As part of our Board Member spotlight series, we are pleased to introduce you to Shana Williams. As the newly elected Moderator of the Congregational Board, she holds a seat on the Foundation Board, bridging the two parts of our organization and helping them think through strategic collaboration and partnership. Shana is a third-generation Disciples of Christ. She currently serves as the Treasurer for the Christian Church Capital Area region. Prior to serving as Moderator for National City, she was the Chair of National City’s Board of Local Trustees, an Elder, Deacon and Deaconess, and back when she was younger, she held leadership positions within the Young Adult ministry.
Shana Williams has spent the last 20 years working for justice-centered research organizations. Most recently, she was the Director of Operations for the Justice and Safety Division at the Urban Institute, where she set the direction for all administrative, financial, and business operations. Before joining Urban, Shana was the Director of Operations and Strategy at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) where she oversaw and incorporated functional learnings into ICRW’s day-to-day practices, processes, and structure, and ensured their alignment with ICRW’s mission and values. She managed business development at ICRW for many years, designing and leading the proposal development lifecycle and creating data analytics and strategies for restricted fundraising across ICRW’s US and regional offices in Kenya, India, and Uganda. Shana served as the Vice Chair and a primary member of ICRW’s Institutional Review Board for 10 years, reviewing protocols and data collection tools for research studies involving human subjects. Before ICRW, she served as a Municipal Development Facilitator for the U.S. Peace Corps in El Salvador.
Shana has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Texas Christian University and a master’s degree in public administration and international development (MPA) from Rutgers University. She lives in Washington, DC, with her hot and nerdy husband, Alan Williams, their two kids, and Pepper the bernedoodle.
As part of our board member series we asked Shana three questions we have asked each board member as part of our spotlight:
What are you reading or listening to right now?
National City recently launched an “Explore Together” series, including a book club. Last month, we read James by Percival Everett, which reimagines the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from Jim’s perspective, and we just finished The Girl Who Baptized Herself by Meggan Watterson on the apocryphal text, the Acts of Paul and Thecla. Both interrogate patriarchy and racism as systems of oppression and explore what real liberation requires. I habitually listen to the podcast Letters from an American by Heather Cox Richardson and escape into romantasy audiobooks while walking my dog.
What has brought you hope in the last year?
Living in DC over the past year has been incredibly tough. Between irresponsible cuts to the federal workforce and mass layoffs across federally funded organizations, everyone we know – including me – has felt the impact, and it’s been deeply discouraging. What has stood out, though, is how the community has shown up: people organizing, supporting one another, taking to the streets in protest, protecting our immigrant neighbors, and refusing to accept the erosion of basic norms and human rights. That collective energy and care for one another is what’s given me a real sense of hope.
Why is the work of the Foundation important?
At its core, the National City Christian Church Foundation is also about care—making sure the church building has the resources needed to sustain ministry, now and in the future. Its work helps sustain programs, support outreach, and respond to real needs in the community. It creates stability that means the congregation can stay rooted in its mission and in doing so, it strengthens both the congregation and the community we serve.
Shana’s combination of leadership in the church and her professional experience in justice-centered research strengthens the leadership of the Foundation as we strive to be a foundation that sustains and a place where faith grows in the nation’s capital.