NABJ Congratulates Former President Vanessa Williams on Retirement From The Washington Post After 27 Impactful Years

NABJ congratulates former NABJ President Vanessa Williams (1997–1999) on her retirement from The Washington Post after 27 impactful years. Her retirement is effective Dec. 31.

In an announcement, The Post leadership team described her as “an accomplished journalist and cherished colleague who has been a fierce advocate for diversity in our coverage and on our staff.”

Williams has held multiple key roles at The Post in writing and editing, including most recently as a Deputy National Politics Editor, “steering coverage of voters and the changing American electorate. She has guided illuminating reports about the country’s shifting political terrain and the issues and candidates that animate disparate groups of voters.”

Her work at The Post has included dynamic coverage of race and politics, including writing about how Black voter participation affects elections and efforts to pass legislation.

According to The Post, she is celebrated as an expert on the political activism of Black women as organizers, candidates, and voters. Her reporting has also shed light on the disproportionate rate of COVID-19 infections and deaths among the Black community.

Williams is celebrated by friends, colleagues, and mentees for her commitment to “elevating the voices of disenfranchised Americans and to advocating for those from diverse backgrounds within our newsroom.”

Before The Post, Williams worked for 12 years at the Philadelphia Inquirer, covering local government and politics. She started her journalism journey at her hometown paper, the St. Petersburg Times (now the Tampa Bay Times).