Mr. Williams began his career after serving for 3 years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic. He served as a foreign service officer and senior official at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for 22 years, and retired with the rank of career minister, the highest rank in the Senior Foreign Service. His awards include the USAID Distinguished Career Service Award and the Presidential Award for Distinguished Service. 

In 2009 he was appointed by President Barack Obama as Director of the U.S. Peace Corps, serving in that role through 2012. In 2015, he was appointed by President Barack Obama as the U.S. Alternative Representative to the executive board of the United Nations children’s fund (UNICEF). 

Following his government service, he joined RTI International, serving as executive vice president of the international development group, and later as executive vice president for government relations and corporate communications. He is now RTI’s Senior Advisor-Emeritus for International Development and Government Relations

He is an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina – Gillings School of Global Public Health.

He received his MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and obtained a BS in Geography from Chicago State University.