Ayana Williams

For most of her life Ayana C. Williams has been unknowingly preparing for the role of executive director of Blues City Cultural Center, the first professional African American theatre company founded in Memphis in 1979.

Over the years, she has been a performer, program coordinator, stage manager, event planner and director. When she became executive director in 2019, it was a natural transition and an opportunity to reposition BCCC to meet the needs of a new generation of audiences. Williams is committed to adding new voices to the arts landscape, particularly among BIPOC, marginalized women, and underserved populations in Greater Memphis and the Mid-South. Therefore, she has collaborated and established partnerships with various entities to ensure that the organization responds to communal needs while providing programs and services that build the creative and human capacity of stakeholders and constituents.

Williams has a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of Memphis and a Master of Arts degree in leadership and business administration from Grand Canyon University. She is a member of the Executive Leadership Cohort with National Arts Strategies sponsored by the Andrew Mellon Foundation. She also received a Black Theatre Manager Fellowship through The Black Seed Foundation.

 Ayana Williams is happily married to James Williams and proud parent of Leah, Terry and Tammy.