Ford Williams - Executive Associate Athletic Director - Development - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

Ford Williams

Title:
Executive Associate Athletic Director - Development
Email:
Phone:
706-542-9239

Ford Williams joins The Georgia Bulldog Club staff as the new Associate Athletic Director for Major Gifts after most recently serving as the Associate Director of Major Gifts within Clemson University’s athletic development arm, IPTAY. Williams will be involved in all facets of The Georgia Bulldog Club operations and will have direct oversight of the major gifts team and its efforts to increase philanthropic support for capital projects through the Magill Society.

Williams joined the IPTAY staff at Clemson in June of 2012 as Assistant Director of Major Gifts. He served on a team that took IPTAY fundraising to record levels in both the annual fund and major gifts in four consecutive years. From 2012 to 2017, IPTAY Major Gifts increased giving from $6.5 million to over $20 million. Additionally, Williams led the implementation of strategies for the transition of the premium seating program from Clemson Athletics to IPTAY, congruent with a $25 Million football stadium renovation and $65 Million basketball coliseum re-build. The process included marketing and pricing strategies, revenue forecasts, premium services upgrades, architectural planning and project budgeting. IPTAY Premium Seats generated over $10 Million in total revenue in fiscal year 2015, its first year of existence. In 2017, he also supervised and managed a comprehensive premium seat overhaul of the West End Zone Club in Memorial Stadium. The program generated over $5 Million for IPTAY Capital Projects in FY17 by creating a premium equity seating program. Williams also had oversight of the Soccer Operations Facility Campaign and the Golf Paws Program all while managing their respective boards and volunteers.

Prior to Clemson, Williams spent six years (2006-2012) at Georgia State University with the Panther Athletic Club which included roles serving as an Intern, Graduate Assistant, Development Coordinator, and Associate Director of Development. During his six years, he served in various roles; jumpstarting the fundraising efforts for the first ever Football Program at Georgia State, which played its first season in 2010. He was an integral part of the annual fund team who saw its unrestricted annual dollars increase by more than 1,500% and its donor base by 450% in his last two fiscal years as Associate Director.

Williams received his bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science in 2006 from The University of North Carolina where he was a soccer student-athlete, serving as a four-year starter for the men’s soccer team. He earned his master’s degree in sport management in 2009 from Georgia State University. He is married to the former Mikel Hester who was a gymnast competing All-Around at The University of North Carolina. They have two children, a daughter, Rawlins (6), and a son, Riggs (3).