This new series will feature career advice from IPR ELEVATE Members. IPR ELEVATE is a diverse and select membership community of high-performing innovators and catalysts for growth, change, and advancement who support the mission and insights-focused work of IPR.
Andrea Williams is a catalyst for change and serves as the Director of Strategic Projects for the Diversity Action Alliance. Andrea joined the DAA in 2021 as a Research Fellow and Lead Researcher for DAA in developing a comprehensive diversity framework for the communications and public relations industry. Her role at DAA now extends to strategic development where she hopes to use her research experience from academics to inform decision-making. Her 16-year research expertise has been focused in the areas of race and equity where she has presented internationally on best practices for working with multicultural populations when fostering success. Andrea’s academic and professional pursuits have been committed to social justice and advocacy for diverse populations. Her philosophy is that communicators are in a unique position to help be the catalyst for facilitating radical change by being the voice of activism.
What are your proudest professional accomplishments?
The “step out” on faith and courage that began my Diversity Action Alliance (DAA) journey led to my personal and professional growth. It birthed my proudest accomplishment, which is growing into the leader I am now in a new industry, having transitioned from a 15-year career in education to where I am now in PR and Communication. I initially started my journey with DAA as a (temporary) Communications Research Fellow. With a burgeoning passion about our mission and the organization, I became invested in more than the research portion of my role and willingly took on more roles and increasing responsibility because I believe in the vision. In October 2022, I became Director of Strategic Projects and I can honestly say that I love my role and the work we do. I am very proud of how far our organization has come and where we hope to go.
When you started out in the PR/Communications industry, what steps did you take (or what things did you do) to be successful?
I started in PR/Communications in April 2021. It was truly a foreign world to me having spent the majority of my career in public education and non-profit development. The first thing I did was get plugged into the industry. This meant getting involved in professional organizations to learn, develop and connect with my peers. Secondly, I stepped outside of my comfort zone many times (and still do) to get connected with others, seizing every opportunity to be in the room. The path to success must go beyond small talk and networking; purposefully looking to establish authentic professional relationships by taking action and consistently showing up is key. And lastly, I’m a lifelong learner. Taking the time to learn about others and what is going on in the world keeps me on my toes and offers new opportunities to understand and connect with those around me.
What career advice would you give to young professionals?
The biggest career advice I can give to young professionals is seize every opportunity to show the world what you have to offer – and it may take some soul searching, but you do have something to offer. In the meantime, walk through the doors that open for you, and knock on the ones that seem like they are closed to you. Accept those challenges and trust your gut. Each of us brings our unique experiences and expertise to a world that needs our impact. The most disservice we can do to ourselves and others is to not show up authentically.
