Williams Makes Impact in Bulgaria
6/26/2017 12:00:00 AM | Terrapin Athletics
Jamie Williams' work as the director of student-athlete engagement and professional development helps foster leadership and personal growth for those nurtured in the University of Maryland's athletic department.
And his reach goes well beyond College Park, as evidenced by a journey this spring to Bulgaria that could pay dividends both for an emerging market and Maryland over the long haul.
Williams recently was part of a group that spent a week touring Bulgaria. Sponsored by the Social Good Fund, a San Francisco-based non-profit, the Bulgarian Entrepreneurship Center aims to provide expertise to foster growth in the Eastern European nation.
“I felt like I could build another bridge with the University of Maryland in terms of what we have to offer as an academic institution to prepare entrepreneurs,” Williams said.
Williams was joined on the trip by several experts from the technology and investment sectors. His role was to explain the value of leadership and teamwork, bringing a perspective imbued by an eclectic set of experiences.
In addition to playing 12 years in the NFL as a tight end, Williams has worked in the film industry and as a consultant in Silicon Valley. He is also a former college athletic director who arrived at Maryland last fall.
And while he had never previously been to Bulgaria, he possessed an appreciation of the region's deep cultural and historical roots that stretch back to antiquity.
“It was a spiritual experience for me as well because of the history,” Williams said. “I was very proud to also be the only one that was there who represented an academic institution.”
There was an athletics component to the trip as well. Williams met with several coaches and ministers throughout Bulgaria, where tennis, volleyball and track and field are among the most successful sports at a national level.
The potential exists for the journey to spark the creation of a pipeline between Bulgaria and College Park.
“Any time a kid from a country like that, if they're good enough and there's a connection like that and they get a chance to come and play here, again it would be great for their country to be represented here,” Williams said.
The immediate impact of the tour will be on the student-athletes already at Maryland. Williams planned to stitch together a Power Point presentation with video of the speeches from his experience.
The biggest takeaway? Making sure it's clear to young people that the world has become flat in terms of communication and the transfer of culture.
“They need to know how valuable it is that they pay attention to the leadership and teamwork development that we're providing them because everybody's not getting that,” Williams said. “A lot of them are learning on the run.”
That's where Williams is an especially significant asset for Maryland. He received a doctorate of education in Organization and Leadership from the University of San Francisco in 2000, and has continued to delve into leadership issues throughout his professional life.
Williams' message centered on how to get “the project out of the garage, and what's education's role in that and what do we do here in that respect to prepare our young people to be entrepreneurs and leaders and to be great teammates.”
It's through that prism that he surprised at the eagerness of the people he met on the trip to pick up a greater understanding of the management skills necessary to build an effective company.
“We have a number of courses and fields of study that cover leadership and management,” Williams said. “They're not getting taught that universally, which was a revelation for me…They basically said 'We need that really bad.' It makes sense. It's inspirational. It helps them from an aspirational standpoint. That was good to see.”
Williams' attempts to foster a connection between Bulgaria and College Park isn't simply about fostering growth in a promising place. It also serves as a reminder of what is a major part of his job.
“I think it's an opportunity for not just our students but everyone to think worldly, beyond our borders,” Williams said. “To think worldly, but also inwardly. When you go to work in most places, it's to sell or propagate some product. Here, our product is the future. It's the young dreams, the young potential. We have an opportunity to mentor that and guide that and for me that's an awesome thing to do.”
The trip is only the start of the Bulgarian Entrepreneurship Center's work. But it is one full of promise as people from two continents begin to become more familiar with each other.
But the biggest priority is the next generation. Bulgaria is less than 30 years removed from transitioning out of Communism, and Williams noted it hasn't quite yet become what it is going to become as a nation and an economic market.
What the creative, ambitious and driven younger people in Bulgaria need is opportunity, which is something Williams is hopeful his outreach can help provide --- with Maryland benefiting along the way.
“I have been totally impressed with the international athletes I've worked with here so far --- so smart, so serious, so committed,” Williams said. “They're sponges. If we can provide opportunities for more to come, I think it would be great. I was an ambassador for the U.S., an ambassador for the University of Maryland while I was there. Their kids come here, and they're ambassadors for Bulgaria. In terms of the ultimate global goal, it fits.”
-Terps-
