Ken Williams has been engaged in agriculture for as long as he can remember. As a young boy in southern Missouri, he harvested pecans to sell in his father’s grocery store and picked cotton.
After Williams completed eighth grade, his family moved to Phoenix, Ariz. However, the change of scenery didn’t stop his undeniable enthusiasm for agriculture.
Williams served as the Phoenix Union High School FFA president, Arizona FFA secretary, and then state president. He received American Farmer Degrees at both the state and national levels.
“FFA does an outstanding job, together with agricultural education, developing young men and women,” he said. “It gives members a great advantage in school and life over other students who aren’t involved.”
Williams began management training at Valley National Bank of Arizona, the state’s leading bank at the time. He was an assistant manager at several branches and then worked in credit approval. Over 18 years, he advanced to the national accounts department and became manager and vice president.
Ken Williams
Later in his career, Williams traded banking for horticulture. He owned a large wholesale production nursery with three facilities in Arizona and 3.2 million square feet of greenhouses and shade houses in Texas.
Now retired, Williams and his wife, Judy, remain significant philanthropists for FFA and agricultural education.
He co-founded the Arizona Agricultural Education-FFA Foundation with other like-minded supporters and serves on the board of trustees. In 2018, the Williamses were honored with the Arizona FFA Blue and Gold Award. The Kenneth E. & Judith Williams Family Scholarship endowment funds scholarships for young people pursuing degrees in agribusiness and agricultural education, among other areas.
Williams has been a National FFA Foundation donor for more than 25 years. He is optimistic about the future, having recently visited with current and former members at an Arizona FFA Alumni and Supporters event.
From FFA, Ken Williams learned premier leadership, personal growth and career success, and he believes in giving back to the organization that gave him — and others — so much.
For anyone who’s considering a reason to give, Williams said, “All you have to do is look at the results that FFA produces to know that it’s worth supporting.”
