Hon. Michael Williams

Speaker: The Honorable Michael Williams
Program Title: The Soul of a Conservative
 

Michael Williams has served Texas and the nation in a remarkable and spirited public service career spanning more than 30 years that encompasses significant contributions, ranging from serving as a federal prosecutor with the Department of Justice to leading Texas state agencies, all while breaking racial barriers and providing insightful leadership and thoughtful perspective. 

Williams’ career has placed him squarely in the role of a number of groundbreaking firsts. He currently is the inauguralDistinguished Leader in Residence at the University of North Texas at Dallas. From 2012-2016, he served as the first blackcommissioner of the Texas Education Agency, overseeing pre-kindergarten through high school education for more than five million students. And from 1999 - 2011 Williams became the only Black American in Texas history to be elected to the Executive Branch of Texas state government as the Texas Railroad (Oil and Gas) Commissioner.

Williams’ service as TEA commissioner was one of many Governor Rick Perry appointments including his designee in 2005 tolead Texas ’ long-term relief efforts following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and echoed Williams' lead in dealing with the Texasresponse to the tragedy in Darfur.

After earning a Bachelor’s, Master’s and law degree from the University of Southern California, Williams returned to hishometown of Midland, Texas where he served as an assistant district attorney. Williams ’ particular talent for prosecutingand winning difficult cases led him to accept an assignment in Washington D.C. as a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice, earning the Attorney General ’s Special Achievement Award for the conviction of six Ku Klux Klan members. Williams prosecuted the KKK cases under the protection of federal agents after receiving death threats.

President George H.W. Bush appointed Williams as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Law Enforcement at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where Williams exercised policy oversight responsibility for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Customs Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the Financial CrimesEnforcement Network.

In 1990, President George H.W. Bush named Williams the Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education. He established much of the DOE civil rights policy still in effect today regarding increased investigative resources to issues such as the overrepresentation of minority males in special education, the underrepresentation of females in advanced placement courses, racial harassment on college campuses, and the treatment oflimited-English proficient students.

In 1998, Governor George W. Bush appointed Williams to an unexpired term on the Railroad Commission of Texas, the oldest regulatory body in this state (and worst named state agency in American politics since it has nothing to do with railroads). The three-member commission oversees oil and gas regulation. Texans subsequently elected him to this position in 2000, 2002 and 2008. He became the first Black American in Texas history elected to a position in the Executive Branch of Texas Government.

Williams narrates short stories for children and is a past Honorary State Chairman of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Texas and chairman of the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission. Williams has followed in his parents’ professional educator footsteps as well, having served as an adjunct professor at Texas Southern University, the University of Texas at the Permian Basin, the Texas Wesleyan School of Law and now, the University of North Texas at Dallas.

Michael and Donna, have been married 35 years.