Contact: Mark S. Quigley
202-272-2004

WASHINGTON—Tony J. Williams, of Clyde Hill, Washington, was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as a member of the National Council on Disability (NCD) (www.ncd.gov). The U.S. Senate confirmed Mr. Williams' nomination on October 2, 2008.

Mr. Williams is a founding partner and Chairman of Washington Advocates, a Northwest-based public affairs firm with offices in Bellevue and Washington, D.C. The firm represents a wide variety of Northwest companies and organizations, including Bonneville Power Administration, Weyerhaeuser Corporation, the University of Washington, Chelan County Public Utility District, Russell Investments, Trident Seafoods and Sound Transit.

Mr. Williams is a graduate of Oregon State University, where he received a degree in Technical Journalism, and is now on the OSU Foundation Board of Trustees. 

Mr. Williams and his wife, Cindi, live in Clyde Hill, WA, with their sons, Joshua (a special needs student at Clyde Hill Elementary) and Jacob. Cindi works at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle. Tony and Cindi are both involved in a number of community-based charitable activities devoted to education improvements and providing opportunities for those with special needs and disabilities.

NCD is an independent federal agency and is composed of 15 members appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. It provides advice to the President, Congress, and executive branch agencies to promote policies, programs, practices, and procedures that guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability and to empower individuals with disabilities to achieve economic self-sufficiency, independent living, and inclusion and integration into all aspects of society.

For more information, please contact NCD's director of external affairs, Mark S. Quigley, at mquigley@ncd.gov or by telephone at 202-272-2004.