Monica L. Williams is a senior cultural strategist and the Founder & CEO of Creative Legacy Projects, LLC — a national consulting practice and studio dedicated to artist care, community infrastructure, and the cultural workforce development of global majority communities.

With over 20 years of experience designing and leading artist-centered programs, Monica works at the intersection of arts, health, and social justice — helping foundations, cultural institutions, and movement organizations understand and invest in artists as essential infrastructure for civic life and community wellbeing. Her cross-sector expertise spans performing and multidisciplinary arts, criminal justice reform, health equity, education, and emerging technology, positioning her consistently ahead of where mainstream cultural institutions are ready to go.

Monica is the founder of a Welcome Table — a national practitioner-led initiative creating spaces of authentic connection, care, and community for global majority artists. Rooted in the tradition of artist gatherings across the African diaspora and beyond, a Welcome Table operates at the intersection of cultural practice and workforce sustainability, building the relational infrastructure that artists need to sustain creative lives with dignity.

With over 20 years of experience working alongside Pulitzer Prize winners, MacArthur Genius Fellows, and everyday working artists — and in partnership with some of the nation’s most influential cultural institutions — Monica brings both the ground-level practice and the national stage to her work. She has directed multi-million dollar cultural portfolios, led national artist cohorts and residencies, and built cross-sector partnerships between artists, philanthropic funders, and movement organizations at the local and national level.

Monica holds an M.A. in Applied Theatre from New York University and a B.F.A. in Theatre from Wright State University. She is a TEDWomen 2017 speaker, two-time MAP Fund recipient, and Certified AI Coach.