Diana Williams serves as the Program Coordinator for the Rural Prosperity & Investment issue area. As Program Coordinator, she primarily supports policy and capacity building initiatives in the rural southeast region of North Carolina through research and facilitation.

A native of Jacksonville, North Carolina, Diana stayed in-state to complete her bachelor’s degree in public policy and global studies in 2022. Immediately following, she completed her master’s in public policy degree in 2024, accompanied by a certificate in innovation for the public good, all from UNC Chapel Hill. Through her academic journey, she found a passion for racial and gender equity that led her to focus on housing and health policy professionally.

Diana joined MDC in June 2023 as a graduate intern, contributing significantly to the design and co-facilitation of opioid settlement fund community engagement sessions in Beaufort County, NC. Beyond Beaufort County, she’s had the opportunity to interview other communities, and support their public engagement processes around the opioid settlement funds.