Cyndie Williams knows how to build a career in construction, one job at a time.

Williams joined the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America in 1999, completing a four-year apprenticeship before working her way up to journeyman status. In 2006, Williams began teaching disadvantaged youth for the union’s Job Corps program before becoming an East Coast field coordinator. Now the executive director at Philadelphia-based Carpenter Contractor Trust, a union advocacy group, she works to pay forward the efforts of those who helped her along her own path.

Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in labor studies and employment relations from Rutgers University and was appointed to the Brookdale Community College Board of Trustees by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy in June 2024.

Her leadership extends beyond career development. She is a relentless advocate for workers’ rights, fair wages and equitable workplaces, according to her nominator. She co-created the “Labor Lounge,” a podcast exploring organized labor through success stories and insights from union leaders, partners and community changemakers.