Alisha Williams to Join Arcus as Program Officer of Social Justice Program

June 18, 2018
MEDIA CONTACT:
Andy Marra
Communications Manager
Arcus Foundation
646-837-8863
amarra@arcusfoundation.org

NEW YORK, NY (June 19, 2018) – The Arcus Foundation, a global foundation promoting respect for diversity among peoples and in nature, announced today the appointment of Alisha Williams (preferred gender pronouns: she/her, they/their) as a Program Officer of the Social Justice program. Williams will start in the new role at the end of June.

In their role, Williams will work in partnership with Arcus grantees to make progressive change through base-building, movement building, and other approaches that support the social justice goals to which the foundation is committed. Williams will spend a large portion of their time focused on supporting transgender leadership and advocacy.

Williams brings more than a decade of experience working with and supporting marginalized communities, particularly at the intersections of race, class, sexual orientation, and gender identity. In their career, Williams has leveraged their legal background to advance progress on a number of issues including youth homelessness, disability justice, immigration, and prisoners’ rights.

Most recently, Williams served as Director of the LGBTQ Poverty Initiative at the Vaid Group where they led policy advocacy and public education efforts among a collaborative of nine organizations focused on the disproportionate economic disparities impacting low-income and poor LGBTQ people.

Previously, Williams served as senior staff attorney Peter Cicchino Youth Project of the Urban Justice Center, providing legal services to homeless youth. Earlier, they led the Prisoner Justice Project of the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, a leading transgender legal advocacy and organizing organization.

Williams earned their juris doctorate from The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University in New York City and completed their undergraduate degree in sociology at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Visit the Arcus Foundation website to learn more about the recent refinements to its Social Justice Strategy.

ABOUT ARCUS

Founded in 2000 by Jon Stryker, the Arcus Foundation is a private grantmaking institution dedicated to the idea that people can live in harmony with one another and the natural world. Arcus’ work is based on the belief that respect for diversity among peoples and in nature is essential to a positive future for our planet and all of its inhabitants. The Foundation works globally and has offices in New York City and Cambridge, UK. To learn more, visit: www.arcusfoundation.org