Meet Damon Williams
Damon Williams is a Houston native, born in a colored only hospital in Fifth Ward. His paternal great-great grandmother was a freed slave who moved from Fourth Ward’s Freedman’s Town to the historic Third Ward. It was there where she purchased property, which was rare at that time for a person of color, especially a woman. His mother’s family migrated to Houston in the 1930’s from Lafayette, Louisiana.
As Damon puts it, he has had a “pretty remarkable life. He is the biological father of four sons and one daughter. He finds himself expanding the “crew” by being a father figure to those whom he mentors and has grown to love.
Military
Damon has been able to do a lot of amazing things that he did not value at the time. This allowed him to become the person that he wanted to be even though he didn’t have all the tools at the time. The day after his 17th birthday, he left for bootcamp to join the United States Navy as a Hospital Corpsman. Serving in the military took him all around the world to places like Okinawa, Japan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. When Damon returned to Houston, he enrolled as a pre-med student at the University of Houston and worked in the emergency room at Houston Methodist Hospital. After a difficult moment of honesty with himself, Damon accepted that a career in the medical field was not his dream. He then went on to explore other opportunities.
Real Estate
He began working as a temporary admin for a large real estate company. He quickly transitioned to wholesale mortgage before being poached by a client. Interesting enough, Damon also spent time at Enron and was employed there when their workforce of 18,000 lost their jobs.
Politics
Damon took a job working part time for a State Representative. This opportunity grew into a Deputy Director position. He went on to be the Chief of Staff for City Council member Peter Brown. It was in these roles that he learned about economic development and how it could be utilized as a catalyst for change in under-served communities.
A pivotal point in Damon’s life is when he started therapy. “It was a long road to get there but it fundamentally changed me and my life.” He was encouraged to do so by a call he received from his first wife, then a call from a best friend from his past. The calls helped him to accept that he had been a victim of sexual harassment and assault by people who were supposed to be looking out for him. It also helped him to realize that from a very young age he became extremely good at compartmentalizing.
It was that journey of self-realization, accountability, growth, and healing that has made him the man that he is today; Leader, father, mentor, and founder/president of TouchPoint Strategies. TouchPoint is public affairs firm that specializes in public/private partnerships and public engagement. TouchPoint is the result of 25 years of Damon collecting tools and securing them in his toolbox. It brings together all of his life experiences and makes an impact not only on the team he manages but also the communities he serves.
Damon believes that we are most connected to the city when we are responding to a crisis. “Everyone steps up, picks up the load, and puts it on our shoulders.” It is in these most vulnerable moments that we are HOUNITED.
