COLUMBIA, Md. (Oct. 4, 2021) – Southern Bancorp, Inc., Chief Executive Officer Darrin L. Williams was recently appointed to the board of trustees of Enterprise Community Partners (Enterprise), a national nonprofit that exists to make a good home possible for the millions of families without one. Based in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, Williams oversees the strategic direction and operations of each of Southern Bancorp’s three Community Development Financial Institutions.
“Darrin brings to our board a critical understanding of equitable investment and a lifetime commitment to a region of the country where Enterprise is deepening its relationships,” said Priscilla Almodovar, president and chief executive officer, Enterprise. “Enterprise will benefit greatly from his leadership in advancing our work to make home and community places of pride, power and belonging.”
In addition to serving on the CDFI boards of Southern Bancorp Bank and Southern Bancorp Community Partners, Williams is also a board member of the Little Rock Chapter of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; an advisory board member for two New Market Tax Credit community development entities – Advantage Capital and BancorpSouth; a director of the Community Development Bankers Association, the trade association for CDFI banks; a director of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values; a member of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Racial Equity Working Group; and a member of the Clinton Foundation’s Inclusive Economic Recovery task force.
“Enterprise’s focus on racial equity and working to change systems to provide everyone greater opportunities was a key reason in accepting this appointment,” Williams said. “It complements our work at Southern Bancorp, where we believe that wealth building isn’t just for the wealthy. I look forward to working with Priscilla, fellow trustees and the Enterprise team to advance our mutual missions.”
Prior to leading Southern, Darrin served as managing partner at the law firm of Carney, Williams, Bates, Pulliam & Bowman, PLLC, where his firm recovered over a billion dollars for aggrieved institutional investors and consumers in class action litigation against some of the nation’s largest publicly traded companies. Williams also served three terms in the Arkansas House of Representatives (2008-2013), including serving as Speaker Pro Tempore of the 89th Arkansas General Assembly.
Williams received his bachelor’s degree from Hendrix College, his Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University School of Law and his Master of Laws degree in Securities and Financial Regulation from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.
About Enterprise
Enterprise is a national nonprofit that exists to make a good home possible for the millions of families without one. We support community development organizations on the ground, aggregate and invest capital for impact, advance housing policy at every level of government, and build and manage communities ourselves. Since 1982, we have invested $44 billion and created 781,000 homes across all 50 states – all to make home and community places of pride, power and belonging.
About Southern Bancorp
Founded in 1986 by some of the nation’s leading political, business, and philanthropic leaders with an initial investment of $10 million, Southern Bancorp, Inc., along with its development partners – Southern Bancorp Bank and Southern Bancorp Community Partners, has grown into a $1.9 billion asset organization with 51 locations serving 65,000 customers across two states with a unique array of financial products and services designed to help individuals at all stages of life’s financial journey – from teaching kids how to save to helping entrepreneurs and families realize the American Dream. Southern Bancorp is a certified Community Financial Development Institution, certified B-Corp, and proud member of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values. Learn more at www.BankSouthern.com and www.SouthernPartners.org.