Motivating Change Through Community Relationships

The Presidents' Forum of Dallas
April 29, 2008

J. McDonald Williams
Retired Chairman & CEO/Founder & Chairman
Foundation for Community Empowerment

Speaker Biography:
Mr. Williams served as the Chairman of Trammell Crow Company from 1994 until May 2002. Prior to serving in that role, he was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Trammell Crow from 1990 to 1994 and was managing partner from 1977 to 1990. In addition, he serves as a director of Belo Corp.

In 1995, Mr. Williams founded the Foundation for Community Empowerment to assist in redeveloping low-income neighborhoods in Dallas. He also serves on the boards of a number of foundations, including the Hoblitzelle Foundation.

Mr. Williams is a member of the Leadership Council of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and is a trustee of Dallas Medical Resource.

Mr. Williams received his bachelor of science degree from Abilene Christian University and his L.L.B. from George Washington University Law School.

Mr. Williams was elected to the Board in March 2005.


The J. McDonald Williams Institute, established by the Foundation for Community Empowerment in 2005, harnesses the most rigorous analytical tools and methods available to clarify the complex issues faced by the residents of distressed communities. The Institute’s holistic research strategy brings the interdisciplinary perspectives of six focal areas to bear on the most pressing problems facing our communities. These include Education, Crime and Safety, Health, Housing, Social Capital, and Economic Development.

In 1995, J. McDonald “Don” Williams retired as chairman emeritus of Trammell Crow Company. Don wanted to give back to communities in Dallas that had missed out on urban revitalization, education reform, and other waves of progress, resulting in significant disparities in quality of life for residents of those communities. After researching nonprofit organizations around the country, he created the Foundation for Community Empowerment, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, as a catalyst for comprehensive efforts to transform low-income neighborhoods in southern Dallas and to build a replicable model for urban revitalization. The FCE team began building a network of caring, dedicated organizations that would one day become a network of partners that are the backbone of true community change in Dallas.

In 2003, Don Williams and the FCE team realized there was a need for structured inquiry into the changing community conditions in Dallas, so they formed a research unit. The small research team was successful in building partnerships with faculty from local universities, colleagues in similar nonprofit agencies, and policy makers.
In 2005, it became clear that the true nature of disparities in Dallas could not be fully understood without an appreciation for the context of disparities affecting urban communities across the country. Recognizing the need for an objective voice for public policy change in Dallas and around the nation, FCE established the J. McDonald Williams Institute as a source of objective research and policy recommendations relevant to urban revitalization and quality of life. The Institute’s roots in a community-building organization give its research a spirit unique among its peers. While many institutes engage in “research for the sake of research,” the Institute truly believes the fruits of its research must serve the underserved by motivating the caliber of sustainable change necessary to improve quality of life and build a better city, nation, and world.

Today, the Williams Institute assists FCE in setting its strategic direction and areas of focus, while FCE’s deep relationships within the community help the Institute to realize its vision of motivating lasting change.

Download the MP3 archive of this presentation (Help with this)

The download and use of these audio recordings is made available to the public at no charge. The materials may be copied and shared in their current form, but they may not be edited or altered in any way. Full ownership and all copyrights to the recordings and materials remains with The Entrepreneurship Institute.