Donna C. Williams is a business development consultant, specializing in the sales, marketing, and strategic planning of real estate projects. Based in Chattanooga, TN, She has worked with clients in Chattanooga, Birmingham, Baltimore and Atlanta.

Donna is a native of Chattanooga where she attended UTC. Prior to starting her consulting practice, Donna held sales and marketing positions with small and large technology companies alike. The most recent being that of Vice President of Business Development for an Internet development firm specializing in on-line Corporate Communications and Investor Relations. During the 11 years she was based in Atlanta, she worked for Apple Computer, Inc. and Simon & Schuster. Her national assignments have included Fortune 500 companies, large urban school districts, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), The City of Atlanta and various public housing authorities.

Donna is currently working on the ML King Tomorrow Initiative. This initiative is a partnership between The Lyndhurst Foundation and Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise (CNE). The goal of the initiative is to influence the building and/or renovation of 100 housing units in the ML King neighborhood.

The business development strategy developed for the initiative has yielded commitments from private developers that amount to more than 130 housing units and over $20 million in private investment. These results are well above target projections and ahead of schedule.

Past assignments include the co-development of a 10-year Community Economic Development Plan for the 9th District of the City of Chattanooga that addressed challenges and identified opportunities unique to its neighborhoods. Implementation of the plan could result in millions of dollars of investment for the District, growth of small and minority businesses and an increase in employment for the District’s citizens. One component of the plan identified strategies designed to emphasize wealth building through homeownership.

Additionally, Donna is a residential real estate developer with projects in four of Chattanooga’s urban neighborhoods: Lincoln Park, Highland Park, Glenwood and ML King. She also is a licensed Realtor. She serves as Vice-Chair of the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority, board member of the Chattanooga Community Housing Development Organization (CCHDO), commissioner of the Chattanooga Historic Zoning Commission, board member of the People’s CDC and member of the Advisory Council for Atlanta Habitat for Humanity.