Whitney Williams | |
---|---|
Personal details | |
Born | 1970 or 1971 (age 52–53) Montana, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Parents |
|
Relatives | Griff Williams (brother) |
Education | University of Montana ( BA) |
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.
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]
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]
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]
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]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Mike Cooney | 81,527 | 54.86% | |
Democratic | Whitney Williams | 67,066 | 45.14% | |
Total votes | 148,593 | 100.00% |
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