Anthony Williams, Washington D.C. Mayor, to Speak at Yale as Second Annual Theodore Fellow

Washington D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams, a 1979 Yale College graduate, will deliver a University lecture as part of the second annual Eustace D. Theodore ‘63 Fellowship on March 4, 4 p.m., in Yale’s Battell Chapel, corner of Elm and College streets.

Born on July 28, 1951, in Los Angeles, California, Williams graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Yale College, earned his juris doctor from Harvard Law School and a master’s degree in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He also served in the U.S. Air Force.

Williams began serving as the fourth mayor of the District of Columbia on January 4,1999, 25 years after the city was granted home rule in 1974. His commitment to bring prosperity to neighborhoods throughout the District has led to the infusion of more than $2.5 billion in private funds.

Williams set his vision in motion by establishing the Neighborhood Action program, a continuing effort that brings together residents, the faith community, the academic community, civic organizations, local businesses and government representatives to share ideas, address challenges and implement action plans to help rebuild the city. Through Neighborhood Action, Williams convened citizens’ summits in November 1999 and in January 2000 for concerned citizens across the District to express their priorities for their neighborhoods and the city.

To set clear expectations and bring accountability to District government, Williams created a scorecard system for himself, his deputy mayors and agency directors. The scorecards allow citizens to track the administration’s progress and offer a window into a government that operates with greater transparency.

Williams had served as the District of Columbia chief financial officer (CFO) from October 1995 through June 1998. Appointed by former Mayor Marion Barry to lead the District to financial recovery, Williams restored fiscal accountability for District agencies and balanced the city’s budget. His work put the city on track for the return to self-government - two years earlier than projected - and delivered a surplus of $185 million in fiscal year 1997. Under his leadership, the District achieved significant improvements in cash management, budget execution and revenue collections.

Previously, Williams was appointed by President Clinton and confirmed by the Senate to serve as the first CFO for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He had served as the deputy state comptroller of Connecticut in the 1990s, where he was responsible for the management of 250 separate funds and the state’s budget and accounting services. He had also served as executive director of the Community Development Agency in St. Louis, Missouri, assistant director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority and adjunct professor at Columbia University. He had been elected to the New Haven Board of Aldermen, where he had served as president pro tempore, during the mid-1980s.

Williams is the second Eustace D. Theodore ‘63 Fellow. The Fellowship is sponsored jointly by the Association of Yale Alumni, Pierson and Calhoun Colleges, and the Yale College Class of 1963.

The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information about Williams, please visit www.washingtondc.gov.