State representative duties prepared Williams for HUD job

By St. Clair Murraine
Outlook staff writer

Former state representative Alan Williams has a new job with the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the office of Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. 

Responsibilities of the job call for him to work as an advisor on state legislative and congressional issues for HUD. Many who know Williams say the job is a perfect fit because it puts him in a position to use his strong suit of interacting with people.

Col. Ronald Joe saw it when Williams was a student at FAMU, where he was involved in student government. 

“He cared about getting things done for students,” Joe said. “He was clearly a student leader who worked to get programs and things done by the university that would be good and conducive to the whole student body.”

Years later, after his graduation and having gone through a corporate job, former Tallahassee Mayor John Marks helped Williams polish his talent as a politician. Marks didn’t appear too surprised that HUD announced the hiring last week that makes Williams a part of President Joe Biden’s administration.

“Alan deserves exactly what is happening,” said Marks. “He’s been waiting a long time and I’m just very proud of what he has done.”

Williams helped Marks run his campaign in 2002 and after his election he became the mayor’s senior community liaison. That lasted until 2008 when Williams successfully ran for the Florida House of Representatives, where he served the maximum terms allowed.

In his new role with HUD, Williams will be working on housing related issues with state and municipal governments around the country. His time as a state representative prepared him for the responsibilities he will have when he moves to Washington, D.C., Williams said.

“It’s our job to make sure we look out for the average American,” Williams said. “During my time in the state legislature that’s what we did every day. We focused on putting Floridians first.”

When Williams answered the call to join HUD he was working with the Meenan Law Firm as a member of its governmental affairs team. Williams said he believed a job in Washington would be in his future after Joe Biden won the White House.

“I look at this as an opportunity to do something big within myself,” he said. “It’s what I did when I ran for office and put myself up for consideration in 2008 when I ran for the state legislature. It’s what I’m doing now to serve on the federal level during some historic times.”

With affordable housing becoming a national conversation, Williams said Fudge has made homeownership a priority. That and an initiative to reduce the weight of student debt when a college graduate wants to purchase a home are issues that Williams said he is ready to work on.

“It’s making sure that we increase the number of affordable housing opportunities for the American people,” he said. “We know that the path to economic stability and viability begins with homeownership. That’s where the greatest wealth transfer in our country starts.”