Former Deputy Assistant Director of the Secret Service Speaks at Motlow Smyrna

By Anthony Czelusniak

Motlow Buzz Staff Writer

         SMYRNA, Tenn. – Former Deputy Assistant Director of the Secret Service Lynda R. Williams spoke at Motlow’s Smyrna campus, discussing her career and personal life for Black History Month.

         Williams is a 28-year veteran of the Secret Service. She retired in 2017 and resides in Middle Tennessee, teaching criminal justice at Middle Tennessee State University. She takes the opportunity to speak at colleges and other events to help spread her message.

         Williams’ speech at Motlow focused on the ideas of individuality and not conforming to the ideals and beliefs others may have.

         “I may not be the orator the Dr. [Martin Luther] King was or have the prominence and wealth of Oprah, but I still am somebody," she told her audience. "I don’t let others define me. We need to claim ownership of what others say about us and what we don’t like about ourselves. Be the best me I can be.”

         When she was promoted to a special agent, she received some backlash against her promotion but did not let that dissuade her.

         “I did not need to be small or petty, and act like them," she added. "I returned any negatives with positives, and I let my light shine.”

         Williams also spoke about working a demanding job and having a family. Because of her position as special agent, she was assigned to advance teams. These teams would arrive at locations where the president or vice-president were going to visit, and arrange for security, lodgings and other logistical matters weeks in advance. This led to her not seeing her then husband or daughter more than once or twice a week.

         “I’d land at the airport on a Saturday, drive home to spend time with my daughter and husband, and then drive back to the airport to return to my duties,” Williams explained, “but the special agent in charge was kind enough to use his credentials to let me use the phone on the airplane for a few minutes each night to talk to them.”

         While on assignment in South Africa, Williams was fortunate to meet with Nelson Mandela on multiple occasions.

         “It was the highlight of my career to meet Nelson Mandela," she said. "He was so kind, inspiring and larger than life.” 

         While she was assigned to South Africa, she brought her daughter with her to let her experience more of the world.

         “There’s a whole other world out there,” Williams explained.

         She has traveled to almost every state in the country as well as a large amount of European, Asian, and South American countries. She considered this travel to be one of the best parts of her job.

         “I’m so blessed to be able to see the things I do,” she said, adding, “plus I’m getting a paycheck to do it.”

         Williams concluded her speech with a story of how she met Maya Angelou. While Williams was unable to get a picture with Angelou, she did receive a personal letter from the famous poet, singer and activist. The note concluded with a passage from the poem “Still I Rise” by Angelou. Williams concluded her talk with a similar message.

         “In spite of others, you too can rise.”

         Williams began her career in 1988 as a uniformed officer at the White House after answering an ad in the newspaper created by the Secret Service. After three years, she was promoted to a special agent and investigated financial crimes such as counterfeit and fraud. In 1997, she was assigned to the Vice Presidential Protective Division.

         In 2003, Williams was promoted assistant to the special agent in charge of the Washington Field Office. This was the first time an African-American woman was promoted to a supervisory role in a major field office. In 2008, she was promoted to secret service attaché of South Africa, where she oversaw operations in Sub-Saharan Africa, West Africa, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

         She returned to Washington in 2011 and was appointed to special agent in charge at the Office of Congressional Affairs. Williams was appointed to the Senior Executive Service as the deputy assistant director of the Office of Human Resources in 2015. In this role, she served as the chief security officer, developing, implementing and managing the agency’s programs and strategies.