Philadelphia

Pennsylvania

ABOUT DR. NATHANIEL J. WILLIAMS

Dr. Nathaniel J. Williams' life journey essentially began just days after he and his eleven siblings became orphaned.  At five years old until the age of 18, 'Nat' was a ward of the State of New York's foster care system.  Eventually separated from his brothers and sisters, 'Nat' rarely saw his siblings during childhood.  Yet he was the one on whom the other kids, living in a group home campus setting, depended. 

“I was very serious and business-like,” Dr. Williams recalls about himself. “I even wore a shirt and tie every day.”  The effects of his fractured childhood however, would resurface forcefully during his twenties.  “Unbeknownst to me, for nearly all my life, I had been standing at the foot of my mother's casket, angry and frustrated.” Dr. Williams attributes his awareness of his mental position to a colleague who likened Dr. Williams life to a long train journey. 

“Speaking about the death of a parent, [the colleague] wisely said to me, 'Parents are with you for as long as they need to be. They give you the blueprint to be all you can be.'  “It helped me to realize that I was standing in my own way.  It helped me to reflect on my mother's death and my time spent as an orphan in a different light, and helped me re-frame in my mind what had happened and how I could learn from it.”  

Learning in the form of personal maturity and scholarship ensued like a floodgate.   Dr. Williams reflects, “I finally realized that if you want something different, you gotta do something different,” a mantra that would define his aspirations, enthusiasm for life, and subsequent success in helping others to “break past their past” just as he had.

Dr. Williams has four graduate degrees, including a Master of Business Administration (MBA), a Master of Public Administration (MPA), a Master of Human Services (MHS), and a doctorate in education (Ed.D).  Dr. Williams was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters from Lackawanna College in May, 2018. As of January, 2019 Dr. Williams has started his pursuit of a Doctorate in Social Work (DSW) from the University of South California's Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.  It is anticipated he will graduate with his cohort in December, 2020.  His career-span has included a multitude of successive roles as a direct-care worker, house parent, social services entrepreneur, business entrepreneur, Chief Executive Officer, adjunct professor, scholar-in-residence, and TV talk show host, all of which he enlivens with his passion to help others realize their full potential. 

An experienced international motivational speaker and lecturer, Dr. Williams' appealing and engaging style fits well with diverse audiences.  His speaking engagements have placed him in front of the U.S. Armed Forces in Kosovo, England, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain, and before members of the local chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals, where “Work/Home Balance” was the topic for discussion.  He addressed McNair Scholars as the keynote speaker at the Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program at Elizabeth City State University, and was equally at home among elementary students discussing with the children of the Tobyhanna Elementary Center “What do you want to be known for?”  

Dr. Williams is the author of nine books, including his most recent "The 10 Keys to Attaining Your Personal Best"which masterfully conceptualizes the idea that the events that challenge us do not decide our destiny.  According to Dr. Williams, “Our destiny is decided by how we embrace and utilize the challenges in our lives.”  

Engage your audience with a keynote address by Dr. Nathaniel J. Williams.  Brimming with insight and wisdom, Dr. Williams speaks with personal conviction, energy and humor.  Here are a few examples of the feedback his talks have generated:

“Be assured I'll be using 'Navigator' and 'Core Beliefs' to guide me…a personal thank-you for those life tools!”
“Please have him back.  I admire his background/career.”
“Different approach than usual – I loved it.”

Dr. Williams is Kutztown University's first year-long Frederick Douglass Institute's Scholar-in-Residence. He teaches graduate courses in Group Dynamics, Marriage and Family Counseling, and Multicultural Counseling, as well as under-graduate courses in business and human services.  He serves as adjunct professor at two of his alma maters.  

Thank you for considering Dr. Williams as your keynote speaker, your first step to a memorable, empowering keynote address!


Dr. Williams did a fantastic job.  We are a very small school and had a very small graduation, but Dr. Williams treated it like he was speaking to a stadium of people.  It is very challenging to find people who truly relate to our students.  Finding Dr. Williams was a blessing and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.  Thank you.

Dr. Williams was extremely impressiv,e our staff here at Memphis Street Academy thoroughly enjoyed his message.  Our scholars were entertained and were able to provided detailed things that they learned from Dr. Williams presentation.  I would highly recommend Dr. Willians to any of my colleagues and I am looking forward to having him come out and follow-up with our students in the spring. 

Dr. Williams was a pleasure to work with.  He connected well with our students by using his personal experiences to establish context for his message.  He worked with us to relate his presentation to the broader message we sought to deliver to our students. He was professional, engaging, and thoughtful.

Radio Show as Guest

Attaiing Work Personal Best Workshop Promo

Management and Leadership

Dr. Williams Intro Video

Navigating Your Life Show Highlights

WFMZ Appearance

Martin Luther King Speech Promo

Martin Luther King Speech Morning Show Appearance

Motivational Speaker

Keynote Speaker

Public Speaker

Corporate Speaker

We were all very pleased with the experience.  Thank you to Dr. Williams for your message.

Dr. Nathaniel J. Williams Reviews

4 Reviews for Dr. Nathaniel J. Williams