesday, Jan. 31. She will leave her current position on June 30. Before retiring from the University, she will serve as senior advisor to President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 for one more year.

According to the University press release, Williams worked closely with Eisgruber. As executive vice president, she is the University’s third highest-ranking official, behind Eisgruber and Provost Deborah Prentice who is leaving to lead the University of Cambridge as Vice-Chancellor in March 2023. Williams is the third major administrative departure in recent months, behind Prentiss and Dean of Research Pablo Debenedetti.

As Princeton’s chief administrative officer, Williams oversaw a variety of construction projects — including Princeton’s 2026 Campus Plan and plans for the Lake Campus Development — to expand University facilities and to help Princeton reach net zero carbon emissions by 2046, as outlined in the University’s Sustainability Action Plan.

The Sustainability Action Plan was published in April 2019. It lays out key priorities, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing water use. A large part of the plan focuses on the University’s new construction initiatives and the installation of “campus-wide ground source heat pump (geoexchange) systems.” For the two new residential colleges, Yeh College and New College West, the University is currently seeking LEED gold certifications, one standard of environmental efficiency. Geoexchange installation is under way on the lawn of Whitman College. A variety of other construction projects are in progress, to be completed over the next decade.

Additionally, Williams led initiatives to strengthen the University’s commitment to civic engagement and expand upon operations and programs run by the University. She supervised the development of Service Focus and the Learning and Education through Service, the Campus Art Steering Committee, the Nassau Fellows program, and the Office of Finance and Treasury’s Supplier Diversity Plan, among others.

In reflecting on her time at Princeton, Williams referred the Daily Princetonian to her statements in the University press release.

“The importance of the University’s mission to the nation and the world, and my spectacular colleagues have inspired me every day,” Williams said. “As executive vice president, it has been a privilege to play a leadership role in planning our campus’ future and advancing initiatives that enable students’ service experiences, focus on the well-being of students, faculty, and staff, and support Princeton’s teaching and research aspirations.”

“Treby Williams has excelled at every dimension of a very demanding job,” Eisgruber said in the press release. “She has been a peerless and beloved captain for her talented administrative team, a valued partner to cabinet colleagues and to me, and a first-rate strategic thinker.”

Appointed in November 2013, Williams has served as Princeton’s executive vice president for a decade. She graduated with a degree in history from Princeton in 1984, then earned a law degree from New York University. Beginning in 2005, Williams worked at Princeton as the director of Princeton’s Office of Development Priorities, first as the director of planning and administration in the Office of the Executive Vice President and then as the assistant vice president for safety and administrative planning.

“The talent of Princeton’s faculty, staff, and students is astounding, and I look forward to seeing their positive impacts on national and global challenges in the years to come,” Williams said.

According to the press release, “Eisgruber will oversee an international search for the next executive vice president from the firm Spencer Stuart.” The University aims to find a new executive vice president by this summer.

Rebecca Cunningham is a news and podcast contributor for the ‘Prince.’