Darrin L. Williams

Darrin Williams’ career is a unique combination of business, law, and politics. Currently serving as the CEO of Southern Bancorp, Inc., Williams oversees the strategic direction and operations of each of Southern’s three Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI): Southern Bancorp, Inc., a bank holding company; Southern Bancorp Bank, one of America’s largest rural development banks; and Southern Bancorp Community Partners, a 501(c)(3) development finance and lending organization, collectively known as “Southern.”

Southern was founded more than thirty years ago when some of the nation’s most notable political, business, and philanthropic leaders came together around a central idea, that the economic challenges facing many underserved communities could in part be addressed through the creation of a values-based financial organization focused on providing net-worth building services to those who most need them. With an initial investment of approximately $10 million and a mission to create economic opportunity, Southern has grown to nearly $2 billion in assets, 65,000 customers, and 52 locations primarily in underserved markets in the rural Mid-South. Today, Southern is one of the most effective and largest community development organizations in the United States, as well as a model for the CDFI industry.

Williams joined Southern in 2013, and under his leadership Southern has experienced unprecedented growth, attracting over $50 million in equity capital, increasing its assets by $900 million dollars, and expanding its geographic footprint and product offerings. Williams led the simplification of Southern’s capital structure, reducing five classes of common equity to one series, creating a mechanism that continues to provide all shareholders with liquidity (regular quarterly dividends and bi-annual share buybacks), and changing Southern’s legal organization to a Benefit Corporation (and a certified B-Corp) to ensure ongoing mission protection. Southern is also a member of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV), an international network of banking leaders committed to advancing positive change in the banking sector with a goal to change the banking system so that it is more transparent, more inclusive and supports economic, social, and environmental sustainability.