Angela F. Williams

Angela F. Williams is the President and CEO of United Way Worldwide, leading a global network serving 48 million people in 1,100 communities across 36 countries. Angela’s family, culture, and early life experiences culminated in her role at United Way and have influenced her entire career. Growing up as the child of civil rights activists, Angela learned early on the power of community, the importance of resilience, and the impact that individuals can make by standing up for justice. Those formative experiences not only instilled in Angela a sense of purpose, but also taught her the value of perseverance, which has been a guiding force for her throughout her life and career.

Angela is bi-vocational, serving as an ordained minister, attorney, and civil society executive. Angela’s leadership is grounded in service and community-driven solutions. Under her leadership, United Way is undergoing a strategic transformation, focusing on systemic change, collaboration, and modernizing its global brand to meet the challenges of the 21st century and beyond.

With over 30 years of leadership experience across the nonprofit, public, and private sectors, Angela has led organizations through major transformation. As President and CEO of Easterseals, she rebranded the 100-year-old organization and expanded disability services. At YMCA of the USA, she oversaw governance and operations for 2,700 YMCAs nationwide. Previously, Angela held senior leadership positions at Sears, Roebuck & Co., where she managed litigation, government affairs, and compliance programs.

Her public service career includes roles as Special Counsel to the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy, where she helped draft the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and as a prosecutor in the Civil Rights Division’s National Church Arson Task Force with the Department of Justice. She began her career as an officer in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG). Angela’s time in government gave her exposure to how institutions can make a difference and fueled her passion for creating systemic change.

Angela is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, OpenAI’s Ethics Council, and the Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council. She has been recognized by USA Today as a 2025 Woman of the Year, the NonProfit Times, Forbes, and Inside Philanthropy. She holds degrees from the University of Virginia, University of Texas School of Law, and Virginia Union University’s School of Theology. She resides in Chicago and Washington, D.C., with her husband, Reverend Roderick Williams.