Charles E. Williamson

Executive Director and Global
Head of Service Management
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
New York City
Age: 38

Charles Williamson’s determination to help empower his community led him to launch the national movement I Observed, which teaches local residents about civilian rights, codes of conducts and police protocol in order to ensure that justice is rightfully served, human rights are not violated and communities are kept intact. “I’m passionate about this initiative because residents can arm themselves with an awareness of the legal system to address any unlawful activity between the police and community,” says Williamson, who has a Ph.D. in management and organizational leadership from the University of Phoenix, a master’s degree in leadership and strategic management and bachelor’s in history from Manhattanville College, and a paralegal certificate from The Betty Owen School. He explains his academic drive: “I stuttered as a child. The learning professionals labeled it a limitation in my ability to advance and I wanted to prove them wrong by reaching the highest level of education.”
 
Getting there was challenging. An aunt lent him money to start college until he was eligible for financial aid. Williamson currently is the executive director and global head of Service Management for JPMorgan Chase, serving as chief of staff for Client Technology Services and Infrastructure Software Solutions. He is the founding partner of Centrifugal Force, a business consulting group, and an adjunct professor of business management at the University of Phoenix, Monroe College, and Metropolitan College. He previously was vice president for Citigroup Technology Infrastructure and director of the Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison Program in the New York County District Attorney’s office. “My mother [Lynn Jackson] told me that I will never be really successful unless I was willing to ‘send the elevator back down,’” Williamson says, adding that she “leveraged her network to give me a career path.” And he still finds time to enjoy cooking, wine making and yoga.
     
Fun Facts
Favorite Singer: Bruno Mars
Dish you cook best: Stuffed red snapper
First car: Mercedes