For 50 years now, DeCharlene Williams has been one of the most ambitious and flamboyant women in the great city of Seattle as Owner and Operator of DeCharlene Beauty Shop & Boutique and DeCharlene Beauty & Barber College.
Born in Texas, she moved to Portland at the age of 2 and then Seattle as a teenager.
She has defined herself as more than just an astute businesswoman. A wife, mother and grandmother is just part of her legacy. In the 1980’s, Williams served as a member of Mayor Charles Royer’s Small Business Task Force. Williams also founded the Central Area Chamber of Commerce to help businesses seek solutions to common problems. Her connections to the Royer administration also helped land a grant to write a short book on the area’s history in 1990, including a second volume later in 1996. She also published a business directory and a calendar of community events. Williams was the co-founder of the Central Area Youth Association (C.A.Y.A.). Her initiative, vision, courage, wisdom, sacrifice, perseverance, compassion and service to the community continues to define her as a trailblazer to this day.
