Angela F. Williams
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Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Angela F. Williams, Public Figure, Houston, TX.
Former CEO & President of United Way Worldwide | Wife | Attorney | Advisor | Speaker | Advocate for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community.
If you are currently asking God to change your situation you should also be willing for him to change you.
With this prayer, “Lord, melt me so that You can mold me,” show total surrender.
Understand that transformation is not automatic. It is intentional. It is ongoing. And it often comes through discomfort. When pressure comes, return to the Word. Speak life. Talk yourself through it with truth.
As long as you have breath, God is still shaping you.
02/18/2026
Reverend Jesse Jackson’s life was a testament to courage, conviction, and unwavering faith in the promise of this nation. For decades, he called America to its highest ideals. He reminded us that democracy requires
participation, that dignity belongs to everyone, and that hope is a discipline.
As the daughter of a civil rights leader, I grew up understanding that justice is lived and it’s costly. It requires courage. Leaders like Reverend Jackson shaped the world my parents fought to change, and the world I was called to serve.
As a civil rights lawyer and public servant, I understood early that many of the doors I walked through had been pushed open by leaders like him. He challenged systems and insisted that justice be reflected in policy, in communities, and in everyday life.
“The Lord requires you to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” -Micah 6:8
Reverend Jackson lived that charge out loud. May we honor him not only with our words, but with our work.
Rest well, Reverend. Thank you for the courage.
02/17/2026
A pleasure being on the all about change podcast with Jay Ruderman. Please take a listen.
“I believe that neighbors are always willing to reach out and lend a hand” says outgoing United Way Angela F. Williams That is how she keeps hope in the face of challenges.
Listen now: https://link.podtrac.com/aac-fb
On , it felt important for me to share this conversation again.
There are moments in our lives that change us forever. I’ve always believed in service and showing up for others, but it wasn’t until my husband Rod was diagnosed with cancer that I truly understood the power of community and presence. The waiting rooms, the uncertainty, the quiet fear—no one should have to carry those moments alone.
I’m resharing this because I know how isolating this journey can feel. If you or someone you love is navigating cancer right now, I want you to know you are not alone. Community matters. Being seen matters. Showing up for one another matters.
Thank you, , for this meaningful conversation about the caring power of community.
If this resonates, I hope it reminds you that support can come in many forms and that reaching out is not a weakness, but an act of courage.
01/28/2026
In Minnesota right now, many families and communities are living through profound fear and uncertainty as daily life feels increasingly fragile. In moments like this, community is not an abstract idea. It is something people build together through continued presence and by showing up for one another.
As a person of faith, I believe God shows up most clearly through people. Through neighbors who check in. Through faith communities that open their doors. Through mutual aid, local organizations, and everyday acts that remind people they are not alone.
In times of uncertainty, community is what holds people together when things feel brittle. It is where compassion takes shape. It is where dignity and humanity are protected. It is where love becomes visible through action.
I am witnessing people choose connection over isolation and care over fear.
That matters. It reflects the deepest teachings of my faith and the values I have always worked to live by.
Let us remember that community is not something we talk about. It is something we practice. And it is often where God’s grace is felt most strongly.
As we move into 2026, one thing is clear: we are living in an age of chaos and unpredictability.
Yet, within this turbulence lies an extraordinary opportunity—to lead in new ways. And that gives me a great deal of hope for our future.
It was an honor to join United Nations Under‑Secretary‑General Guy Ryder in conversation last week at UN Headquarters. Together, we explored how leaders can make sense of our complex, rapidly changing world and guide their organizations and communities toward greater resilience and hope.
I drew on experiences from my own professional journey, along with insights from my recent co‑authored book, Navigating the Age of Chaos.
If you missed this timely and insightful conversation, you can watch the full replay on UN Web TV here: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1a/k1aa8rl96m
01/22/2026
As I move through 2026, my word for the year is grace.
Grace for myself as I continue becoming who I am meant to be in this season of life, learning in real time, leading through uncertainty, and holding both ambition and tenderness at once. Grace for the days when growth feels heavy, when progress isn’t obvious, and when the path forward requires patience instead of speed.
Grace for others, too.
Because none of us are walking simple paths. Because connection deepens when we soften our assumptions. Because community is built when we meet each other with compassion instead of judgment.
What would change if we gave ourselves more grace this year?
What might heal if we extended grace freely to one another?
Here’s to a year of becoming, grounded in grace. What is your word for 2026?
01/21/2026
Leadership is about having the courage to raise your hand and say, I need help. Or, even, I need to take a step back.
As leaders, our responsibility is to create environments where employees can care for themselves—to give them the space and trust to make decisions that work best for their lives.
