Navigating Implicit Biases
Polly Williams:
Polly Williams is the Director of Community and Equity at Cambridge Friends School. Polly holds a Bachelor
of Science Degree in Health and Physical Education from Slippery Rock University. She also holds a Master of
Social Work degree from Simmons College. During the summer, Polly directs the Farm and Wilderness’s Barn
Day Camp, a wilderness camp in Vermont that she has been involved with for 34 years. Prior
to CFS, Polly has
worked with boards, schools, colleges, religious institutions, community groups, youth, and adults surrounding
issues of equity and justice. She has been a DEI professional for over 20 years. Specifically, trainings on Race,
Gender, and LGBTQ inclusion.
Polly grew up in rural northern Florida as the middle child of 5 and parents who were researchers at FSU. Polly
is a transracial adoptee and mom of two children, one of whom was placed with her at 2 years old. Polly and her
partner split time between VT and MA throughout the year.
Testimonial:
"The success of Polly's training is grounded in two key elements: expertise and empathy. Decades of experience with schools and camps; child, adolescent, and adult development; experiential education; social work; and diversity, inclusion, and equity, not to mention racism, have given her deep content knowledge. Her unique blend of listening skills, clarity, openmindedness, kindness, and firmness enable her to figure out how best to meet learners' needs, push them beyond the limits imposed by self and society, and help them access new understandings and abilities. I've seen Polly succeed in transforming preschoolers avid for new experiences, elderly people set in their ways, and all stages in between. She is a gem."
- Rebecca Steinitz (Writer, Editor, Literacy Consultant)