Former Fayetteville Public Works Commission Chairman, Robert C. Williams, passed away on November 6, 2026. Williams was a retired educator who served on the PWC Board for 20 years, helping provide leadership and oversight for the community’s electric, water, and sanitary sewer systems.
Williams became PWC’s first African-American board member when appointed to the position by the City of Fayetteville City Council on July 27, 1981. He retired on June 30, 2001. He was first elected Chairman in 1991 and held that position four times throughout his tenure as a Commissioner.
His two decades of service placed him in a leadership role during an important period of utility and economic development in Fayetteville. Highlights of the utility’s growth during this period include the following:…