Katherine Williams Heads Capital Projects at Georgetown University

Architect and Advocate for Black Women in Architecture

Assistant director of Capital Projects at Georgetown, Katherine Williams has helped renovate historic spaces, design sacred spaces, and build out laboratories on campus. She leads a team of four project managers who oversee design projects in downtown Washington, DC, and on the Hilltop.

She and her team juggle a variety of projects that make Georgetown run, from overhauling HVAC equipment to tuning up Gaston Hall’s balcony. The reward, she said, is not just the end reveal, but the process of constructing too.

“Because we have everybody doing all types of things, you can learn about different types of projects,” Williams said. “It’s cool to see the behind-the-scenes, behind-the-wall stuff that most people don’t get to see.”

Williams got hooked on architecture at an early age, and went on to earn her bachelor’s in architecture from Howard University and master’s of science in real estate from American University. While studying architecture, Williams saw development ramp up in some areas of DC, while other areas were underdeveloped. She started thinking more about how architecture could impact communities for the better.