Brandon Williams

Brandon O. Williams is an enthusiastic and charismatic professional from Atlanta, Ga.  The eldest sibling in a single-parent household, he learned the importance of responsibility and accountability at an early age. In school he developed into a service-oriented leader, participating in athletic teams, theatre, and Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC).  At seventeen, Brandon enlisted in the Army and has served at the highest levels.  Prior to his selection, Mr. Williams is currently employed with the National Guard Bureau (NGB), where he is responsible, for managing the National Retention Program and supports in the writing of new policies to decrease attrition in critical programs.  Before assignment to NGB, Brandon was deployed to the Horn of Africa where he supported education and policy working groups, involving U.S. diplomats and foreign dignitaries, maintaining peace and stability in the region.   

While deployed to Africa, Brandon graduated from Post University, receiving a bachelor’s degree in Management, making the “President’s List” twice. There, he was exposed to policy on an international scale participating in two National Defense University Capstone fellowship visits and the 2nd annual East Africa Security forum, a high-level forum focused on discussing unique policies involving multiple United States Ambassadors, Chiefs of Mission, members of the National Security Council, The Joint Staff, and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Africa.  Brandon’s leadership and professionalism has always earned the trust and confidence of his leaders, resulting in him being selected to personally coordinate a specialized security plan to support the first ever visit of a “People’s Republic of China’s Liberation Army Navy Official” to Camp Lemonnier. Throughout his deployment Brandon expertly coordinated over 120 key leader engagements involving multiple high-ranking United States and foreign general officers, diplomats, and dignitaries in from the Combined joint Area of operations. 

Brandon also had the opportunity to support many humanitarian efforts in Africa, volunteering with the “American Red Cross” and “Friends of Africa”, teaching local Djiboutian Adults and children to speak and read English.   For his service to East Africa, he received numerous military citations for meritorious service, as well as official recognition from the U.S. Department of State and American Ambassador to Djibouti.  Today, Brandon is still an active volunteer in the community, regularly volunteering his time to feeding the less fortunate, with a local D.C. philanthropic organization “Lunch Bag Social”.  

From fellowship, Brandon Williams hopes work with organizations that value discussions on policies that ensure long-lasting change and learn the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to wholistically comprehend how policy can effectively achieve strategic objectives.