Felicity Williams (32)
Programs and Policy Manager/Special Assistant to the President and CEO, Hill Community Development Corporation

After decades of uncertainty, the Hill District is poised for rapid development, and Felicity Williams is working to ensure that growth is equitable.

“It has really been an intentional and concentrated effort, specifically led by the Hill CDC,” she says.

She attributes that focus to years of work — including vital contributions by the Development Review Panel, a citizens’ organization that has led to “not just community engagement meaning a developer telling what you’re going to do, but really a community, developer and government working together to implement a shared, community vision.”

Williams says she was drawn to this focus while pursuing her J.D.

“I was in law school while the Black Lives Matter movement was being formed … We’re studying all of these things, and I’m watching these injustices unfold across the country.” She resolved to make sure that her work would benefit her place of origin. “Folks leave their communities, gain expertise and talent and don’t bring that back to their communities. It creates a vacuum.”