Whitney Williams (born 1970/1971) is an American businesswoman and former political candidate. She is CEO and Founder o
williamsworks
an
Full Glow Creative
In October 2019, Williams announced her candidacy for the 2020 Montana gubernatorial election, but she was defeated in the Democratic primary.

Early life and education

Williams is a sixth-generation Montana native. She is the daughter of the former

Montana Senate The Montana State Senate is the upper house of the Montana Legislature, the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Montana. The body is composed of 50 senators elected for four years. Half of the Senate is up for election every two years. ...

majority leader Carol Williams and former congressman Pat Williams. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' has called the Williams family the "first family of Montana politics." Williams earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree from the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana, United States. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. Fall 2024 saw total enrollment hit 10,811, marki ...

, where she studied political science, forestry and Native American studies.

Career

Williams runs the social impact fir
williamsworks
as well as the creative studi
Full Glow Creative
Through her work with Full Glow, Williams has acted as an Executive Producer for the major motion picture ''Kiss of the Spider Woman'' (2025
IMDb
and as an Executive Producer of ''COLECTIVO'

produced in partnership with The Miranda Family and Tribeca Festival, Tribeca. She also served as a producer for the revival of the Broadway classic ''GYPSY'
Official Site
starring

Audra McDonald Audra Ann McDonald (born July 3, 1970) is an American singer and actress. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win in all four acti ...

as Rose. Williams previously worked in the

Clinton administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following his victory over Republican in ...

, first as an intern, and then as travel director for first lady

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

. Williams later served as

Washington State Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

finance cochairman for Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. In 2001, she joined

Casey Family Programs Casey Family Programs (CFP) is a national operating foundation focused on foster care and child welfare. Based in Seattle, Washington, Casey Family Programs works in 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. It has offices in Arizona, ...

and helped establish the $600 million Marguerite Casey Foundation. Since 2003, Williams has served as founder and CEO of williamsworks, a Montana-based consultancy agency. The firm has provided strategic services to nonprofit, philanthropic and corporate clients including Toms Shoes, the

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Gates Foundation is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was launched in 2000 and is reported to be the third largest charitable foundation in the world, holding $ ...

, Nike Foundation, the

Wikimedia Foundation The Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. (WMF) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in San Francisco, California, and registered there as foundation (United States law), a charitable foundation. It is the host of Wikipedia, th ...

and Thorn. Williams is a member of the

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...

Philanthropy

Williams previously served on the board of trustees for the Glacier National Park Fund as well as on the boards of directors for

City Year City Year is an American education nonprofit organization founded in 1988. The organization partners with public schools in 29 high-need communities across the US and through international affiliates in the UK and Johannesburg, South Africa. City ...

Seattle and New Futures. In 2010, Williams cofounded the Eastern Congo Initiative with

Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educatio ...

and serves on the board as vice chairman. In 2021, she founded the Snowbird Fund, which provides financial support for Montana families who are searching for missing family members.

Politics

On October 3, 2019, Williams announced her candidacy for

Governor of Montana A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, receiving an endorsement from former governor

Brian Schweitzer Brian David Schweitzer (born September 4, 1955) is an American farmer and politician who served as the 23rd Governor of Montana from 2005 to 2013. Schweitzer served for a time as chair of the Western Governors Association as well as the Democr ...

. She faced incumbent

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Mike Cooney Michael R. Cooney (born September 3, 1954) is an American politician who served as the 36th lieutenant governor of Montana from 2016 to 2021. He previously served in the Montana House of Representatives (1977–1981), as the Secretary of State ...

but lost the June 2, 2020 Democratic primary with 45.14% of the vote. Cooney lost the general election to former congressman

Greg Gianforte Gregory Richard Gianforte ( ; born April 17, 1961) is an American politician, businessman, and software engineer serving as the 25th governor of Montana since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Gianforte served as the U.S. representativ ...

References

External links

Campaign websitewilliamsworks Twitter feedFund instituted to help Native families find missing peopleSnowbird Fund aims to help MMIP families with immediate funds
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Whitney American philanthropists Businesspeople from Montana Women in Montana politics Living people Montana Democrats University of Montana alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Candidates in the 2020 United States elections 21st-century American women