Candace Williams

Candace Williams is director of regional initiatives at BHEF. In her role, she leverages postsecondary education and workforce expertise and strategic planning capabilities to develop strong partnerships in support of regional talent ecosystems. Formerly, she was the data and research manager at Advance CTE, overseeing work on postsecondary CTE data systems, credit for prior learning and state CTE funding. Before joining Advance CTE, Candace was the director of policy and research at the New England Board of Higher Education. In addition to guiding the organization’s policy agenda and producing reports and analysis, she acted as project director on a number of grant-funded initiatives covering credential transparency, recognition of learning, upskilling, employability and micro-credentialing. Candace started her career as an aide in the Massachusetts state senate, working for Sen. Mike Barrett (D-Lexington). A native of mid-coast Maine, Candace earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in economics at Northeastern University.