James Williams

James Williams, retired General Manager of Edelman’s Los Angeles office, is the principal of a specialty Communications Marketing practice, James Williams Consulting. In the five years James ran Edelman Los Angeles, he oversaw the direction of the office that included 150 employees and practices in Digital, Entertainment and Technology; Consumer Marketing, Corporate, Healthcare and Digital. The diverse client base in Los Angeles included many best-in-class brands, including Activision, Microsoft, STARZ, Sunkist, Taco Bell, Petco, Edwards Life Sciences, Warner Bros, Disney, Mattel and many others. Edelman was named the #1 Public Relations office in Los Angeles by the LA Business Journal for all five consecutive years under his leadership. Prior to joining Edelman, James served as Executive Vice President, Strategy and Planning at Ogilvy Public Relations in Los Angeles, as well as Managing Director. Previously, he also was named Global Account Director and Partner at Ketchum, working in Ketchum’s Atlanta, Washington, DC and Los Angeles offices. His work has been recognized by the public relations industry, receiving two PRSA Silver Anvil awards, two PRSA Silver Anvil Awards of Excellence and many SABRE and CIPRA awards. In addition to the Point Foundation, James is member of the Board of Directors for CoachArt, a California-based philanthropy that identifies coaches and mentors in the arts and athletics for children living with chronic illness. He is also a retired member of the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, James earned a B.A. in journalism. He also serves as a guest lecturer in communications and public relations at the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles. He and his husband, Marc Wenderoff were recently married after celebrating 33 years together. They live in Southern California and spend time in both Los Angeles and Palm Springs, CA.