Experience – Olivia R Williams, PhD

Madison Area Community Land Trust, Madison, WI // 2019 – current
Board of Directors (Jun – Dec 2019)
Coordinator (Jan – Sept 2020)
Executive Director (Sept 2020 – current)

Oversee organizational direction and management for all MACLT programs including management of staff team
Manage financial operations of organization, including budget development and administration, review of financial statements, development of reports, approval of expenditures
Led internal restructure, rebuilding programming, systems, procedures, and data management
Secured over $1 million in grants as lead grant writer, expanding organizational budget over 10x in 4 years
Lead housing developer

Madison Community Cooperative, Madison, WI // 2018 –2020
Meeting Note-taker (2018 – 2019)
Finance Committee (2018 – 2020)
Membership Assistant (Jan – Jun 2020)

Member services and property management for affordable housing cooperative system of 11 houses and 165 members
House, committee, and org-level meetings and coordination

MIT Community Innovators Lab (CoLab) // 2019 – 2020
Research Associate (2019 – 2020)

Designed & conducted interviews of organizers in CLTs, EBPREC, and other community land organizations
Co-wrote field guide for transformative strategies in the community land movement

NASCO // 2018 – 2021
NASCO Development Services Treasurer (2018 – 2019)
NASCO Development Services Secretary (2019 – 2020)
Restructure Committee (2019 – 2020)
NASCO Properties Board Member (2021)

Advanced development strategy for group equity housing cooperatives in North America
Coordinated meetings, agendas, directed board activities
Led development of an internal report to guide the restructure of the NASCO family of organizations

Ecovillagers Alliance // 2018 – 2021
Servant Leader: Education circle, Legal circle

Advocacy writing, webinars, and organizational development for Community Land Cooperative model for maintaining affordable mixed-use developments funded by community shareholders
Co-designing organizational structure and legal framework for new land ownership model

Illinois Cooperative Development Center, Western Illinois Univ. // 2018 – 2019
Contracted Researcher, USDA Rural Cooperative Development Grant

Designed surveys of retiring rural business owners to assess possibilities for cooperative conversion

Augustana College Environmental Studies Prgrm, Rock Island, IL // 2017 – 2018
Visiting Assistant Professor

First Year Inquiry, Fall 2017
Environmental Studies Capstone I, Fall 2017 (team teaching)
Environmental Studies Capstone II, Winter 2017 (team teaching)
Sustainability Problems and Solutions I, Fall 2017, Spring 2018
Sustainability Problems and Solutions II, Winter 2017
Social Change for Sustainability, Spring 2018

Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL // 2012 – 2017
PhD in Geography, Advisor: Dr. Joseph Pierce

Dissertation, 2017: “What does community control look like? Rondo Community Land Trust’s ethical strategies for urban governance”
Research Assistant, National Science Foundation Collaborative Research Grant (2014 – 2016)
- “The scale of governance in the regulation of land: Community land trusts in the Twin Cities”
- Co-PIs: Dr. Joseph Pierce, Deborah G. Martin (Clark University) and James DeFilippis (Rutgers University)
Instructor
- Urban Geography, Fall 2014, Fall 2015
- Introduction to Environmental Science, Summer 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
Teaching Assistant
- Introduction to Environmental Science, Spring 2017
- World Regional Geography, Fall 2016
- Political Geography, Spring 2013
- Latin American Geography, Fall 2012

Bread and Roses Food Cooperative, Tallahassee, FL // 2012 – 2016
Keyholder
Food Preparation Coordinator

Managed store weekly, facilitated monthly membership meetings, coordinated volunteer shifts, coordinated social media presence and email list for volunteer-run, member-owned food cooperative

Act Symposium Organizers, Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL // 2013 – 2014
President

Organized social justice symposium involving local organizations, artists, activists, scholars, Act! Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice, Between Academy and Community, in February 2014 in Tallahassee, FL.

Additional Experience:

Over a dozen conference presentations
Academic journal review work
WHEDA Housing Developer Training, Madison, WI 2023
Riverwest Investment Cooperative Treasurer, Milwaukee, WI // 2021-2023
Citizen Advisory Committee (for CDBG funds), City of Davenport, IA // 2018
Advance Placement Exam Reader, Environmental Science // 2017, 2019
Environmental Service Program (Florida State U.), Director // 2011 – 2012
Research Experience for Undergraduates, National Science Foundation, University of Florida // 2011