Williams executive discusses why giving to OU is important
From left to right are Darrell Bull, director of commercial development, Midstream Business Development, Midstream Gas and Liquids; Yadira Upshaw, facilities engineer, Engineering and Construction, Midstream Gas and Liquids; OU College of Engineering Dean Thomas Landers; Alan Armstrong, president of Midstream and Senior VP Williams, Midstream Gas and Liquids; Robert Goodwin, E & P Manager, Exploration and Production; Traci Gower, manager of college relations, Williams; Laura Loncar, director of human resources, Talent Acquisition & Development, Williams; Alison Anthony, director of diversity and community relations, Williams.
One word is at the heart ofWilliams’ corporate heritage: giving. Williams has a history of supporting programs at OU and is one of the University’s top corporate donors, with gifts of cash, in-kind support, and pledges totaling $5.8 million.
“At Williams, we want to give back and we want to support the passions and the energies of our employees,” said Alison Anthony, president of the Williams Foundation and director of diversity and community relations for Williams. Anthony was on OU’s Norman campus Sept. 17 with several Williams executives to tour new facilities. “We want to be a good neighbor in the communities where we live and work – that makes us stronger as a company and that is part of our values.” The company engages its OU alumni employees, like Paige Cole, Darrell Bull and Yadira Upshaw, to “provide us guidance on where and how we can contribute to educational efforts for the most strategic impact,” Anthony said.
The Williams group included Alan Armstrong, president of the company’s midstream gathering and processing business. Armstrong has been committed to helping develop engineering programs and facilities that help grow Oklahoma’s workforce.
Gifts from Williams and the Williams Foundation have provided key support for OU students, faculty and facilities on the Norman campus and at OU-Tulsa. This support encompasses such areas as:
- Endowed faculty positions
- The Williams Presidential Professorship
- The Williams Student Services Center in the College of Engineering
- The Center for Engineering Optimization
- Wireless and electromagnetic compliance
- Devon Energy Hall
- Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum ofNatural History
- Programs in the Price Collegeof Business
- and Henderson Scholars
Williams’ strong commitment of giving to higher education not only supports academic areas where there is need in the company’s workforce, but also diversity programs, which, Anthony said, play an important role in employee development.
“We really like to focus our giving on improving the educational opportunities for all students – not just the ones whose parents can afford to pay; there are a lot of underrepresented groups that have immense potential and talent, so we really look at ways we can support getting more students into the pipeline who otherwise would not have the opportunity,” Anthony said.
“The Henderson Scholars program, for instance, not only focuses on reaching a broad, diverse group of students, but also focuses on building that whole person through community involvement. That well-rounded and civic-minded person is going to find Williams’ culture a good fit.”
Many Williams employees also contribute to OU’s success and see the value of their gifts multiplied through the company’s generous matching program. Williams supports the passions of its employees by matching up to $10,000 for current employees and up to $5,000 for retirees. And, as Anthony points out, it “allows us to have a presence and an impact on areas we might not otherwise have.”
“At Williams, we really are community-minded, and we have a strong culture of giving back and being active in the community,” Anthony said.