Justin Williams just started his position with LBCC, but he already knows what the best part of it will be: helping contribute to student success stories.
Williams became the sponsorship and events manager for the LBCC Foundation this past summer. The sponsorship part involves helping the Foundation procure and obtain new sponsors for student scholarships and emergency funding. The events part involves planning and carrying out events for the Foundation board, and finding sponsors for event costs so that all the money raised at the events themselves can be used for student needs.
When you combine the parts, you get opportunities for "breaking down barriers to help students get their degrees," Williams said. "I'm fairly new at the role, but I love all the student success stories I hear. I look forward to being a part of those in the future."
Williams himself is an LBCC alumnus, enrolling after graduating from West Albany High School. He studied journalism. "That helped me learn to write and communicate effectively and get a lay of the digital landscape as a marketer," he said.
From there, Williams went to Oregon State University, where he received his bachelor's degree in Digital Communications with a minor in business. He interned for a summer with the Oregon Jamboree Music Festival in Sweet Home, which led to a two-year job as the event's marketing manager.
That experience with the events and sponsorship industry led to Green Cactus, a marketing agency that specializes in finding sponsors for events, where Williams worked for six years. Then the LBCC job came open, and Williams jumped at the chance to reconnect with the Albany area.
A Salem resident, Williams loves to spend time with his wife, Carli, and their 1=one-year-old twins, Hudson and Graci. The family has two dogs, Coupe, a pug-Boston terrier mix, and Buddy, a golden retriever. He also loves photography, travel and exploring Oregon.
Williams said he's excited to get more involved with his new role at LBCC and to let others know about it, too.
"I would love for more people to know what all the Foundation does, and what they pull off with such a small but mighty team," he said. "We have 200 to 300 scholarships just for LBCC students. I don't think a lot of people realize that. We're a really passionate group that gets tasked with a lot."