Frederica Williams

Frederica M. Williams, MBA, FCIS (born 1958) has served as the president and CEO of Whittier Street Health Center in Boston, Massachusetts since 2002.

President and CEO of Whittier Street Health Center

Family background

Frederica Williams was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Her family belong to the Creole ethnic group in Sierra Leone. She is the third child of the late Matilda Effeh Williams,[1] an entrepreneur and philanthropist, and Emeric A. Williams, Sr., deputy general manager of the Sierra Leone External Telecommunications (SLET).

Education and career

Williams attended the London School of Accountancy, passed the examinations of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, United Kingdom, and was elected fellow of the institute. She obtained a graduate certificate in administration and management from the Harvard University Extension School and a Master in Business Administration with a concentration in finance from Anna Maria College in Paxton, Massachusetts. She also passed the exams of the Institute of Administrative Management (UK) with distinction and has participated in several executive education programs at the Harvard University Business School.[2]

She moved from London, UK, to Boston in 1984 and worked at various hospitals until joining Whittier Street Health Center in February 2002 as president and CEO. In addition to fostering an environment of proactive health care and energizing a community, Williams has brought sound financial stewardship to Whittier to ensure that the services and resources offered by Whittier will be available for generations to come. Since Williams began at Whittier, the number of people served increased from 5,000 to 25,000 in 2012,[3] and is now close to 30,000 in 2018.

Under Williams’ direction, Whittier has embarked upon a community outreach campaign, which has included hosting New England's largest men's health summit, making health care practitioners available at local houses of worship, and providing residents of public housing with on-site access to health screenings. Under her leadership, the health center also built its first permanent 78,900-square foot, Silver LEED-certified health facility in 2012, with the capacity to provide 220,000 visits annually, and, in 2015, it inaugurated its innovative Health and Wellness Institute to help address chronic diseases in inner-city Boston and to provide affordable access to a state of the art exercise facility and community garden for thousands of residents and patients in need.[4]

In June 2017, Ms. Williams’ vision to have a second clinic in North Dorchester was realized. This clinic is located in a senior housing building in a high need neighborhood.[5]

In 2018, Williams was recognized for her efforts to make the now nationally distinguished health center a reality, and honored by the WSHC Board of Directors who officially named the building “Frederica M. Williams Building”[6]On this anniversary Williams is also being acknowledged for her other accomplishments at WSHC, which include opening a satellite clinic on Blue Hill Avenue in Roxbury, building a 6,600-square-foot fitness center at the Tremont location, the creation of a community garden, launching a mobile health van outreach initiative, a partnership with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and a men's health clinic.[6].On December 6th, 2019, the Patriot Vanguard of Sierra Leone proudly recognized Ms. Williams’ life mission, business and social justice leadership.[7]

On November 24, 2020, Harvard Extension School named Ms. Williams (C.S.S., '91) the recipient of its 2020 Dean Michael Shinagel Award for Service to Others, presented by the Harvard Extension Alumni Association. Barbara O’Reilly, director of the Alumni Awards, said: "Frederica Williams embodies exceptional leadership advancing social change in addressing health and economic disparities and social justice in the Greater Boston community."

Awards and Citations

Memberships

Williams is a trustee of Eversource Energy (formerly Northeast Utilities), New England's largest energy provider in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. She is also a member of the board of trustees for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, Boston HealthNet, Women Business Leaders in Health Care, the Massachusetts Women's Forum, and the International Women's Forum.[10]

References
  1. Virtual Memorials: Matilda Effeh Williams
  2. 25 Influential Black Women in Business Class of 2011
  3. Howard Manly. “Second to None,” Exhale
  4. James H. Burnett. "Champions of Diversity Frederica Williams" Boston Globe, 9 December 2012.
  5. "Whittier Street Health Center opens satellite clinic on Blue Hill Ave". Dorchester Reporter. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  6. "Whittier Street Health Center Marks 17-Year Anniversary of President and CEO Frederica Williams". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  7. Vanguard, The Patriotic (6 December 2019). "Sierra Leonean-born Frederica Williams scores big in America". The Patriotic Vanguard. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  8. Bakken, Rebecca (24 November 2020). "Four recognized for service and leadership". Harvard Gazette. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  9. "The 2019 Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  10. Bloomberg Businessweek Executive Profile

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