Harriet G. Williams

Harriet Williams was inducted into the inaugural College of Applied Human Sciences Hall of Fame in 2025. She was previously inducted into the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences Hall of Fame in 1989 and was named Outstanding Alumna the same year. 

Williams, a native of Clarksburg, W.Va., enrolled at West Virginia University in 1956 to study physical education and biology, graduating with honors in 1960. In 1968, she completed a Ph.D. in motor development at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Her academic career included faculty positions in California, Texas, Ohio, Oregon, and South Carolina. She joined the University of South Carolina in 1980, where she served as a professor and currently holds the role of adjunct professor in the School of Medicine. She also directed the Functional Health Behaviors Assessment Laboratory.

A nationally recognized expert in peripheral and motor development in children, Williams has focused her research on three primary areas: balance and postural control across the lifespan, the effects of physical activity on executive function in older adults, and the relationship between motor skill development and lifelong activity in children. She has authored numerous publications and delivered more than 70 presentations at international, national, and regional conferences.

Among her most notable contributions were the establishment of Perceptual Motor Development Laboratories at the University of Toledo and the University of South Carolina, helping children build motor skills and confidence through interdisciplinary learning environments.