ABOUT Roby
Listen and learn how Mr. Roby Williams gained his love for knowledge.
BIOGRAPHY
Roby S. Williams graduated High School at the age of 16. He is a graduate of LeMoyne-Owen College, the 5th oldest Historically Black College/University (HBCU). He began his career in banking after graduation, becoming the first African American to work for the First Tennessee National Corporation.
Mr. Williams left banking to pursue a career in sales, working for companies such as South Central Bell, AT&T, and Pitney Bowes. He later moved on to Broadcast Advertising, where he sold radio ads for WDIA and K-97 FM, as well as television ads for WREG 3 and WLMT. After many years in sales, he became a Mortgage Broker in Memphis, financing new homes.
Mr. Williams discovered his true calling in 2002 when he was named President of the Black Business Association of Memphis. In that role, he championed hundreds of minority and women-owned business owners to achieve great success. When asked what he does for a living, Mr. Williams is fond of answering, “I am an opportunity facilitator.”
In service to his community, Roby serves on the following Boards of Directors:
• Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce
• Better Business Bureau
• Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau (emeritus)
• Shelby Farms Parks Conservancy
• Emerge Memphis
• Lifeblood Mid-South Regional Blood Center
• Nexus
• The Leadership Academy (emeritus)
Read the full bio HERE.
“Very diligently earned and so hugely deserved!!! My brother Roby is a creator and shaper of pathways to progress for so many. Now his generous contributions are being acknowledged with his own official pathway, Roby Williams Street. Congratulations Roby!”
“Roby is a strong principled leader. He knows the members of the BBA well and is constantly fighting for ways to help them grow personally and professionally. He is a tireless campaigner for black businesses in Memphis and constantly integrates himself into the critical business organizations of the city. Roby is an articulate sales professional who is committed to success in all he does. He is highly educated, bi-partisan, and dedicated to ensuring all in the community find ways to improve their lives.”