About the Founder

Amy Williams founded eGirl Power 12+ years ago and directed and oversaw operations and affairs of the IRS-approved 501(c)3 nonprofit organization to drive the eGirl Power mission to educate and support the youth through signature events and programs with an award-winning team. She spearheaded eGirl Power's programs and initiatives to "Educate, Empower and Elevate" students and established the organization's partnership with the Center for Public Safety (CPS) to create the Center for Public Safety for Women (CPSW) to combat Gender-based Violence (GBV). Williams' organization has been featured in USA Today, Yahoo News!, The Philanthropy Journal and The Institute for Research on Unlimited Love.

Williams has stepped away from her active role at the organization to focus on her doctoral studies. A PhD Candidate in Counterterrorism, Williams is 1 of only 5 National Centers Academic Excellence (NCAE-C) PhD Scholars nationwide. She was awarded the NCAE-C Cybersecurity Ph.D. Scholarship from the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) for her dissertation topic to secure critical infrastructure in smart cities in the cyber forensics domain. The NCAE-C program is managed by NSA's National Cryptologic School and funded by the Department of Defense (DoD). Federal partners include CISA, the FBI, NIST/NICE, NSF, DoD-CIO and USCYBERCOM.

Williams is a Contributing Author to Homeland Security Today, the top publication for the homeland security community and has interviewed top leading homeland security experts for her dissertation. Her academic background spans Master's Degrees and Graduate Studies in Digital Forensics, Cybersecurity Policy, Cyber Investigations, and Curriculum and Instruction.

Drawing upon this background in shaping programs of her nonprofit organization, eGirl Power's Cybersecurity program was also instituted to help the females and other marginalized groups learn best practices for online safety, key concepts of cybersecurity basics, and explore career pathways in the cybersecurity field.

Williams also served as Gala Chair of her organization’s Awards Gala, held at The Yale Club NYC Grand Ballroom in Manhattan to recognize and honor outstanding individuals who have dedicated their lives to giving back and celebrate paying it forward, this special event raised awareness and support for eGirl Power and awarded several extraordinary honorees, including Loreen Arbus, Allan Luks, Dr. Stephen Post, and was emceed by featured news personality Rita Cosby with numerous notables in attendance.

An Awards Gala was also held as part of eGirl Power's "Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Initiative" during the Covid-19 global pandemic when violent anti-Asian hate crimes rose across the nation to honor community leaders critical to the #StopAsianHate movement, with testimonials to the honoree and organization delivered by distinguished women leaders including the Mayor of Oakland, Attorney General of Alameda County, CA State Controller and an Emmy Award-winning TV news reporter.

A Pacific Islander with family over 5 generations in Hawaii, Williams spent most of her upbringing in Asia and Africa and drew upon her inspiration from experiences growing up overseas in different countries around the world to author the Mi9 Team: Unity Among Differences book, which reached #1 in Amazon's Best Sellers Rank in 2016.

Williams’ Mi9 Team book and 501(c)3 nonprofit organization were also featured on Harvard University’s Official Site of Multiple Intelligences, invited by Dr. Howard Gardner, Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, who is the renowned creator of the Theory of Multiple Intelligences.

Other past programs of Williams’ nonprofit organization include the Project Pay It Forward program to inspire the youth to make a positive change by applying their special skills, unique talents and passions to make a difference in their community. This nationwide program reached youth in 40+ states throughout the country, and provided educational curriculum, resources and grant opportunities. Williams was Executive Producer of filming for the program, which spanned locations from an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico, to Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, to Manhattan at Fordham University, Stony Brook University, Battery Park and more.

Currently, Williams has been working on efforts to help with recovery from the Maui wildfires and supporting those impacted by the atrocities of the 10/7 terrorist attacks.

Williams and her 501(c)3 nonprofit organization have been featured in numerous publications including USA Today, Yahoo News!, Homeland Security Today, The Philanthropy Journal and The Institute for Research on Unlimited Love.

 

Featured on Harvard's Official Authoritative Site of Multiple Intelligences

Amy Williams was featured as a Guest Writer by Dr. Howard Gardner on his Official Site of Multiple Intelligence. Dr. Howard Gardner is the developmental psychologist and Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and created the renowned Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Her article, Using Multiple Intelligences Theory to Understand Your "Superpowers" discusses MI9 Team superheroes and the effectiveness of the multiple intelligences to increase self-esteem in youth.

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