ORLANDO, Fla. — Women are holding more leadership roles in the workplace now compared to decades ago.

Data from the Pew Research Center showed that in 2023 (the most recent year available), 46% of all managers in the U.S. were women — up from just 29% in 1980.

Her name might not be known in most households in Orange County, but as deputy director of the county’s Community and Family Services Department, Lavon Williams leads half of the county’s government divisions, including hundreds of county employees. 

What You Need To Know

Data from the Pew Research Center shows women hold more leadership roles in the workplace now compared to decades ago

As deputy director of the county’s Community and Family Services Department, Lavon Williams leads half of Orange County’s government divisions and supervises hundreds of employees

Williams says she is most proud of organizing volunteers that pack 1,000 meals on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to help feed the hungry

Williams says she is looking forward to taking part in the Orange County Annual Women’s History Forum on Thursday, March 26

Williams is in charge of Parks and Recreation, the Regional History Center, Community Action, Citizen Resource and Outreach, and the county’s public information department. Williams said her ability to manage all of that didn’t develop overnight — she grew up going to local government meetings with her family.

“Not only were we there doing our homework, in those specific occasions where they needed some youthful voices, my brothers and sisters and I would sometimes talk,” Williams said.

Williams said those experiences inspired her to launch a career in public service. She said the example her mother set when she became a single mother also played a role in Williams’ career plans.

“Get a home, establish herself, finish college, all of that  — my momma is a superhero,” Williams said.

But Williams’ journey wasn’t always easy.

“There were times in my career where I felt like i was being told, ‘Go sit over there and be a good little girl,’” she said. “And maybe they didn’t say it in those exact terms, but you knew what was being told to you: You’re not in your place.”

But Williams said she never stopped pushing forward.

“A lot of times it really comes to the decision of, if not me, who?” Williams said.

And Williams achieved that leadership role, all while she and her husband raised two sons — and while she also worked as a family attorney. 

“I started early on learning how to develop a voice for myself, and how to advocate for others,” she said. “I think that is how it shaped me as an adult, because that’s what I do: I help others find a voice.

“And I help advocate for them for issues that range from how to get your utility lights on through my Orange County work, or whether it’s working with a child who’s been abused, neglected or abandoned through my attorney work.”

Some of the achievements Williams said she is most proud of include organizing volunteers that pack 1,000 meals on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to help feed the hungry; helping to launch the county’s financial empowerment center; and establishing the county’s Neighborhood Services Program, which revitalizes blighted neighborhoods.

“To be able to drive around the county and point to a place and say, ‘You know what? I did that. I worked with that neighborhood organization to accomplish that in this community,’” she said.

And to take care of herself while taking care of others, Williams said that in her downtime she loves to go to Disney.

“It’s an opportunity for me to remind myself that play is important, and that I am important,” she said, adding that “my wellbeing is critical to the ultimate goal of me succeeding in life.”

Williams credits her success to three things: “Faith, hope and pixie dust,” she said.

Williams said she’s looking forward to taking part in the Orange County annual Mayor’s Women’s History Forum as a way to celebrate and empower women. The forum, which is organized by Mayor Jerry Demings, is scheduled to take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at the Orange County Multicultural Center, located at 7149 W. Colonial Drive.