George D. Williams
Hometown:
Born in Portland, Oregon; raised in Oakland, California
Connect: LinkedIn
George is excited about potential applications of his project on the practice of economic development going forward, both throughout the US and around the globe. He believes in the power of learning from history and from our shortcomings, and that we have an opportunity through ERC and other initiatives to restore America’s role at the forefront of innovation towards collective prosperity.
George D. Williams II is a seasoned social impact professional and strategist with a decade of experience in developing and executing successful events, initiatives, summits, courses and experiences around the globe.
He has worked for a number of notable organizations and entities, including the White House, the Clinton Foundation, the Markham Group, and various US cabinet secretaries, governors, members of Congress, and other elected officials, candidates, and organizations. He founded and leads Diversity Global Institutes, an international education organization that provides access to impact-driven university-level course content to historically underserved groups and disadvantaged students, in purposefully selected global destinations. Additionally, he is a Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, as part of its Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders Network.
George was a Laureate Scholar at Howard University, where he studied political science and diplomatic interpretation. When he’s not engaged in professional projects, he enjoys reading, learning about other cultures and languages, and spending his time between home bases in Lisbon, Portugal; Washington, DC; and Puerto Rico.
ERC Project
Project Title:
Development of Equitable Housing, Transportation, and Land Use Plans in Site Aggregation
Host Community or Region:
Ohio
Host Organization:
Fund for Our Economic Future
The project tackles integrating industrial site development with community needs in Northeast Ohio. With development expecting to significantly impact the region, creating high-quality jobs, and improving living standards for communities in Cuyahoga and Lorain Counties, Ohio, this initiative is crucial in balancing the demands of economic growth with equitable access to jobs, affordable housing, and sustainable infrastructure. To ensure everyone benefits from job growth while mitigating potentially negative consequences of large-scale development, the ERC Fellow will guide and support equitable development with partners in Lorain County. The fellow will support cross-collaboration with system partners to plan and implement this new way of doing business while enabling inclusion objectives and promoting productive land use and development. The outcome of this project is well-planned site development able to attract large-scale manufacturing while promoting equitable growth and holistic quality of life factors. The project's success will serve as a model for integrating large-scale industrial development with equitable community growth, creating a blueprint for addressing the complex intersection of workforce development, housing, and transportation.
Interested in supporting this project or learning more? Contact the ERC program team here.
