Dvon Williams

Public relations professional Dvon Williams, BA Communication ‘06, knew from her first days at Mason the kind of work she wanted to do. “I had a great experience, even just as a freshman, getting immersed in the [Communication] 101 classes and I knew that’s the direction I wanted to go.”

That direction has led her through an impactful communication career, representing organizations that center on service. Upon graduating from Mason, Williams took a position with global communications firm Edelman in their Atlanta office. “I worked with a variety of clients there,” she said, “including large, national nonprofits. That’s where I homed in on my passion for nonprofits.”

From Edelman, Williams went to work with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, where she served as their director of public relations and national director of marketing. She credits her time at Mason for shaping her interest in working with nonprofit organizations. “I’ve always been someone really intentional, I’m drawn to more purpose...wanting to have some fulfillment and impact in the work that I do," she said.

From Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Williams moved to the National 4-H Council, where she worked as its director of integrated marketing and later as its senior director, PR and celebrity relations. As an organization with its roots in rural communities and the Cooperative Extension system of the US Department of Agriculture, 4-H is now the nation’s largest youth development organization, reaching students in every county and parish of the country, in urban, suburban, and rural settings. Williams appreciated the opportunity to “showcase and communicate the brand more wholistically and connect that relevance to a broader general public.”

Since January 2022, she has served as the chief communications officer at Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, growing a team to effectively communicate the organization’s work. At BBBSA, she leads internal and external communications, including thought leadership and influencer relations, in support of BBBSA’s mission “to make a lasting impact on the lives of young people through mentorship.”

Williams feels that mentorship has been fundamental to her education and her success. “Get involved on campus, because that’s the door opener,” she advised. “Those are the types of opportunities where you don’t know who’ll you’ll meet, you don’t know what else you could find out about, and that’s how I got involved in things, just learning and meeting people.”

That spirit of connection drives her work today, she said. "That’s what it really is about, being able to bridge those connections and share the impact of the work that’s being done by these organizations.”

Originally published in the CHSS Annual Report 2021-22