Carolyn Williamson, Legend of Girls Inc., Retires.
By Roberta Wilhelm
Roberta Wilhelm is the executive director of Girls Inc.
Carolyn Williamson, known at Girls Inc. as “Ms. CT,” recently retired after a long and distinguished career with the school. There will be an open house reception in her honor at The Venue in the Highlander Accelerator on Tues. Apr. 5 from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m., 2120 N. 30th St.
Williamson started working at Girls Inc. in 1995 and served variously as director of operations, health access and independent living. She was a beloved coach and mentor for many of the staff members.
Williamson was the inspiration for an annual teen trip and its scholarship fund and the establishment of a transitional living facility called Protégé House. Since 2006, she has travelled 35,000 miles with the girls on annual trips. Prior to her tenure at Girls Inc. she worked at Union Pacific and Omaha Housing Authority.
Remarks by Executive Director Roberta Wilhelm at a Girls Inc. luncheon.
I would like to share something important that will be happening in 2021. Ms. Carolyn “CT” Williamson— who has given 27 years of her life and most certainly of her prime to girls in this community— will be retiring from Girls Inc.
Carolyn Williamson, then- U.S. Senator Barack Obama, and Susie Buffett. Photo credit: Girls Inc., 2005.
My first day at Girls Inc., I had a basket of candy on my desk. Ms. CT told me, “You can’t have that candy on your desk.” I thought to myself, “Who is this woman?” And “She is not the boss of me!” That day, two little girls came in my office and each helped themselves to a piece of candy. The next day 20 girls came. The third day, over 150 girls came and there were candy wrappers— identifiable to the candy on my desk— all over the hall. I realized that I could not, after all, have a basket of candy on my desk.
I also realized Ms. CT most likely was, in fact, very much the boss of me.
Girls, wanting to understand my relationship to Girls Inc., will frequently ask me, “Do you run this place?” And I say, “Yes, I do.” Then, incredulously, they ask, “But you’re not the boss of Ms. CT?” And I reassure them, “No, I’m not the boss of Ms. CT.”
I have attended galas with CT. And fund-raising calls. We have attended celebrations and girls’ graduations and weddings. And, sadly, some funerals.
From left to right: Shannon Dunning, Kelly Cole, Stephanie Sorensen, Roberta Wilhelm, Malala Yousafzai, Carolyn Williamson, Emily Mwaja, Hannah Jackson, Warren Buffett, Sharon Appleby, Astrid Buffett. Photo credit: Girls Inc., 2016.
We’ve done 5K’s together although I have seen her run much faster sprinting across the neighborhood to catch up with a girl who is running away from our center.
Together we have dealt with every bodily fluid there is to deal with when you work with thousands of girls every day.
I’ve hiked with her. And snorkeled with her. And tried new foods with her. I’ve done karaoke with her (I would never attempt Tina Turner without her).
We’ve taken turns deescalating girls. And deescalating each other.
We’ve let the girls throw pies at us.
We’ve worked hard on the STD epidemic and the COVID pandemic.
I have personally gone on annual teen trips with Ms. CT and the girls - to D.C., New York City, Yellowstone National Park, Mt. Rushmore, across the state of Nebraska, Chicago, New Orleans, Florida, California, the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls and more.
On trips to Washington, D.C., New York City, Hershey, PA, The Grand Canyon, New Orleans, and Hawaii
I traveled in a bus with her and 45+ girls for many, many miles and many, many hours. On little to no sleep. Fueled with a steady diet of fast food, hot sauce, and Twizzlers. It is in times like these that your true, core self is exposed. You are in no state of mind or body to present anyone to the bus family but your raw, authentic self. I can unequivocally say that Ms. CT’s core self likes a good time, is hard-working and energetic, a role model of curiosity and openness to new experiences, and always, always puts the girls first.
When you say no more super soaker spraying, she has got to get that last spray in.
It’s true that she can be like the girls. When you say no more super soaker spraying, she has got to get that last spray in. And at Yellowstone when you say DON’T TOUCH THE THERMAL SPRINGS, who sneaks a touch of the thermal springs? Like the girls, she has been known to hide from me when she thinks I have bad news for her. She’ll straight up tell me, “I don’t want to talk to you” and then she’ll turn and run.
And at Yellowstone when you say DON’T TOUCH THE THERMAL SPRINGS, who sneaks a touch of the thermal springs?
Ms CT has never hesitated to school me in all things equity and to let me know when I have messed up. She has made me a better white woman.
When I first started at Girls Inc., in addition to foolishly putting a candy basket on my desk, I was interviewing girls for quotes for my first newsletter. I was asking them, “Why would you tell a friend to come to Girls Inc.” Two of the younger girls were eager to answer. The first one told me, “I would tell my friend you will be safe at Girls Inc. You won’t be shot.’ The second little girl piped in, ‘Yeah, and Ms. CT will love you.’”
“You will be safe at Girls Inc. And Ms. CT will love you.”
I have learned over the 18 years we have worked together that Ms. CT does make girls feel safe. And Ms. CT does love the girls. And they know it. And she loves me. And I love her.
