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Date: Tuesday, Oct. 20, 1998 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: HHS Press Office (202) 690-6343
In her new position, Ms. Williams provides strategic guidance on key departmental initiatives, manages the communications services division and sets department-wide publications guidelines.
Since 1994, Ms. Williams has been a public affairs executive at Powell Tate, serving as group director and then as vice president. Prior to joining the public relations firm, she served as press secretary for U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun, D-Ill. She also served as president of the U.S. Senate Press Secretaries Association.
Ms. Williams was born in Little Rock, Ark. She received her bachelor's degree in English from Tougaloo College in 1976, and earned a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University in 1977. In addition to her work in the Senate, Ms. Williams has also served as a public relations director for a private college, a print reporter, a broadcast reporter and producer, and an executive director for a monthly magazine. She is married and has one daughter.
Ms. Williams replaces Laurie Boeder, who now serves as deputy assistant secretary/media at the department. In her new position, Ms. Boeder is the principal spokesperson for the department, serves as the public affairs liaison with the White House, and manages the press office, speechwriting division, and Freedom of Information Act division.
Prior to joining the Department of Health and Human Services in 1997, Ms. Boeder served as Associate Administrator for Communications at the National Air and Space Administration for four years.