Joseph R. Williams an elected member of the San Bernardino Community College District Board of Trustees, which oversees Crafton Hills College, San Bernardino Valley College, and Empire KVCR – the PBS and NPR affiliate station for Inland Southern California on TV channel 24 and 91.9 FM. Williams has served on the board since 2013 representing Area 2 which includes the communities of Muscoy, Rialto, and San Bernardino.
Williams is Community Agent of Strategic Partnerships at the Rialto Unified School District and is a governor’s appointee to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors and California Workforce Development Board. Additionally, he is the founder of Youth Action Project (YAP), a non-profit organization dedicated to preparing Inland Empire students for college and workplace success. Prior to founding YAP, Williams served the County of San Bernardino for nine years, working in behavioral health, workforce development, and sheriff’s departments.
Williams was a student of Crafton Hills College and San Bernardino Valley College. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Redlands, and a master’s degree in social impact from Claremont Lincoln University.
Future-Ready Region Fellowship Program
In collaboration with the Institute for the Future (IFTF), Youth Action Project (YAP) introduces the Future Ready Region Fellowship Program, a visionary endeavor aligned with IFTF's mission to foster long-term thinking for creating equitable and sustainable societies. This fellowship is designed to equip a new generation of leaders with the foresight, skills, and innovative thinking necessary to navigate and shape the future of workforce development within the Inland Empire and beyond.
Fellows will immerse themselves in a dynamic, 9 month program that integrates futures thinking and IFTF's research methodologies with the practical goals of the Pathways to Parity initiative. This unique fusion of strategic foresight and actionable policy work aims to prepare fellows to lead transformational change in critical sectors, making them more accessible and equitable for communities of color.
About Youth Action Project (YAP)
Youth Action Project (YAP) champions the empowerment of youth and young adults by cultivating the skills and habits necessary for economic and social success. Dedicated to fostering a landscape where every individual can thrive, YAP's initiatives are grounded in education, workforce development, and community empowerment. Our mission is to create pathways that enable the youth of today to become the innovative leaders of tomorrow, particularly in underserved communities of the Inland Empire.