I spent years in the military and as a criminal federal prosecutor, so I can be hardcore. My mantra used to be: You don’t ever cry in front of people.
And yet, my team has seen me break down when my dad was in the hospital. Because we don’t leave our humanity at the door—we bring our whole selves to the office.
Leadership requires recognizing that reality, honoring it, and building cultures that are safe and braves spaces, grounded in care.
Read more of my thoughts in The Chronicle of Philanthropy on how leaders, especially in the nonprofit sector, can better support employee well-being. https://lnkd.in/e-2srv6C
01/20/2026
Caregiving is love, and it is labor. It is feeding, dressing, administering medication, and staying present through confusion, grief, and fatigue. It is searching for the right pill crusher, negotiating medicine disguised in applesauce, and being sent back upstairs by your mother because a sweatshirt will not do. It is sitting together on December 26, my father’s birthday, the first holiday without him, and letting the grief come when it comes.
I have loved caring for my 87-year-old mother. But it has also forced me to have an honest reckoning with time. It has made clear what I can no longer carry the same way and what deserves my fullest presence now. Ultimately, that reckoning led to my decision to step away from my role as President and CEO of United Way Worldwide.
As I have shared parts of this journey publicly, I have been struck by the response. People have written to say they feel seen. That they, too, are making hard choices. That they are caring for parents, raising children, holding jobs, and trying to stay whole in a world that feels fractured.
In the months ahead, I will be sharing what I am learning, in real time. About caregiving, about faith and advocacy, about what it takes to sustain contribution across a lifetime.
Read more in the latest edition of my Community Pulse newsletter.
My Final Days at United Way Worldwide, and My Next Steps As the new year begins, I want to speak plainly. In December, I shared publicly that I will be stepping away from my role as President and CEO of United Way Worldwide.
As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving."
Today, we honor his legacy—and the countless men and women, including my parents, who worked tirelessly by his side to organize marches, stage sit-ins, fight voter suppression, and press for change in a system that refused to see their humanity.
Growing up, I lived in a time and place where my family’s phone rang with threats, and our neighbors stood watch on our front porch to protect us. People who looked like us were turned away from lunch counters, barred from living in certain neighborhoods, and locked out of public schools when their one great hope was to be treated as equals and to have access to opportunity in a country that they loved.
Yet even in those uncertain and fearful days, if a neighbor was hungry or needed help, no matter who they were, my parents never hesitated. They’d roll up their sleeves because empathy, to them, was not a feeling. It was love and hope in action.
And though decades have passed and the struggles of today may look different, on this let us remember that the goal remains the same: to keep it moving. The goal isn’t to be perfect; it’s to be persistent. To persist with compassion. To refuse to stop caring for one another. Because the only way forward is together.
The American Dream only lives on if every person can pursue it.
ALICE — Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — individuals are the backbone of our communities and the engines of our economy. They work hard every day to build a better life, but, far too often, they can’t get ahead because they are held down by systems that offer just enough to keep them from drowning, but not enough to pull them out of the deep water and onto dry land.
And for most, it’s not getting any easier.
• Food costs 18% more than it did in 2022.
• Childcare costs 30% more than it did in 2020.
• Utility costs are up 12% just in the last year.
During my opening keynote at the National , I explained that service is more than a feel-good gesture; it’s a force that has shaped—and will continue to shape—our nation and help every person attain the American Dream.
As we approach America’s 250th anniversary, let this be the year that we recommit to fanning the flame of service and opportunity in every community we touch.
Let’s give people a real reason to come together.
And let this be a time we look back on and say: This was the moment America remembered who we are.
01/13/2026
This weekend, when Teyana Taylor spoke about belonging and visibility from the Golden Globes stage, I felt something deep and familiar resonate. Her words reminded me that belonging is not a moment we achieve, but a reality we create for others.
As a Black woman leader, I know what it feels like to walk into rooms where history tells us we should not belong, and to stay anyway because the next generation deserves a different experience. Black women have carried the weight of representation for years, often without acknowledgement or celebration. And yet, we continue to show up, to build, to mentor, and to invite others in.
True belonging is more than a seat at the table. It is presence, presence that changes the way decisions are made, the way voices are heard, and the way communities grow. This is the work I carry with me every day in leadership, in community, and when I stand with those who have been told they must shrink their light to fit in.
So to the young Black women stepping into leadership now, I see you. When Teyana spoke directly to young brown girls watching, she named what so many of us know to be true: your voice matters. Your perspective reshapes culture. The space you step into today makes it easier for someone coming behind you tomorrow. Keep going.
Because belonging isn’t just recognition. It is what happens when people are able to show up fully and be welcomed.
Also may I just say, how incredible was that dress?!
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