A lifetime of service comes full circle

In 2023, after nearly four decades of working in various military capacities, Timothy Williams ’84 finally hung up his boots, transitioned to civilian clothes, and readied himself for a long, well-earned retirement.

That retirement lasted about as long as one of his Army National Guard drill weekends.

Less than 60 days after retiring, Williams went back to work as an advisor to the chief of the National Guard Bureau, and he hasn’t stopped working since. Today, he serves as the secretary of veterans and defense affairs for the Commonwealth of Virginia, accepting the position after Gov. Abigail Spanberger tapped him for the role in mid-December, approximately a month after her election.

Williams described his role as the culmination of all his previous experiences, which have included active-duty military service, deployments to Iraq, senior leadership in the Virginia Army National Guard, and federal service at the National Guard Bureau.

“How many times do you get an opportunity to do something that takes all those things and brings them all together?” Williams said. “For me, I couldn’t ask for anything better or more fun to do than to help people and again serve my country and be a part of the military in a way.”

Williams’ appointment came as no surprise to the leadership within the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. In addition to managing a hectic schedule because of his responsibilities over the years, he has been back to the Blackburg campus numerous times to speak to cadets, always relaying the importance of their future roles and of service.

“Tim Williams represents the very best of what the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets strives to produce – leaders who are prepared to lead and trusted to serve, carrying the ethic of service far beyond their time on campus,” Maj. Gen. William Seely, the commandant of the Corps of Cadets, said. “His career shows that the lessons learned as a cadet can shape a lifetime devoted to serving the nation, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and fellow veterans.”

A graduate of what is now the Pamplin College of Business and the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, Williams is continuing a connection to service started decades ago while growing up in Henrico County, outside of Richmond. In his family, service wasn’t just a theme. It was a family tradition – and one inextricably linked with Virginia Tech.

His grandfather, father, brother, and son have all served, or are serving, in the Virginia National Guard. Both his father, Class of 1952, and brother, Class of 1979, graduated from Virginia Tech. Williams met his wife, Cheryl ’86, through the Highty-Tighties, the corps’ regimental marching band.

Williams learned the value of being mentored and being a mentor while in the corps. He struggled academically soon after arriving at Virginia Tech and survived thanks to an upper-class cadet who helped him find a tutor. Shortly after his commissioning, he reported to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he found new challenges.

“The toughest coursework that you have there is gunnery, and I needed help,” Williams said. “There was a captain there who was in the Corps [of Cadets], one of my brother's classmates, and he came to me and said, ‘Hey, how'd you like me to help you?’ And I jumped on that. He was a tutor for a couple of months, helping me through the math and the practical applications of the math and that became my strong suit. So that spirit of helping fellow cadets is a fond memory that I look back at.”

Williams also has paid it forward in several ways, helping young commissioned and non-commissioned officers throughout his career. He even has mentored his son-in-law, a 2009 graduate who was in Air Force ROTC.

“He was getting ready to compete for pilot slots, which he was able to secure,” Williams said. “I couldn’t offer up much other than a sympathetic ear. I'm not an airman, and I'm certainly not a pilot, but I just tried to be there and give perspective from an officer's perspective, some things to consider and just serve as a sounding board.”

Williams’ career includes more than five years on active duty before transitioning to civilian service with the Department of the Army, where he spent more than 14 years. In 2003 and again in 2007, Williams was mobilized and deployed to Iraq for the Second Gulf War.

In 2014, Williams was appointed the adjutant general of Virginia by former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, becoming the senior uniformed military officer in the commonwealth. He oversaw the Virginia Army National Guard, Virginia Air National Guard, and Virginia Defense Force. For nearly a decade – under former Govs. McAuliffe, Ralph Northam, and Glenn Youngkin – he guided the state’s military forces through domestic missions, federal deployments, emergencies, and organizational transitions.

When he retired in 2023, Williams had every intention of taking a breath. But public service wasn’t finished with him yet.

Two months later, he accepted that role at the National Guard Bureau in Arlington, returning to the pace and responsibilities he knew so well. Spanberger’s election as governor of Virginia then led to another opportunity to serve at the state level, a role that aligns with his expertise.

“Tim Williams is a perfect pick as Virginia’s secretary of veterans and defense affairs,” said Maj. Gen. Randal Fullhart, the former commandant of the Corps of Cadets who retired in 2024. “His experience with all levels of our military from active duty, national guard, and the reserves and his long experience working with both the Virginia executive and legislative branches brings great credibility built on a reputation of honesty and integrity.”

Williams accepted the position and learned quickly of the governor’s priorities for the department: affordability, housing, and health care for veterans. He plans to take ideas from across state government, veteran communities, and military leaders and turn them into an actionable strategy.

He said his goal is long-term impact, a road map that will serve Virginia’s military members and their families for the next eight to 10 years. He wants to implement policies and programs that outlast his tenure and strengthen the commonwealth’s reputation as a leader in military and veteran support.

Over the past three months, Williams has made it a priority to reconnect with delegates and senators in the General Assembly. There are fewer members who have served in the military than in the past, but this presents an opportunity to tell the military story and to help provide advice and counsel. Williams feels it important that the members of the General Assembly and military members have a shared commitment of service to their communities.

“Veterans and military issues, for the most part, cut across all spectrums,” he said. “It’s supported by Republicans and Democrats, and that’s what makes working in this environment and working the issues as the secretary that much more rewarding, because it’s something that rallies everybody’s spirits. This is an American issue, or American issues. It’s really a great opportunity to be able to work in that kind of an environment.”

The secretary’s office is not just another leadership position for Williams. Yes, he finds himself in an administrative role, but also as a steward of the stories and needs of those who have served.

His role as secretary serves as a capstone on a lifetime spent answering the call, the pursuit of a mission that never ends.

“I think that’s one of the things that I love so much about this role,” Williams said. “It really rises above everything else. You have to work with everybody. Veterans and their families have an expectation and deserve to be served and to be helped to make sure that they can grow and thrive and live in our great state. That rises above all else.”