Carol Williams
Executive Director
Interval House Crisis Shelters
As Executive Director of Interval House Crisis Shelters, Carol Williams has been instrumental in developing the agency since 1979. A volunteer in the movement from its earliest days, she has passionately fought for women’s issues for over 30 years. Her efforts have been recognized with numerous awards, including the very first Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, and the Durfee Fellowship Award naming her as one of the most outstanding nonprofit leaders in Los Angeles.
Ms. Williams has been an influential force in the creation of critical laws providing greater statewide and national protection for battered women, including the Violence Against Women’s Act and the Battered Women Shelter Program Act. She was integral to Interval House’s landmark contributions to the domestic violence movement, including developing the nation’s first transitional shelter for victims of domestic violence in 1980 and the first amnesty program for immigrant victims of domestic violence in partnership with the Commissioner of Immigration in the mid-1980s. In 1995, Ms. Williams was appointed to the newly created California Governor’s Domestic Violence Advisory Council, and has since continued to serve for an unprecedented number of terms. In this capacity, she helped develop the California Council’s strategic and historical policy report “Preventing Domestic Violence… A Blueprint for the 21st Century.” Ms. Williams has also been honored as a chair and presenter at the prestigious World Congress of Victimology, Washington, D.C.
She has tirelessly dedicated herself to inspiring greatness, empowering formerly battered women of all ages and ethnic backgrounds to become leaders at Interval House and in their communities. As a result of her visionary guidance and philosophy of inclusion, the staff at Interval House – many of whom are graduates of its programs – have blossomed into internationally recognized leaders who have become legendary in the movement to end violence against women. Today, Interval House is unique in the nation, with over 98% of staff and advocates being culturally and ethnically diverse (speaking 60 different languages), and having had personal experience with domestic violence. Under Williams’s leadership, Interval House has received over 400 local, regional, and national awards, including three Presidential Awards, two Governor’s Awards, and the U.S. Department of Justice Award, citing Interval House as a “model” domestic violence program.
Ms. Williams is a summa cum laude graduate of USC, with degrees in journalism, international relations, and psychology. Prior to joining Interval House over 30 years ago, Carol edited a women’s journal and directed the Los Angeles Women’s Issues Forum. She has lived and studied in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, and has been awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Cairo, Egypt, for her work with women internationally. |
