Liz Williams is a finance professional and lifelong Californian. In addition to now serving as Director of Financial Planning & Analysis for a tech start-up, focused on disrupting the hair color industry, she was also finance manager at Sephora US Retail, managing a P&L with revenue over $3B and expenses of over $800M. Liz also had the exciting opportunity to fulfill her dream of being in the entertainment industry by leading the FP&A efforts for Lucasfilm's Animation Division.

Liz received her MBA with an emphasis in Global Business from University of Redlands and attended undergrad at the University of California, Riverside.

Liz has been happily married to creative/entrepreneur Mashama Thompson for four years. When not working, she enjoys gardening, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.


Location: Oakland, California

"On this journey with BlackFemaleProject, my definition [of thriving professionally] has evolved and been re-shaped. Thriving to me is actually mind, body, and soul." - Liz Williams Episode summary: In tandem with their story releases, each BlackFemaleProject contributor participates in a post-submission conversation. In this episode, BlackFemaleProject collection editor dana e. fitchett talks with finance professional and inaugural cohort member Liz Williams about thriving professionally, the impacts of the writing process, and the realities of being a Black woman in leadership in the finance sector. This episode is sponsored by: Holly Babe Faust and Janet Stone (Become a sponsor: http://www.blackfemaleproject.org/donate/ GUEST Liz Williams is a finance professional and lifelong Californian. In addition to now serving as Director of Financial Planning & Analysis for a tech startup, focused on disrupting the hair color industry, she was also finance manager at Sephora US Retail, managing a P&L with revenue over $3B and expenses of over $800M. Liz also had the exciting opportunity to fulfill her dream of being in the entertainment industry by leading the FP&A efforts for Lucasfilm’s Animation Division. Liz received her MBA with an emphasis in Global Business from University of Redlands and attended undergrad at the University of California, Riverside. Twitter & Instagram: @Mzlizw HOST Dana E. Fitchett, BlackFemaleProject inaugural collection editor, is a justice-focused, multi- and inter-disciplinary artist (dancer/choreographer/dance teacher, visual artist, writer); and content and copy editor/proofreader specializing in equity focus. Dana is a mixed-race Black woman who uses her relationship to music, visual art, and movement as a sandbox for exploration of identity and issues of justice, and for seeking healing from racism and capitalism through the reimagination of possibilities. Follow: @def_artinmotion