Norris Williams

Norris Williams

Norris provides strategic planning, project management, and network management for Living Cities community and economic development projects that experiment with how public-sector agencies, private-sector financial institutions, and philanthropic-sector foundations can partner to generate capital flows within marginalized communities.

His service at Living Cities, since April 2015, spans projects including Bloomberg Innovation Teams (i-teams), City Accelerator with Citi Foundation, Equipt to Innovate with Governing Magazine, Project on Municipal Innovation with Harvard Kennedy School, The Catalyst Fund, The Blended Catalyst Fund, Shared Prosperity Partnership (SP2), Regional Inclusive Economic Growth, The Closing the Gaps Network, and currently Breaking Barriers to Business with Truist Foundation.

Amongst Norris’ multi-sector experience prior to Living Cities his time as a Legislative Assistant with the Indiana House of Representatives, service as a Board Member of Community Action of Greater Indianapolis, and birth into a marginalized community inspired the nexus of his work today.

Norris received his BA in Political Science from the University of the District of Columbia and his Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP) certification from the National Development Council.

Norris Williams - Headshot (White)

Contributing Articles

Where It’s Going: Local Government Has A Role In Breaking Barriers to Business

We told you where it starts. Now, we’ll tell you where it’s going. By Norris Williams, Assistant Director at Living Cities As we pass the one-year mark of implementing Truist Foundation’s multi-year, signature small business initiative, Where It Starts: Breaking Barriers to Business, I find myself reflecting on our remarkable journey, momentum, and pride in new wealth-building pathways becoming realities. …

An Inside Organizer: Brian Smith

At Living Cities, we’ve been interrogating what it means to organize for racial equity and how we and others can leverage that strategy to close racial wealth and income gaps. Lucky for us, we have a wealth of folks in our network that we can learn from – like Brian Smith, Director of Performance & Innovation for the City of …

Measuring Progress on the Road to Innovation

As cities double down on results, potential stumbling blocks lurk around every corner. Thankfully, a recent conversation among the i-teams brought three lessons to light that can help ensure a smooth journey to success. Sometimes, we must remind ourselves to pay attention to the journey just as much as we pay attention to the destination. Reaching our goal can be …

Contributing Resources

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