 From 1971 to 1973, Williams was a legislative assistant to Senator Vance Hartke (D-Indiana) of the United States Senate, Washington, D.C..In 1977, Williams earned a master's degree in political science, and in 1982, a doctorate in political science, both from George Washington University with a thesis "Legal and political problems of police discretion".He also earned an MBA from Mercy College (New York).