Vadonna Williams

Congressional District 7

Vadonna is a devoted mother of two sons and a wife to husband, Leonard, since 1997. Being married at 18 years of age and having her first child at 19, prompted Vadonna to quickly learn what community resources were available for new parents. From Medicaid and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) appointments to Parent Leadership training, Vadonna successfully navigated many systems and gained a wealth of knowledge about prevention.

She became a dedicated advocate for children and families in Tuscaloosa and throughout Alabama after obtaining both a BS in Early Childhood Education and a MS in Human Development and Family Studies, from the University of Alabama. She has nearly 16 years of parent leadership experience. Some of the roles she has taken on include being a Parent Leadership Coordinator, Peer Leader and Facilitator of parenting classes.

Her past experience with Tuscaloosa’s One Place as a Director of the Parenting Department, provided her with many opportunities to train both staff and parents on the use of parent leadership resources. Because of her strong leadership skills, Vadonna was appointed by the Governor of Alabama to serve as the Parent Representative on the Board of Directors for the Alabama Partnership for Children. She is also a founding member of the Alabama Partnership’s Family Advisory Committee.

On a national level, she serves as a steering committee member for the National Early Childhood Family Network. She also serves on the FRIENDS Parent Advisory Council (PAC). FRIENDS, the National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP), provides training and technical assistance to Federally funded CBCAP Programs. As a PAC member, Vadonna provides useful overall program direction and guidance to the activities of the National Center. She also shares her experience and expertise in child abuse prevention and family strengthening. Serving on the Alabama PAC, since 2020, has given Vadonna another opportunity to strengthen her parent leadership skills, as well as be a support, mentor, and advocate for the families in Alabama. Her goal is to continue to use her voice with families to share information and resources about child abuse and neglect prevention.