Whitney Williams

Whitney Williams (born 1970/1971)[1] is an American businesswoman and political candidate. In October 2019, Williams announced her candidacy for the 2020 Montana gubernatorial election,[2][3] but she was defeated in the Democratic primary.

Whitney Williams
Personal details
Born1970 or 1971 (age 52–53)
Montana, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Parents
RelativesGriff Williams (brother)
EducationUniversity of Montana (BA)

Early life and education

Williams is a sixth-generation Montana native. She is the daughter of the former Montana Senate majority leader Carol Williams and former congressman Pat Williams.[4][5] The Washington Post has called the Williams family the "first family of Montana politics."[6]

Williams earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Montana, where she studied political science, forestry and Native American studies.[7]

Career

Williams worked in the Clinton administration, first as an intern, and then as travel director for first lady Hillary Clinton.[8] Williams later served as Washington State finance cochairman for Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign.[5]

In 2001, she joined Casey Family Programs and helped establish the $600 million Marguerite Casey Foundation.[5][9] Since 2003, Williams has served as founder and CEO of williamsworks, a Montana-based consultancy agency.[10] The firm has provided strategic services to nonprofit, philanthropic and corporate clients including Toms Shoes, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Nike Foundation, the Wikimedia Foundation and Thorn.[8][11][12]

Williams is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.[13]

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 Seattle and New Futures.[5] In 2010, Williams cofounded the Eastern Congo Initiative with Ben Affleck and serves on the board as vice chairman.[8] In 2021, she founded the Snowbird Fund, which provides financial support for Montana families who are searching for missing family members.[14]

Politics

On October 3, 2019, Williams announced her candidacy for Governor of Montana in 2020, receiving an endorsement from former governor Brian Schweitzer.[15][16]

She faced incumbent lieutenant governor Mike Cooney but lost the June 2, 2020 Democratic primary with 45.14% of the vote.[17] Cooney lost the general election to former congressman Greg Gianforte.[18]

Democratic primary results[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mike Cooney 81,527 54.86%
Democratic Whitney Williams 67,066 45.14%
Total votes 148,593 100.00%

References
  1. Whitney Williams 2020 Election Questionnaire
  2. "Montana Democrat Whitney Williams announces run for governor". Missoula Current. 2019-10-03. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  3. "Whitney for Montana". secure.ngpvan.com. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  4. Sally Mauk. "Congressman's daughter follows her parents into a life of public service". mtpr.org.
  5. "Whitney Williams". williamsworks. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  6. Cillizza, Chris. "Fix Clip -N- Save: 'First families' of politics". Washington Post. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  7. "Whitney Williams". williamsworks.com. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  8. Rapkin, Mickey. "When Ben Affleck Wants to Change the World, He Calls This Woman". Elle. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  9. "Carrying on family legacy: Whitney Williams goes global". Montana Standard.
  10. Whinney, Joe; Williams, Whitney (2013-11-11). "Seattle, Congo and the chocolate trade". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2014-04-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. "williamsworks Clients". williamsworks. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  12. "Strategy/Wikimedia movement/2017/People/Core team - Meta". meta.wikimedia.org. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  13. "Membership Roster". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 2023-07-31. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  14. "Fund instituted to help Native families find missing people". AP News. Associated Press. 10 February 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  15. Volz, Matt (3 October 2019). "Williams now 4th Democrat in governor's race". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  16. Schweitzer, Brian (17 May 2020). "Guest view: Schweitzer backs Williams for governor". Billings Gazette. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  17. "2020 STATEWIDE PRIMARY ELECTION CANVASS" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  18. "General Election - November 3, 2020". electionresults.mt.gov. Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
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