About me
Darrin L. Williams is the CEO of Southern Bancorp, Inc., one of America’s oldest and largest community development financial institutions (CDFIs) working to expand economic opportunity in rural and minority communities throughout the mid-South that are increasingly abandoned by other financial institutions. With more than $2.8 billion in assets, 56 locations around and throughout the Delta region, one of the nation’s most impoverished communities, Southern Bancorp focuses on the net worth building strategies of homeownership, entrepreneurship, and saving. A frequent commentator in the national press, Williams is a former legislator, securities and consumer protection attorney, and passionate advocate for financial inclusion who is recognized nationally for his work to increase financial access. Darrin is a recent addition to Business Insider’s 100 People Transforming Business as well as a past member of the Bloomberg 50, an annual list of individuals who defined global business for the year. Williams is active in many organizations including serving as board chairman of the Community Development Bankers Association; the North American board representative to the Global Alliance for Banking on Values; a board member of the St. Louis Federal Reserve’s Little Rock Branch, and a White House appointee to the CDFI Fund Community Development Advisory Board. Williams received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Hendrix College in Conway, Ark.; his Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University School of Law in Nashville, Tenn.; and his Master of Laws degree in Securities and Financial Regulation from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.
