Williams lands lifetime achievement award

Jack F. Williams, professor of law at the College of Law and the Middle East Studies Center was awarded the 2022 President’s Lifetime Achievement Award by President Joseph R. Biden. Williams was selected for his exceptional service and pro bono work benefiting various communities across the United States.

The award is the highest honor in the country for volunteer services. It recognizes individuals who have contributed more than 4,000 volunteer hours toward the betterment of society.

Williams received the award for his tireless efforts ranging from 2007 to present in supporting the Coast Guard Auxiliary in life-saving and boating safety campaigns, promoting the mission of HBCUs, and working with the Georgia Department of Human Services to provide support to foster children, aging populations, and the homeless communities facing food insecurity.

“I feel honored and humbled at the same time. Any honor like this one from The White House is a greater reflection of those that have supported, nurtured, and guided me than it is of me personally,” said Williams.

Williams continues to contribute his skills in other areas while undertaking his pro bono work. Over the years, he has also served as an instructor for attorneys in the Office of Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service, as part of the New York University School of Law’s Continuing Professional Education program.

Despite his impressive achievements, Williams attributes his success to incredible forces in his life.

“My faith, my family, my friends, my students, and this wonderful institution are the bedrock for my service and giving.”

Williams is also an adjunct professor at St. John’s University School of Law Bankruptcy LL.M. program and at Emory University School of Law, a resident scholar at the Association of Insolvency & Restructuring Advisors, and a tribal council senior advisor at the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

In 2022, Williams was appointed to the American College of Bankruptcy Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. For his contributions to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Environmental, Social and Governance/DEI initiatives, he received the prestigious American Association of Law Schools (AALS) Inaugural Faculty Award – Pro Bono.