[5] His father was the facilities manager of the National Zoo's Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, where Williams was raised.

[5] He attended Brigham Young University (BYU) on the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, and graduated in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in political science.

[5][6] Bob Isaac, the mayor of Colorado Springs, appointed Williams to the city's Housing Authority board.

[5] Williams served for eight years as an El Paso County Commissioner.He was succeeded by Darryl Glenn on the commission.

In 2017, Williams complied with Donald Trump's request by sending publicly available voter data to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.

[19] In the mayoral election held April 4, 2023, no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, and Williams was one of the top two vote-getters.