Raphael "Raffi" Williams '11 is the deputy press secretary for the Republican National Committee and was named to the 2015 Forbes "30 Under 30" list for law and policy.
Though he spends the majority of his 12-hour days talking, Raphael“Raffi” Williams '11, deputy press secretary for the Republican National Committee, learned his most important skill—listening—while working on his brother's Washington, D.C., city council campaign a decade ago.
“Some days I didn't want to knock on doors in the sweltering heat of D.C.,” he recalls, smiling,“but you meet a lot of interesting characters, and it was especially enlightening as a high schooler to learn that everyone has a different reason for being part of one party or another. The best thing I learned was to listen before I spoke.”
These days the 26-year-old (recently named to the 2015 Forbes“30 Under 30” list for law and policy) is a well-known entity working from an office on the Hill, reaching out to reporters, pitching ideas, and spreading positive messages about the Republican Party.
A few years ago, BlackEnterprise magazine called Williams“one of the smartest young guys coming up in the Republican Party,” and predicted that within 10 to 15 years, he'd be managing a presidential campaign. Given his rise so far, the idea's not far-fetched.
The youngest of three from a close-knit, religious family, Williams, who was born and raised in D.C., gives credit for who he is today to his father, former Washington Post and NPR reporter and current Fox News analyst Juan Williams '76, and mother Delise, a retired social worker. His mom ran their church's volunteer corps and, with her, he spent time in soup kitchens, delivered food to the elderly, and ate Christmas dinner with the homeless. At the same time, he was heavily influenced by his dad's national political reporting career.
He follows a long line of Haverford alumni, including his father, uncle (Roger Williams '69), and cousin (Jonathan Jenny '86), and though his Republican leanings meant he was politically outnumbered on campus, the anthropology major found Haverford welcoming and the perfect place to hone his talking points and communication skills.“It was exactly what I wanted, to be challenged,” Williams says.“You grow through challenges.”
After dabbling in a post-college public relations career, the outgoing, charismatic Williams secured a series of jobs on Capitol Hill, including spokesman for Rep. Dan Benishek's (R-Mich.) successful 2012 campaign and deputy communications director for the Republican Study Committee.“I learned a ton about how the Hill operates, the different forces behind a bill, and how squabbles are solved before things are brought to the floor,” he says.
In March 2013, he started in his current position; Williams writes two newsletters a day highlighting GOP ideas and triumphs (and Democratic gaffes and squabbles) and reaches out to conservative news outlets and the college press to spread the Republican message. He's also appeared on Fox News with his dad to debate race and politics.
“We've talked about how the Republican Party can do a better job of reaching out to minority voters and why blacks should be Republicans,” says Raffi.“Our views differ, but we learn a lot from each other.” The two continue those debates over family dinner each Sunday.
“There's a positive when you can have a young minority speaking eloquently about the issues of the day, including race, because of their background,” Williams says of his highly visible job. Describing himself as“happy-go-lucky,” he respects and likes hard work,“but I understand you have to smile and enjoy what you're doing.” Clearly, he does.
