Dr. William E. L. Syms

Dr. William E. L. Syms is a collaborative community educator, equity advocate, and transformational leader with more than two decades of experience advancing educational access, student success, and social justice. He currently serves as Vice President of Student Services, Equity Initiatives, and Enrollment Management at West Los Angeles College, where he leads college-wide strategies to close equity gaps, increase completion and transfer rates, and expand access to higher education for disproportionately impacted students across Los Angeles County.

Dr. Syms has dedicated his career to developing cohort-based educational pathways that shorten time to completion, reduce cost for students, and increase rates of degree and transfer. At Pasadena City College, he led the development of noncredit pathways that expanded workforce opportunities. He designed K–12 partnerships at the Northwest campus with Pasadena Unified School District, including a dual enrollment middle college program. At Sierra College, he led teams that developed the Umoja Village Pathway, Community, and other cohort programs in an intentional and community-centered model that improved student persistence and retention through culturally relevant practices. Now at West Los Angeles College, Dr. Syms is advancing this work across the institution by developing aligned pathways through Umoja, Puente, and an emerging HBCU pathway to the bachelor’s degree, ensuring that students have affordable, coherent, and supportive options from entry to completion.

His leadership has established innovative student support hubs, including Veterans, Basic Needs, and Pride Centers, and expanded high-impact initiatives such as the Native American Student Success and Rising Scholars programs. He has secured millions in grant and categorical funding to sustain and grow services for foster youth, student parents, LGBTQ+ students, and students with diverse abilities.

Dr. Syms’ career includes executive roles at Sierra College and Pasadena City College, where he successfully increased retention and persistence for underrepresented students, expanded dual enrollment opportunities, and oversaw significant programmatic growth in TRIO, noncredit, and workforce education. His professional background also includes national leadership within Amnesty International USA, the NAACP, the United States House of Representatives, and the City of Pasadena, work that sharpened his skills in policy advocacy, community organizing, and coalition building.

Outside of work Dr. Syms serves as Director of Education for Eta Pi Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, Dr. Syms channels this expertise into developing and overseeing educational initiatives that align with Alpha Phi Alpha’s mission of Scholarship, and Love for All Mankind while providing service and advocacy. His approach integrates mentorship, college readiness, scholarship support, and leadership training to cultivate the next generation of scholars and servant-leaders.

Dr. Syms holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Media Arts from Clark Atlanta University, a master’s in Public Administration from California State University, Northridge, and a doctorate in Education from the University of Southern California. Husband to Shauna and father to August and Ellington, he remains deeply connected to his community through service on multiple nonprofit boards, civic organizations, and educational partnerships.

His leadership philosophy is rooted in action, empathy, and equity-minded theory. He ensures that every program he leads reflects the fraternity’s values, uplifts the community, and builds pathways for sustained academic and personal success.