20 Questions with Freddy Williams

President, CEO

Boys and Girls Clubs Suncoast

Freddy Williams is a Florida native and proud Boys & Girls Club alumni. He was named president and chief executive officer of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Suncoast in 2016. The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Suncoast serves more than 20,000 local youth each year and is one of the fastest-growing Boys & Girls Club affiliates in the nation. Additionally, he serves as the chairman of the national board of directors for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Professional Association.

Williams is on the board of governors for the Pinellas Community Foundation and the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce. 


1. College alma mater? University of Florida, B.A., political science; Florida International University, MBA, finance and accounting; graduate certificates from Harvard University, performance measurement; Indiana University, fundraising management; and Arizona State University, nonprofit innovation.

2. Last show you binge-watched? Ted Lasso. 

3. Favorite place for a business meeting? Karol Hotel. 

4. iPhone or Android? iPhone (recently switched after having an Android for 10 years and I am trying to convince my wife to switch!)

5. What time do you wake up on workdays? 7 a.m., unless one of my three kids decides to wake up earlier. 

6. What part of your morning routine can you not miss? Reading the news. 

I think we were all traumatized by this one…

7. What movie terrified you as a child? The Exorcist. 

8. Proudest moment? Getting married. I definitely “married up!” 

9. Dream dinner companion? Steve Harvey or Kevin Hart. 

10. Biggest business failure? I don’t believe in failures. They are opportunities to learn and grow. I have had my fair share of learning over the years. Especially since I became a CEO of a multimillion-dollar business at 27 years old. 

11. Best concert you’ve ever seen, live? Linkin Park at the Tampa Amphitheater. 

12. What is your cellphone wallpaper image? My family.

13. Most famous person you’ve ever met? I’ve met three presidents (Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Barack Obama). I’ve also met Denzel Washington and I had a few classes with Tim Tebow, while in college. 

Yummmm…

14 What is your go-to drink order? It depends on my mood. Either a Cabernet Sauvignon (Caymus is my favorite!) or an Old Fashioned. 

15. How do you manage the volume of emails you receive? My assistant is a lifesaver with helping me sort, prioritize and manage my emails. 

16. Last thing you ordered from Amazon? Wine decanter. 

17. Emojis in the workplace, yay or nay? Nay. 

18. Charity you support? Boys & Girls Clubs, Pinellas Community Foundation and the St. Pete Arts Alliance.

19. Favorite childhood memory? I grew up in the country in Northwest Florida. I loved my summers fishing, riding four-wheelers and building treehouses in the woods. 

20. Best advice ever received? That my mouth was either going to get me in trouble or do good in the world. 

You May Also Like

20 Questions With Ian Black

Ian Black is the founder of Ian Black Real Estate. He has worked in commercial real estate, in Sarasota-Manatee since the 1980s but prior to that, he lived in his homeland of Northern Ireland, which he fled shortly after his real estate office in Belfast was destroyed in a bombing during The Troubles. He opened

20 Questions with Hank Hine

Hank Hine joined The Dalí in 2002 and was instrumental in the creation of the current building, which opened in 2011.  He has experience with contemporary artists and writers and the intersection of media in the current cultural milieu.  Hine is the founder and director of Limestone Press and Hine Editions, a San Francisco publishing

20 Questions with Amy Martinez-Monfort

Amy Martinez-Monfort is owner and chief executive officer of Tampa Laundry Co. She is a Florida native who attended Florida State University for her undergraduate degree and the University of Florida for law school.  She practiced law with Carlton Fields, in Tampa, before beginning a career in sales and marketing with Eli Lilly.  In 2015,

20 Questions with Joe Handy

Joe Handy has more than 20 years of experience in leading cultural institutions. He joined CMA, in 2022, from the National Black MBA Association, where he served as president and chief executive officer.  In 2005, Handy joined the Georgia Aquarium’s founding team as director of visitor services and went on to serve as the Aquarium’s

Other Posts

Official James Beard Foundation event returning to Tampa

Beard by the Bay, an event created to celebrate the culinary greatness of the Tampa Bay region’s finest chefs, sommeliers and mixologists, is returning to Tampa, in October, for the first time since 2019. The official James Beard Foundation Event, organized by RSBP Events+PR, will be a multi-course tasting event on Sunday, October 29, at

TBBW tries things: New menu items at BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse and a love song for a Pizookie (PHOTOS)

BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, a chain based out of Huntington Beach, California, isn’t a dining spot you will find in the monthly installment of our Posher Palate fine dining preview. But it is a fan favorite of the Tampa Bay Business and Wealth staff. You may find us enjoying deep dish pizzas, crispy fries or

Reaching the top: What I learned on my big climb (GUEST COLUMN)

By Jennifer Garbowicz, private client advisor and senior vice president, Bank of America Private Bank In July 2023, I realized a dream and conquered a challenge when I summited Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, the highest mountain in Africa. The total duration of the climb took about five and a half days up the mountain and

Tampa Bay Rays officially announce development and partnership for new ballpark

The Tampa Bay Rays have reached an agreement with the City of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County to move forward with the development of a new ballpark, on the site of Tropicana Field, and a development project with the Hines Historic Gas Plant Partnership. Plans for the ballpark include a capacity of around 30,000 for