Faculty Feature: Meet Nathan Williams
Nathan Williams is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. Williams is teaching PRT 152: Introduction to Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Event Management; PRT 250: Facilities Management in Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Event Management; and PRT 358: Recreation Program Planning.
Where were you born? Where have you lived?
I was born in Austin, Texas and grew up mostly in Chicago and west of Chicago. Since then, I’ve lived lots of places from the Midwest to the Southeast (Madison, Wisconsin and Wilmington, NC being a couple of favorites). Raleigh is home though; my partner and I own both a house and a small business downtown, so we’re pretty rooted!
What was your favorite subject in grade school? College?
I was a pretty despondent teen and early college student. I dropped out of college a few times, including after my very first semester at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. I just didn’t know what I wanted to do and eventually fell into a first career in information technology. While I was a web developer at the University of Wisconsin, I got dragged to an outdoor club meeting by a friend and fell for outdoor recreation. Prior to that, my view of outdoor recreation was, “Why would I go kayaking when people have invented boats with motors?” I’ve learned a lot since then.
How did you decide to go to the University of Minnesota-Duluth?
At the University of Wisconsin, I helped start a first-year outdoor trips program for incoming students. Taking students camping and canoeing on the Wisconsin River and meeting new friends before they started school showed me the power of outdoor recreation. After that, it was just about impossible to sit at a desk coding web applications for 40 hours a week. I went to UMD because they have a really good outdoor recreation academic program and a really active non-academic campus outdoor recreation program. It was a great way to transition careers. Also, instructing for North Carolina Outward Bound during the summers let me split my time with the Southeastern United States.
What made you want to pursue a Masters in Education?
It was a tough decision between studying recreation for a graduate degree and higher education, but ultimately I was most interested in how to be a really good educator and the context (i.e., recreation, student affairs, food education, etc.) was less important to me than having a solid foundation of development theory, pedagogy, facilitation skills, and other core aspects of education. Luckily, I was able to study higher education and student affairs at the University of Georgia (Go Dawgs!) and work in a graduate assistantship with campus recreation there, so I feel like I got the best of both worlds.
What brought you to Raleigh and NC State?
Six years ago, I moved to Raleigh from Wilmington — where I was an outdoor trips coordinator at UNCW — to be the Assistant Director, Outdoor Adventures with NC State Wellness and Recreation. It was tough to leave that job over the summer, but I’ve felt really welcomed here at PRTM and am loving teaching.
Tell us about the power of campfire spaces for diversity education.
My dissertation focused on how outdoor trips can provide experiences for students from diverse backgrounds and identities to learn about each other and discuss societal challenges. From that research, I learned that often it wasn’t the “high adventure” recreation that made an impact on participants. More of the time, it was students being done with the formal activities of the day and finding comfort in revealing important aspects of themselves because they were in a “campfire space.” Sometimes that’s a literal campfire, but other times it was a setting in the van when students had listened to a podcast and had the time and autonomy to discuss it. I’m really curious about bringing campfires into the classroom, metaphorically speaking of course. As educators, we might think we need to directly facilitate conversations for students to have a meaningful learning experience, but if we’re able to give them ownership of the conversational space (i.e., create a campfire setting), I believe they can often experience deeper and more lasting learning.
What did you enjoy most about working at NC State’s Wellness and Recreation center?
There was lots to love about my time with WellRec. I really appreciated the entrepreneurial nature of the culture there. There was always support for trying new programs or services and an understanding that not everything would succeed. There was always something new, whether that was being part of bringing the new Wellness and Recreation Center to life or that was figuring out creative ways to get students outside through COVID.
What outdoor adventures would you most recommend?
I love to encourage students, faculty and staff to explore the outdoor adventures that might be hidden in their backyard. A visit to Lake Raleigh or walk along the greenway can be more impactful than remote destinations if you can take advantage of nature breaks during the day. Ask me about the edible garden on the greenway if you don’t know where this is!
Tell us about Current Wellness movement studio and community building.
Current Wellness is an integrative wellness center in downtown Raleigh (just a block north of Transfer Food Hall) that I own with my partner, Brit. We have fitness and yoga, food education, and wellness services (including mental health counseling, massage, chiropractic care, and a bunch more). We started “the Current” to create community around wellness in a non-judgmental setting. We don’t talk about burning calories or fighting through pain to lift heavy weights. Instead, we encourage movement for enjoyment, balance, and encourage other values of inclusive wellness, like intuitive eating and health at every size.
Last book read? Favorite podcasts, music, tv binges?
I can relate anything important in life to a This American Life episode; I’ve listened to all of them and seen Ira Glass speak twice. Music is mostly indy-alternative bands like The National; Explosions in the Sky; Sylvan Esso; and Foals. Students in my classes are expanding my horizons! Each class has its own playlist based on student suggestions. Brit and I have been watching Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Ted Lasso, and Billions.