‘It’s a Calling’: Sit Down with Jay Williams, CEO of a $1 Billion Nonprofit

Jay Williams is President and CEO of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Connecticut’s largest community foundation with a $1 billion+ endowment. The foundation is currently celebrating its Centennial Anniversary. In HIU’s biennial Rion Lecture, he will talk about his career as a calling and open a conversation about how his “spiritual connection” manifests itself in his work.

Join us for this interactive program and bring your questions!

The Michael R. Rion Lectureship was established to honor former Hartford International University President Michael R. Rion. The lecturer is someone who has made a significant impact to society on a national or international level and who embodies a dedication to ministry in daily life.

About the Speaker

The President and CEO of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving since 2017, Jay Williams leads the Foundation’s commitment to dismantle structural racism, achieve equity and improve social and economic mobility in our region, in partnership with nonprofit organizations and community stakeholders.

Jay serves on the various local boards. At the national level, he is a member of the Community Foundation Opportunity Network, Chair of the Council on Foundations, and board vice chair of the Center for Community Progress.

Prior to coming to the Foundation, Jay served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, where he led the federal economic development agenda for the United States. He also served as Deputy Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House, where he was the principal liaison between the President of the United States and local elected officials.

Before joining the Obama Administration, Jay served as Mayor of Youngstown, Ohio. His election as the first black, and youngest Mayor in the City’s history, was a pivotal point in his personal, professional, and spiritual life. For Jay, it remains a reflective moment of the intersection and alignment of one’s “career” and “calling.”

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