A former mayor of Youngstown, Ohio, and member of the Obama administration, Jay Williams is still a relative newcomer to the region, having been named president of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving in 2017. But he’s already made an outsized impact, becoming a familiar face at community events and on the public-speaking circuit.
Since arriving in Hartford he’s also significantly lifted the profile of the foundation, which sits on a $1-billion community war chest, and developed a new strategic plan that focuses on pushing the Hartford region to achieve greater racial, geographic and economic inclusion.
Under Williams’ leadership the foundation also introduced a new subsidiary focused on “impact investment,” created a multimillion-dollar community fund, overhauled its aging technology infrastructure, and helped launch a fund in response to the coronavirus pandemic, among other changes.
His launch of the HFPG Impact Greater Hartford investment arm, which supports affordable housing and economic development, represented a pivot in the foundation’s strategy, which has traditionally focused on funding nonprofits or school districts in central Connecticut.