Dame Josephine Williams DBE, DL (born 8 July 1948) is a British administrator and social worker who was the chief executive of Mencap until 1 November 2008.
[2] She changed her name to Williams (the name of her partner) whilst working as principal officer for Cheshire Social Services Department in the 1980s.
[2][4] Williams was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2007 New Year Honours for "services to people with learning disabilities".
[2][5] An article in The Independent accused Williams of using her authority as head of the CQC to carry out a campaign to smear fellow board member and whistle-blower Kay Sheldon, including commissioning a taxpayer funded psychiatric evaluation of Sheldon.
[8] In May 2014 it was announced that Williams had been appointed as Independent Chair of the East Cheshire Caring Together Executive Board.