Meet Kelly Williams

Kelly Williams is a distinguished art collector, philanthropist, and CEO of The Williams Legacy Foundation, recognized for her transformative impact in the alternative investment industry and her dedication to promoting diversity and inclusion in the arts. In 1999, Kelly founded the Customized Fund Investment Group (CFIG), which she built into a market-leading platform managing over $30 billion in assets across private equity, real estate, and infrastructure. After leading its successful sale in 2014, she transitioned to philanthropy, establishing The Williams Legacy Foundation in 2015 to foster innovative partnerships and support underserved communities.

Ms. Williams is a Board Director and Nominating and Governance Committee Chair of The Greenbrier Companies (GBX). She is also on the board of the KKR Private Equity Conglomerate and serves on its audit committee.

Ms. Williams is the founding Chair of PEWIN, a network for senior women in the private equity industry. PEWIN is dedicated to connecting women to do business together, increase the profile of women in the industry and encourage women to start their own firms. She established and hosts the PEWIN podcast “Moments That Made Her”.

Ms. Williams plays a prominent role in cultural leadership, serving as Vice Chair of The Norton Museum of Art and recently completing her term as Chair of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Board of Commissioners. She also holds board positions with the Brooklyn Museum and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, further supporting the arts through regular loans and gifts of artwork to these institutions.

Ms. Williams has received many awards throughout her career in the financial services industry and was named as one of The Most Powerful Women in Finance by American Banker Magazine 2011 - 2014. Her family has lived in the Hudson Valley of New York for over 400 years. She graduated magna cum laude from Union College in Schenectady, NY in 1986 and received her Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law in 1989. Ms. Williams resides with her husband, Andrew Forsyth, in Palm Beach, FL, and maintains homes in Nantucket, MA, and York, SC.