THOMAS R. WILLIAMS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Learning Specialist / Student Athlete Academic Services
I had the privilege of hearing Thomas speak at a conference for professionals who work with collegiate student-athletes. The passion Thomas exuded was contagious and kept the entire room engaged. Although we are in the trenches with student-athletes, sometimes seven days a week, Thomas was able to provide his much-needed perspective and insight about the mentality and needs of student-athletes. Providing a different framework for how to approach the topic of life after sport has sparked many thought-provoking discussions between myself and the student-athletes with whom I work. Speaking with Thomas one-on-one, he took a genuine interest in my story and the work that I do. I will continue using Thomas' words and resources in order to better prepare student-athletes for what comes next.
Job Titles:
- Community Engagement Manager
If you are looking for a nationally known name, but a genuine and humble man, Thomas R. Williams is your man! He came with a motivating, engaging and inspiring message on perspective and how that affects you in the workplace. It was relevant and relateable from top managers to employees. The highlight of our time with him though will be the time he spent afterwards mingling, sharing and speaking 1:1 to many of our staff. He was down to earth and approachable for all!. Thomas could read the phone book and I would be engaged and attentive, he is that good!
Dan Connell - CEO, Chairman, President
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Chairman of the Board
- President
We recently invited Thomas to facilitate a Power of Positive Leadership workshop for 85 of our company's top members of leadership. His message was very powerful and motivational in terms of building a strong, positive culture, leading with optimism, and developing a connected team. His workshop received outstanding feedback from the participants, who appreciated Thomas's energy and message along with the practical tools he provided us to be positive leaders, which ultimately will help us achieve our business goals.
USSSA hosted Thomas Williams as the keynote speaker for our annual convention in 2022. We are a sports-sanctioning body whose annual convention services our Directors, that host youth and adult sports around the country representing the USSSA brand.
Thomas brought energy, excitement, and unity to his message to support our convention theme of Success Through Synergy as we work internally to get our team together in every facet.
With Thomas' professionalism and delivery, I would recommend him as a keynote for any company, sports team, or group of people hoping to be brought together by the power of words. His first-hand experience and tenacious attitude will lead him far into speaking engagements.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Superintendent for Leadership and Innovation
The Power of a Positive Team is allowing us to enhance the culture in our district. Leaders in our district now have a framework for creating synergy around a common purpose, and our training has provided each of our leaders with a clear path to building and maintaining the highest level of effectiveness within their teams. Perhaps the most significant outcome of our leadership series is that it enabled us to communicate a common set of standards around connection with others and reminded us that the caliber of our connection with people will determine the organizational commitment to the purpose.
Job Titles:
- Licensed Therapist & School Counselor / Vista Del Mar High School
I had the pleasure of inviting Thomas Williams to speak to my high school students as part of a Speaker Series event, where we regularly invite role-models individuals from the community to speak to older, most at-risk youth at a school that serves kids with significant emotional and behavior issues. The hope of the Speaker Series event is to introduce our kids to people, who like them, have endured hardships, and who in spite of adversity, have achieved some degree of personal and professional success. The goal is to provide some degree of hope, guidance, and inspiration for our kids who oftentimes feel hopeless, alone in the world, and are unsure about what their futures hold. Thomas definitely stands out as one of the most exceptional speakers that we've had the pleasure of hosting. His talk exceeded my expectations in his ability to engage even our most difficult students and in delivering a message of empowerment, positivity, and hope. Thomas' energy is infectious, his message is encouraging and inspiring, and his delivery is powerful and sincere. Thomas elicited a strong emotional response from both our students and staff that has been unparalleled. Despite having achieved fame and success as a college athlete and former NFL player, Thomas remains humble and his story is relatable. Thomas undoubtedly left an indelible impression as a speaker and far surpassed our expectations.
Job Titles:
- Principal / Thurston Middle School
I have asked the attendees for feedback on the meeting that Thomas attended. I have received outstanding comments and feel that our investment in Thomas was money well spent. He has great command and presence and conveys unbridled enthusiasm.
Job Titles:
- Associate Athletic Director / Director C.a.T.S. Academics / University of Arizona
I was fortunate to watch Thomas put his passion for helping student-athletes and youth to work while employed at USC. He presented in the summer personal development workshops that kept the students engaged and enlightened on an array of topics. I was impressed to the extent that when I became the Director of C.A.T.S. Academics at the University of Arizona, one of my first calls was to Thomas asking if we could get him to campus to speak to our student-athletes. He was able to do so this fall, covering social media and image in our freshman success course. As always, Thomas was impressive with his well-researched material, contagious energy, and dynamic presence. Incorporated in this was Thomas's personal, athletic, and professional background, which allowed him to unabashedly relate to a niche population with humility and poise. His purposeful message sets the standard for the holistic, high-achieving student-athlete. Our student-athletes and staff were thankful Thomas was able to come to campus and we hope to have him back in the near future. I would highly recommend Thomas to anyone looking for a speaker who can cover a diverse spectrum of topics in a relatable and impactful manner.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Human Resources
Thomas R. Williams was the executive session speaker at Biola University's Staff Development Conference. He shared with our high level administrators "What the best do better,"motivating them to be better team coaches and team players. He was fantastic and received some of our highest ratings. Those who attended commented, "Very practical and personal. Can't wait to take this to my team." "Exceptional motivation, content, and interaction with those who attended." And that Thomas was, "Prepared, likeable, professional, but personable, inspiring and gifted."
Job Titles:
- Athletic Director
- Senior Associate
Job Titles:
- President and CEO, Everest Insurance
I had the pleasure of working closely with Thomas R. Williams, and I must say his enthusiasm and passion for positive leadership are truly inspiring and insightful. He brought a vibrant energy to every meeting, motivating the entire insurance leadership team to strive for excellence.
As the event planner for the meeting, I must say it was an absolute pleasure working with Thomas and his team! Thomas made a point to understand what our objective was for the meeting and he nailed it!! I had underestimated the amount of time for our agenda and I had an hour that needed to be filled. Thomas could see the panic on my face and asked "What do you need me to do?" my reply was "I need you to fill an extra hour of time talking." He looked at me with a big smile and said "Absolutely, I got this for you!" He saved the meeting and no one had any idea that he was not supposed to speak that long. He even finished the meeting with a Q&A that was awesome!! I can't thank Thomas enough!!!
Job Titles:
- Partner, the Platinum Group, Realtors
Thomas spoke at one of our company events and did a fantastic job. The content was deep and well received, and Thomas has a gift to bring the content alive through personal stories and an emotional connection that very few speakers can achieve with large groups. I would highly recommend Thomas to any business or non-profit leader looking to bring more depth, purpose, and connection to their leadership team or companies as a whole.
I have seen many speakers over the years and none have compared to Thomas. Thomas was absolutely dynamic and left my team motivated and focused! I can't wait to have him back.
Job Titles:
- CEO, Green Hills Memorial
Green Hills was looking for the right person to lead us in redesigning our company culture, and we found Thomas! His presentation on the Power of Positive Leadership exceeded expectations. Through breakouts and fun exercises, Thomas quickly had the entire team engaged and interacting with each other. For us, it was more than just a few hours during the workshop. He wanted to get to know us; experience our environment during visits and Zoom meetings well in advance. He immediately inspired us that leading with Love and Positivity as our guiding values will be the foundation of the culture we want to become.