Janie Williams

Charlottesville

Originally from Weems, Virginia, Janie Williams is a recent graduate of the University of Virginia and currently resides in Charlottesville. With degree in History, Janie is interested in the ways in which the past affects the present and has a deep commitment to social justice and public service. During her college career, Janie became impatient with the direct service model, working in homeless shelters and tutoring refugee students, until she discovered Virginia Organizing’s style of grassroots community organizing through her coursework on rural poverty.

As a result, Janie became involved with the Virginia Organizing chapter at the University of Virginia from its outset, and co-led the group for two years. She was responsible for recruiting membership, moving members to action, and casting a vision for the future of the chapter. Janie also interned with Virginia Organizing during the summer of 2009, whereby she was part of a team that knocked on more than 15,000 doors in the Northern Virginia area in support of health care reform. Janie has a great mind for the progressive policies that Virginia Organizing believes in hard-hitting field campaigns to make those policies a reality.