Josh Williams is a Hendersonville native, a veteran who served in Iraq, a small business owner, a former football player, and the parent of a student in Henderson County Public Schools.
And now, after stepping up to fill the vacancy created by the unexpected death of Crystal Cauley, he is the fourth Democrat running for Henderson County School Board.
Josh and Crystal had worked together on several projects previously, including the 2020 Speak Out Loud panel discussion following the death of George Floyd and the Rise Up Program, for which he served as photographer and Master of Ceremonies.
Partly as a follow-up to this work, Josh became chairman of the Diversity and Inclusion Board for the City of Hendersonville.
After HCDP nominated him for the vacant slot, Josh filed to run at the Henderson County Board of Elections in July.
Deep Henderson County Roots Plus a Lifetime of Service
Josh graduated from Hendersonville High School in 2001 and enlisted in the Navy. He was in basic training when 9/11 occurred.
“We had just taken the test on terrorism,” he said. “When 9/11 happened, some people thought it was a type of drill. Our families couldn’t attend our graduation because we were sent out right afterward.”
Following his active duty with the Navy, Josh enlisted in the Army Reserve for a total of nine years of military service. While he was in the Reserves, he completed his degree at Western Carolina and now owns his own business, J Williams Financial Services, which provides tax assistance and bookkeeping.
As he explained in a Hendersonville Lightning article: “The understanding of cultural bias differences is something that we need to improve in our schools for the betterment of students who have struggles and have been singled out. We also need to have teachers who have been educated and trained on these issues that many students deal with on a regular basis.”
In addition to increasing representation and cultural awareness in the schools, Josh’s goals for the School Board include providing more tutoring opportunities for students who need extra support and to make sure every student—especially those not involved in athletics—has the opportunity to participate in the arts to find a sense of community and motivation.
Josh and his son, are members of St. John the Baptist in Arden, and he also serves as chairman of the Mud Creek Baptist Association for African American Churches.
Josh has volunteered in schools and scouts, provided voter registration at his business and served as a poll worker. He enjoys collecting historical memorabilia and going to local happenings such as The Apple Festival, the WNC State Fair and Haunted Farms around Halloween.