The Ripple Effect: Tiffany
Meet Tiffany Williams!
Tiffany joined Union Capital in 2025 after being referred by both a friend and CSNDC (Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation).
Ever since, Tiffany has been an active member participating in many events, including Spotlight on Leadership, Network Nights, Table Talks, Communities of Practice, and more. Tiffany is also a recipient of Union Capital’s Thomas J. Ruffen Award and David R. Leslie Grant, which she is using to promote sustainability and bring her creative vision to life through her Style and Sustainability Showcase.
Tiffany participated as a facilitator in the Summer of S.O.L. (Spotlight on Leadership) program in 2025. It was an impactful event for both Tiffany and the people who attended her workshop. A goal of hers during her workshop was to help members reimagine textiles and work to redesign items instead of throwing them away. To accomplish this, she had UC members bring a piece of furniture that they thought was outdated and helped them redesign and revamp the piece into something new. Instead of throwing away textiles that were outdated, Tiffany worked with members of the community to reimagine them, and taught them how to do it themself. This workshop helped give people useful skills and showed them how to rework and redesign household items to be more up-to-date and aesthetically appealing, rather than throwing them away. This helps both people and the environment.
Not only did this experience help members of the community, it also helped Tiffany step into a space that she never thought she could navigate. This experience and Union Capital as a whole allowed and encouraged her to step into leadership. Union Capital helped guide her as she progressed in her leadership journey. Through Summer of S.O.L., she was able to plan and teach a class that gave people invaluable knowledge about how to better use textiles and live more sustainably. It gave her a space to instruct, delegate, and ultimately grow her leadership abilities.
Tiffany’s experience with Summer of S.O.L., encouragement received from Dennis Hicks, and the grants from Union Capital gave her the tools and leadership resources necessary for her to plan her first style and sustainability fashion show. As a part of planning the show, Tiffany was advised by Dennis to start a committee to help her plan and execute the show where she created an 11-person committee, made partially of Union Capital members. Planning the show and running the committee gave her the opportunity to step into a leadership role, and facilitate an entire committee working towards bringing her vision to life, and to connect members of the community with her passion for working towards a more sustainable future. Her fashion show also gives both UC members and members of the community the chance to see the beauty of sustainability and learn about the importance of decreasing emissions. Her show, being open to all, provides an opportunity for members of the community to connect and learn about an important issue facing the world right now. Through the partnership, the show also acts as a way to introduce people to Union Capital and the resources it has to offer. Tiffany says that UC gave her the idea and encouragement to penetrate new spaces that she had not previously explored.
Along with her Style and Sustainability Showcase, Tiffany owns her own pop-up shop entitled Grandeur Finds by Tiffany, where she works to increase BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) accessibility to textiles. There, she also works to promote the circular economy, reduce emissions, and keep textiles out of landfills. Any gifts or clothes that are gifted to her that she does not feel fit her vision for these places are donated to local churches and shelters to help those in need. Both through her fashion show and her pop-up shop, Tiffany works to promote and teach others how to live more sustainably.
Tiffany’s dedication to sustainability and reducing emissions shines in everything she does. Through her work with Union Capital, she has taught members how to reimagine and redesign household items that they would have otherwise discarded. Through her Style and Sustainability Showcase, she connects members of the community and teaches them both the beauty and importance of sustainability. Through her pop-up shop, she helps increase BIPOC access and knowledge to textiles while also helping those in need by donating items to local organizations. As she continues to make waves in her community, her passion and dedication also lead her to work to create a better world!
“Sustainability is not just about going green or recycling. It's about how you actually live. Being able to give back to the community you are in is actual sustainability.”
