Neil Haley Interviews Dr. Damon Williams

As educator, consultant, and speaker to more than 300 institutions worldwide, he is widely considered one of the nation’s most dynamic social sector leaders, with experience in higher education, non-profit, and K-12 innovation. 

He is one of the world’s leading authorities on educational achievement, inclusive excellence, and chief diversity officers. He recently published "Strategic Diversity Leadership: Activating Change and Transformation in Higher Education," a ground breaking book focused on the strategic imperatives of access, achievement, and inclusion in the new economy. In June of 2013, he published "The Chief Diversity Officer," the first book to explicate the role of the CDO in any sector with Dr. Katrina Wade Golden of the University of Michigan.

He is senior vice president and chief educational and youth development officer for the world’s largest and oldest youth development organization, the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). The BGCA has a combined staff of more than 50,000 full and part-time employees and some 200,000 board and program volunteers, annually serving some 4 million youth. Reporting directly to the CEO, he is charged with “game changer” responsibilities to listen to the movement, follow the trends, and define the organization’s next generation educational and youth development strategies that create vibrant programming at more than 4,000 locations, serving millions of hip-hop generation youth throughout the nation and on U.S. military installations worldwide.