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Hello Holbrook,
Family, community and policy are among the core values of Holbrook resident William Watkins. A former congressional aide of the late Congressman John Conyers, Jr., he is currently the Executive Director of Workforce Development for the Urban League of Eastern MA. He received an honorable discharge from the Massachusetts National Guard and a Distinguished Award from the Department of Defense, DFAS, for his civilian service. In the past ten years, he has been responsible for training and placing over 1,000 underemployed/unemployed people into livable wage jobs.
He serves on several boards, Boston Cares, ACT State Council, and Pop Warner Little Scholars. He holds professional memberships in the George Demeter Unit of the New England Associations of Parliamentarians and the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM).
He brings over twenty years of knowledge on public policy, housing, youth development, and economic development. Holbrook deserves a voice that will truly fight for:
Equitable economic growth which will lead to lower taxes
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Transparency in local government.
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Increased tangible resources for our youth, older adults, veterans, and under represented groups.
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Open space plan to protect our land that should not be developed while exploring the underutilized spaces.
My Story
William Watkins is the Executive Director of Workforce Development for the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts. In his role, Mr. Watkins manages the Urban League's workforce development to ensure that staff, job seekers, and small businesses have the tools, training, and safety resources needed to be prepared for the opportunity to come. In the ten years with the Urban League, he has brought cutting-edge programming to Roxbury in coding, and graphic design for adults that drew the attention of Google, Verizon, Microsoft, and Comcast. He was instrumental in leading the efforts to assist the Commonwealth's Executive Office of Labor & Workforce Development in implementing the ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certification system in all their career centers.
Prior to joining the Urban League, he spent over ten years working in various roles in the city, state, and federal government. He worked for the great civil rights icon, the late Congressman John Conyers, in his Detroit Office handling constituent affairs. He received an Honorable Discharge from the United States Army National Guard and the Distinguish Service Award from the Department of Defense for his civilian work. He established City Year Detroit in 1999 and received the national recruitment award in the same year.
William is actively involved with Central Mass Pop Warner Little Scholars serving as its vice president for the past five years, Member of the Society of Human Resources Management, Member of Demeter Unit-New England Parlimentairian Association, and ACT State Council - New England.
William was born in Boston, MA, a product of public housing and public schools. Recently, UMass Emerging Leaders Program, 2021 Inductee into the National Society of Leadership and Success, and complete the John R. Lewis Social Justice & Political Leadership. MBA-Leadership Candidate, Southern New Hampshire University, and he holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with minors in Public Administration and International Relations from Bethune-Cookman University, Daytona Beach, FL.
Proud father of two daughters (Monet and Rebecca).
Recent University of Massachusetts Boston Graduate: Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) University of Massachusetts Certificate Granted: 2021 Boston, MA
President Emeritus
Boston Raiders Youth Football and Cheer Pop Warner Little Scholars
Apr 2014 - Present
Provide guidance, structure and leadership for the youth football and cheer program. Boston Raiders is the oldest youth cheer and football program in Boston. It has amassed close to 1,000 wins in it's 40 plus year history and touching
Contact
I'm always looking to talk with constituents. Let's connect.
Facebook: @votewilliamwatkins