Dr. Williams, of Loganville, to represent Mrs Walton County in the 2025 Mrs Georgia America Pageant

Championing Reading Literacy for Georgia’s Youth

Dr. Shanita Williams to represent Walton County in the 2025 Mrs. Georgia America Pageant Contributed photo

LOGANVILLE, GA – April 25, 2025 – Dr. Shanita Williams, of Loganville, a devoted mom, TEDx speaker, and 20-year higher education administrator, is announcing her participation in the upcoming Mrs. Georgia America 2025 competition. She will represent Walton County in the prestigious pageant, a qualifier for the national Mrs. America and international Mrs. World titles. The competition takes place June 28–29, 2025, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Roswell, Georgia.

A passionate advocate for education, Williams believes deeply in its power to unlock human potential—especially for young people. Her mission? To raise awareness about the urgent need to improve reading literacy among Georgia’s youth.

“Reading not only builds critical life skills,” Williams said. “It unlocks imagination, opens doors, and creates endless possibilities. Yet today, more than 50% of Georgia’s third graders are not reading at grade level—an alarming statistic with long-term consequences for our children and communities.”

Williams is actively involved in several initiatives to combat this crisis. She supports the Georgia Reads Campaign, serves as an Adult Literacy Tutor, volunteers as a Book Buddy reader in DeKalb County, contributes to the Monroe Mayor’s Impact Literacy Roundtable, and was recently selected as a parent representative to assist in shaping the Walton County School District’s 2025–2026 District Improvement Plan.

Monroe Mayor John Howard says Williams is not only lovely, she also is very impressive.

“I met her at the Junior ROTC banquet,” Howard said, adding that when she spoke, he found out that literacy is her focus. “And literacy is my focus. She is the perfect addition to the Mayor’s Impact Literacy program. Literacy is the No. 1 issue in the fight to combat inter-generational poverty.”

Williams joins other local advocates for literacy such as Dessa Morris from the Development Authority of Walton County, Tish McRae from the Walton Youth Project, Dena Huff from the Partnership of Families and Children, Jami Cash from the Development Authority and other advocates for literacy in the program.

Howard said Williams also was on the panel that chose the new AP in Monroe Elementary.

“We do things differently here,” Howard said. “We can’t take our foot off the gas.”

Williams hopes that her participation in the Mrs. Georgia pageant will enable her to highlight the importance of literacy.

“Winning Mrs. Georgia would be a dream realized—and a powerful message that dreams can be delayed but never denied,” she said. “If crowned, I plan to amplify my advocacy, working alongside educators, legislators, and community leaders to support the Georgia Early Literacy Act (HB 538). Every child deserves the tools to read, grow, and thrive.”

When she’s not advocating for education or preparing for the pageant, Dr. Williams enjoys spending time with her family, binge-watching Netflix, dancing, bowling, working out, and volunteering with the American Red Cross and Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta.