John M. Williams is best described as a Servant Leader who uses education and advocacy to ameliorate social inequity. He graduated from Morehouse College, earning a B.A. in Business Administration with a concentration in Banking and Finance. His corporate career includes serving as President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Michigan, Interim Executive Director with Summit Education Initiative, Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer with Alpha Phi Alpha Homes, Ford Motor Company, and 20 years with Nissan North America. During his time at Nissan, he created Nissan North America’s Minority Dealer Development Initiative, which significantly increased minority dealer representation.

John is recognized as a local, regional, and national collaborative community leader sharing expertise in board development; parliamentary procedure and protocol; organizational development; organizational transformation, fiscal management, strategic planning, plan implementation; preparation of organization governance documents; Christian leadership, education, and church structures. John is the Standing Committee Constitution Committee Chairman, former General Parliamentarian, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.’s Board of Directors member.

John is an Executive Producer of the Emmy Award-winning documentary An Answer From Akron, a PBS documentary on the history of Alpha Phi Alpha Homes, Inc. John is active in the greater Akron community, serving in numerous capacities, including Former Chairman of the Deacon Board and Sunday School teacher at Shiloh Baptist Church; President, Akron Summit Community Redevelopment Coalition; Board Chair, Akron-Canton Airport Board; graduate and Former Board Secretary of Leadership Akron and Former Chair of the Steering Committee for Diversity on Board; Former Board Chair, County of Summit Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health (ADM) Board; Former President, Akron Roundtable; Former Board Vice-Chair, Summit Education Initiative (SEI); Secretary, Western Reserve Community Fund; and former board member of Ronald McDonald House of Northeast Ohio. John is part of B-Direct’s first cohort designed to train and place US executives on corporate boards on the African Continent.