In Memoriam

We are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend, colleague and Race in the Marketplace (RIM) Research Network founding Advisory Board member, Dr. Jerome D. Williams. 

Dr. Williams was a distinguished marketing professor who held the Prudential Chair in Business and formerly served as provost of Rutgers University-Newark. He was an associate editor of the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing and held leadership positions at the American Marketing Association (AMA), most recently being selected as an AMA fellow. With decades of educational and research experience advocating equity and inclusion, Dr. Williams was a valuable member of the RIM Network board.

As we developed the RIM Research Network, Dr. Jerome D. Williams was a natural and unanimous choice for our founding advisory board. His pioneering research addressed important issues of race across topics, disciplines and domains. His almost 150 publications cover diverse issues such as target marketing of alcohol, tobacco and unhealthy food to African-Americans, shopping discrimination and service discrimination- all issues of concern to the three of us and at the core of RIM. Common across these topics was a concern with the impact of marketing and its societal effects, especially on traditionally disadvantaged communities.  And he did all of this prior to the last decades emphasis on societal relevance and the newer current focus on race. He was clearly ahead of his time.

Indeed, it is this legacy that led us to award him the inaugural RIM Trailblazer Award at the 2019 RIM Research Forum for his pioneering work on race in diverse markets.

Beyond his role as a pioneering scholar on the important societal topic of race, Jerome was a consummate mentor, guide and friend who selflessly gave of his time.  We have a lot of great scholars, pioneers, selfless and genuinely nice people in our field. However, it’s much rarer to find all these characteristics in one person as in Dr. Jerome D. Williams. 

Below, the RIM co-founders and members share their personal reflections of Jerome and the impact he had on all of us.

Sonya A. Grier

My favorite story about Jerome involves how we met. As a doctoral student, my cohort Geraldine “Gerri” Henderson and I were conscious of the lack of Black faculty in our program and decided to create our own network (this was prior to the PhD Project and the Marketing Doctoral Student Associations (MDSA’s). We identified and created a list of all the Black faculty we could in marketing and started email. Jerome wrote back immediately. Emboldened, we went to the Dean and asked for money for a Black Professor visiting series and Jerome would be our first guest. I took on the task of picking him up from his hotel. As I approached the hotel, I recognized him from a picture and walked towards him. As I did so, a woman who parked in front of where he was standing in his suit, jumped out of the car, handed him her keys, said something like “I’m late I’ll come back for the ticket“ and walked swiftly into the hotel. She had assumed he was the doorman! As I approached Jerome he looked up at me and said: “That’s a nice car, should we take this instead of yours” and laughed as did I. Despite being stereotyped, he made a joke of it and didn’t let it bother him at all. Nonetheless, he also used the incident to open his talk to Northwestern doctoral and MBA students about ethnic Marketing and marketplace discrimination. This small example from 1993 reflects how he was able to translate everyday experiences of race into important scholarly research in a funny, loving and humane way. He also unknowingly paved the way for me as a business professor conducting research on the negative impact of marketing on public health by his very presence. Whenever I would tell public health researchers I was a marketing professor, after overcoming their skepticism, they would often say “oh, you’re one of the good ones, like Jerome Williams…” He was much more than a colleague or a mentor- he was a friend. His selfless guidance, generous gifts of time and sharing of resources are a key shoulder I stand on as I work to continue his legacy of supporting racial equity in the marketplace and in business academia.

Kevin D. Thomas

“What a gift it has been to have known Jerome. As a first-gen grad student, his patience and guidance were essential when I applied to the doctoral program in Advertising at UT-Austin. Once accepted into the program, not only was he ever giving of his time and sage advice, but he also made sure that I had adequate funding to offset tuition, fees, and living expenses. Even after he moved to Rutgers University, he always made it a point to “check-in” on me. He also continued to provide much needed financial support by covering the transcription cost (a pretty penny) associated with my dissertation. He truly was emblematic of what it means to have a generous spirit.         

His thoughtful mentorship did not stop when I graduated, nor was it ever limited simply to “professional” matters. Jerome modeled what lovingkindness looks like in practice. In addition to learning what it means to be an impactful scholar and mentor, Jerome constantly demonstrated how to be a loving spouse, gracious friend, and outstanding human being. For instance, while transitioning from UT-Austin to Rutgers, Jerome not only made it a point to attend the commitment ceremony I had with my partner, but he also took the time to prepare and recite a speech for the occasion.

More than mere platitudes, Jerome’s words were heartfelt, humorous, and articulated a deep appreciation for us – even if he, like many of our family members, didn’t quite understand the non-conventional approach of our relationship and ceremony. As was often the case, Jerome’s wife Lillian was also in attendance. It was such an honor to have them both there, and like so many other formal events where the two of them were present we were able to witness what true love looks like. From their matching ensemble (see picture) to the care and tenderness they shared in quiet moments, watching the two of them was like attending a masterclass in devotion.

I will miss Jerome dearly, but rather than dwell in the massive void created by his departure, I will do my best every day to enact the most important lesson I learned through his tutelage – to love and give generously.

Guillaume Johnson

“For me, the greatness of Jerome can be encapsulated into one word: “delighted”. Every time I see this word I think of Jerome; every time I think of Jerome I think of this word. It happened in September 2006. At that time, I was finishing my master’s degree and was looking for a Ph.D. advisor. I had identified him as one of the leading scholars I should do my Ph.D. with. I was particularly amazed by an introspective piece he had written in 1992 (here), thinking that this should be my ultimate writing Everest. So, I wrote him a long and verbose email, presenting myself and my dissertation plan. He replied two days later. Apologizing for the delay (?!), he acknowledged my effort, noted some interest in my project and concluded: “I would be delighted to be your advisor.” From the entire email, I could only see this word: “delighted”. At that time, I was not sure what it meant – what its exact translation in French was – but it felt nice, great, exhilarating…. delightful. I never told Jerome how empowering this word and his entire email felt for me, after years of deep frustration and belittlement trying to study race relations and multicultural marketing in France. In the end, the Ph.D advising did not happen… but the delight remained.

I met him in person one year later, then we regularly met every other year. I had the privilege of co-writing with him, exchanging many times with him about RIM and other topics, and sharing a memorable car ride with him and his wife Lillian from Waco to Austin.

Jerome was a delightful man. Even though he did not become my advisor, he taught me a great lesson by this first encounter. To always show kindness, benevolence, and dedication even to some random dude who emails you from the other side of the world. This is the lesson I shall try to infuse in my research, teaching and everyday life, trying to carry on his legacy.”

Benét DeBerry-Spence

“Words cannot adequately capture the impact that Jerome D. Williams, Ph.D. had professionally and personally on the lives of so many. Through his work with students, faculty and numerous organizations, Jerome made everyone feel valued and important. He was never too busy to listen, to offer guidance and to help. He gave so much of himself, while also consistently producing outstanding scholarship. Jerome was indeed a pioneer and a remarkable human being. He leaves an indelible mark on our profession and in our lives.”

J.P. James

"I met Dr. Williams through the now also-late Dr. Gerri Henderson in 2012. As I was contemplating getting my Ph.D. Dr. Williams always looked out for me relative to exposing me to conferences. I know most of you good people at RIM through Dr. Williams and Dr. Henderson. Dr. Williams also kept in touch after I graduated from Rutgers as he helped me to get my present faculty position with Salem State University. Ironically, the last time I saw Dr. Williams was at the 2019 RIM Conference in Paris. Rest well, my academic father!"