Rufus Williams

President and Chief Executive Officer of BBF Family Services

 

rufuswilliamsLeader. Reader. Scholar. Philanthropist. Educator. Confidant. These are some of the terms used to describe Rufus Williams.

Rufus Williams is the President and Chief Executive Officer of BBF Family Services, formerly known as the Better Boys Foundation. He is also President and CEO of Olympus, LLC, a financial management and professional representation firm.

Williams is a Certified Public Accountant, having begun his career at Arthur Andersen & Co., where he rose to the level of Senior Audit Manager. He was Corporate Audit Manager at Baxter Healthcare Corporation until he left to join Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo, Incorporated. At Harpo, Williams held several positions: Vice President, Controller, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Financial Planning and Strategy. He organized and managed Ms. Winfrey’s philanthropic efforts. He was also Vice-Chairman of the Board of Advisors of the Northstar Lottery Group.

The fifth of six children, Williams was born and raised in Chicago. He attended Crown and Dvorak Elementary Schools in Lawndale before his family moved to the West Garfield community, allowing him to attend Morton Upper Grade Center, Lane Technical High School, and, ultimately, Orr High School, from which he graduated. Williams has a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, LA.

Williams has always been concerned about the welfare of others. His service includes roles as President of the Chicago Board of Education, President of the Children First Fund, President of the Fund for Inner-City Athletic Equipment, President of the Whitney Young Magnet School Local School Council, Treasurer of Francis W. Parker School, Vice-Chairman and Treasurer of Providence St. Mel School and President of the Board of Directors of the Better Boys Foundation, among his many civic and philanthropic endeavors. During his time on Chicago’s Board of Education, he garnered an anonymous contribution to provide shoes for the boys and girls basketball teams in each high school for ten years. He also created the “Real Men Read” program which brought almost 1,000 men to read books to children in elementary schools throughout the city for one day each month, gifting a copy of each book to every child.

Rufus Williams is married with two children and a grandson.