Cyndie Williams
City and State: Tinton Falls, NJ.
Current Company and Position: Executive Director at the Carpenter Contractor Trust.
Family: Jaclyn Williams (spouse); Nate Williams (15); Braedyn Williams (13); Brody Williams (13).
First Job: painting houses in the summer at a townhome complex when I was 17.
What it taught me: That summer job painting gave me a firsthand look at what a carpenter does. I would watch the men work, placing cedar siding, board by board. I was fascinated by the skill, the precision. As I bathed in paint thinner at the end of every day, I thought, "I want to be a carpenter, I want to learn how to do that". And so, I did. I found the union, and I became an apprentice.
Best advice you could give someone starting out: "Head down and work hard. Somebody will eventually show up to help you discover your next opportunity."
Who is your hero and why? My heroes are the ones who give selflessly to their communities. The ones that show up for the small moments, the hard moments with no cameras, no limelight. The doers are my heroes.
Biography: Cyndie Williams accepted the role as Executive Director of the Carpenter Contractor Trust (CCT) in December 2021. She actively oversees CCT's partnerships with the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters (EASRCC) and union signatory contractor organizations to promote and support their shared values, competencies, and ambitions. Cyndie extends this vision across the EASRCC domain, encompassing New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.
As the Executive Director, Cyndie is committed to overseeing all CCT’s initiatives, ranging from collaborating with industry partners to developing a unified workforce. She believes that expanding market share and work hours are vital indicators for the union's sustained growth and well-being.
Under Cyndie's guidance, CCT aims to broaden its reach and impact within the construction industry. She considers rich talent pools essential to her mission. This emphasis is vital to attracting new talent and fostering a robust, prosperous environment for union carpenters and signatory contractors.
This aligns with CCT's efforts to bolster the engagement of the region's workforce partners, encouraging ethically responsible employment strategies. Cyndie supports this effort by promoting the building trades as a promising career path for American youth and advocating for more project labor agreements. Both are important components that add to the development of union jobs.
Cyndie also views energy infrastructure initiatives as vital to maintaining the union's robust presence in the region’s critical energy sector. The CCT's involvement with several energy coalitions throughout the council reflects its commitment to long-term energy solutions.
Cyndie's leadership is instrumental in steering CCT toward achieving these core objectives, with a focus on the broader vision of building a prosperous future for the construction industry and the communities it serves.
