JEROME F. ‘JERRY’ WILLIAMS
POSITION: Director of the R.I. Department of Transportation
BACKGROUND: Williams’ career in the public sector started in 1986, when he became the state’s deputy general treasurer for finance. He was asked to become a deputy director of the R.I. Department of Administration in 1991. Then Williams left for the private sector, serving as a senior vice president for FleetBoston Financial from 1994 to 2003. He moved back to state government, as executive director of the DOA, in 2003.
EDUCATION: B.S. in institutional management, 1976, B.S. in accounting, 1981, and MBA, 1986, Bryant University
RESIDENCE: Barrington
AGE: 52
Last year, Jerry Williams won the Robert M. Goodrich Award for Distinguished Public Service from the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council. He has been the driving force behind getting the state’s system of auditing financial statements back on schedule and getting projects such as construction of the new R.I. Training School for Youth back on track.
Now, as the director of the R.I. Department of Transportation, he said he hopes to keep projects such as the relocation of Interstate 195 on track, on time and within budget. He spoke with Providence Business News the day after his appointment was announced.
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PBN: Why did you accept the position as head of the Department of Transportation, after leading the Department of Administration for the past three years?
WILLIAMS: Let me start by saying the executive director position reports to the director of administration. So I had a number of divisions reporting in to me at DOA. But this [director of DOT position] is an opportunity that came up that the governor asked me if I was interested in pursuing. And to me, it’s a great opportunity.
PBN: What makes it a great opportunity for you?
WILLIAMS: Because of the great work that’s been done so far at DOT. I want to continue that great work and complete a number of the projects that are under way.
PBN: As far as the projects going on at DOT right now, do you know where they are in the process of being completed?
WILLIAMS: Working here [at the DOA], I’m aware of many of the projects. But obviously, as I transition over there, that will be one of the first things that I do, is get a good handle on the status of those projects.
PBN: What are your priorities, other than completing unfinished projects such as the relocation of Interstate 195, the Route 403 connector and the Washington Bridge?
WILLIAMS: I think one of the priorities in state government should be providing outstanding customer service. … I stress that here, within the Department of Administration. Obviously, I want to bring that as well to the Department of Transportation. And I think they do a great job, but there’s always room for improvement. … Making sure we identify and meet the transportation needs for the citizens and the state is another [priority].
PBN: How do you define customer-service excellence in the public sector?
WILLIAMS: [Customer service] can be very similar, whether it’s public sector or private sector. Especially in state government, we don’t tend to think of the citizens of the state as customers. They truly are customers of the state. And we need to make sure we understand the expectations of our customer base and meet those expectations.
PBN: Can you give an example of how you’ve brought customer service into the public sector?
WILLIAMS: There are a number of things we have done. For example, there was the renovation of the Cranston Street Armory that needed to be done in about eight weeks to allow the “Underdog” production to proceed. People told me that could never be done, and we did it. … That’s a good example of saying we have to know what our customers’ expectations are and we have to find a way to meet them.
PBN: How do you go about meeting customers’ expectations?
WILLIAMS: First, you have to identify what the expectations are. Then, you determine whether you are capable of meeting it based on the current structure. If you’re not, then you have to identify an action plan on how to meet those expectations. It’s almost like a gap analysis.
PBN: How did you use that strategy in getting the Training School started?
WILLIAMS: When I had arrived here in 2003 there was a plan to build a new Training School for [the R.I. Department of Children, Youth and Families]. It had been approved. There was funding allocated for it. But it had not been sited yet. It had been delayed for a couple years. … Every day that [went] by was costing the state money. I found a site … [and] established a management plan on getting that project started and getting it under way. And it is now under way, it is on our time schedule and it is under budget right now.
PBN: What is going to be your biggest challenge in taking this new position?
WILLIAMS: I think the biggest challenge is making sure we meet the needs for transportation over the next four to five years. I also think the financial management of the projects … given the fact that we do have a budget issue in the state … are going to be significant challenges as well.
PBN: How does your background in the private sector help you when you’re dealing with complicated budgets for projects in the public sector?
WILLIAMS: Having experience in both the public and private sectors can be beneficial. In the private sector, I was a senior vice president at Fleet and had significant responsibility within that organization. … I think that gave me a significant amount of experience managing large, complex budgets, managing large organizations … and I believe I have carried that forward into the role I’m in now, and will carry that forward for DOT.
