George L. Williams Sr. has been appointed by Gov. Jim Hodges to serve as a member of Coastal Carolina University's Board of Trustees.< p> Williams, a retired educator and civic leader, began his teaching career at Chestnut High School in Horry County in 1956 and was named assistant principal of Conway High School in 1969. He taught history part time at Coastal Carolina University (then USC Coastal Carolina College) from 1969 to 1974 and was the first African-American instructor at Coastal. He was principal of North Myrtle Beach High School from 1974 to1986.

Williams serves on the board of trustees of many organizations in the region, including First Citizens Bank in Conway and Conway Hospital. He has served on the Horry County Higher Education Commission and was chairman of the Board of Trustees of Horry-Georgetown Technical College from 1977 to 1983. The Conway Area Chamber of Commerce awarded Williams the Laverne H. Creel Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992.

A native of Florence, Williams graduated from Wilson High School in Florence in 1949. He attended the Catholic University in Washington D.C. and earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from South Carolina State University.

Coastal's Board of Trustees has 17 members. Fifteen are elected by the General Assembly (two from each Congressional District and three from the state at large), one is appointed by the Governor, and one member is the Governor's designee.