Your Fed, Your Voice: Darrin Williams

So my name is Darrin Williams and I am the chief executive officer of Southern Bancorp Incorporated. We’re a Community Development Financial Institution, and as such, our focus is serving underserved people and places primarily in the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta. As a board member, I think it’s important that we bring the voices of the people that we know the most about. I’m talking about people in places that are often overlooked or abandoned or have historically been denied access to capital and credit.

I’m bringing the perspective of people who are new to the financial system, who are struggling to make ends meet. I’m bringing the perspective of small-business owners who are borrowing small sums of money to run their business. I’m bringing the perspective of young people who are not yet engaged in the process of really making money, helping the economy thrive. Their perspectives really, really matter.

As a board member, one of the primary things we get to do is to complete an economic report about what we’re seeing in the economy. And then of course, that information goes into the Beige Book that ultimately goes to the Board of Governors, who actually uses that information to help set monetary policy. And so it has a real impact. And that’s the voice that I get to bring to the table.