Governor’s chief of staff to address chamber luncheon

The Mississippi County Regional Chamber of Commerce in Blytheville will hold an Engaging Women Luncheon Thursday, Oct. 27.

The luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn in Blytheville.

The luncheon will celebrate the leadership and collaboration of business women.

Alison R. Williams will be the keynote speaker.

Williams serves as Governor Asa Hutchinson’s chief of staff, managing a team of more than 50 professionals who support Governor Hutchinson’s vision for the State of Arkansas. In early 2022, Governor Hutchinson named Williams chair of his newly formed Arkansas Women’s Commission.

Williams worked in the Washington, DC, area for more than 15 years in both the public and private sectors. Before returning to Arkansas, she was the Governor’s Director of State-Federal Relations in Washington, DC.

She served in the U.S. Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Defense, and at DoD’s U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), Williams led the Interagency Board, which was integral to building a whole-of-government approach to the unique security challenges affecting the African continent. While at the Department of Homeland Security, she managed the external affairs portfolios in the Office of the Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security and at the Transportation Security Administration.

In these roles, she worked closely with public affairs, legislative affairs, other federal agencies, state and local partners, and the White House to develop policies to make Americans more secure. Early in her career, Williams worked for former Congressmen Asa Hutchinson and John Boozman (AR-03). As a consultant, she has supported start-ups to Fortune 100 companies in both boutique and large firms.

In addition to the Women’s Commission, Williams serves on the Boards of Directors of the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas and the Arkansas Cinema Society and is an active member of Rotary. She is a 1999 graduate of the University of Arkansas and holds an MBA form the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

Tickets are $35 each and can be found at eventbrite.com.