Rev. Dr. Sidney S. Williams, Jr. is a co-founder, former Board Chair, and current Board Member of the Oikos Institute for Social Impact. An ordained minister, impact investment advisor, independent corporate director, and author, has spent more than three decades working at the intersection of faith, finance, institutional leadership, and community economic development. His work challenges congregations and community institutions to move beyond traditional fundraising models toward strategies that mobilize existing assets, expand access to capital, and build sustainable community wealth.

As a continuing thought leader and active member of the Oikos Board, Dr. Williams helps shape the Institute's capital access strategy, including efforts to establish catalytic financing mechanisms that support congregational and community-based real estate development. His particular interest is in bridging the gap between institutional readiness and investment readiness, ensuring that historically underserved congregations and community institutions have the governance capacity, technical assistance, financial structures, and partnerships necessary to attract and responsibly deploy capital.
Dr. Williams is CEO of Crossing Capital Group, a benefit corporation that advises faith-based and mission-driven institutions on financing and development strategies. His expertise includes structuring catalytic capital, integrating philanthropic and public resources with private investment, and developing partnerships that make community-serving projects financially viable. A central focus of his work is the adaptive reuse of underutilized religious property for affordable housing, economic development, and other mission-aligned purposes.

An ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Dr. Williams served for 16 years as Senior Pastor of Bethel AME Church in Morristown, New Jersey, and previously served in missionary ministry in South Africa. He currently serves as Director of Development for the Second Episcopal District of the AME Church, where he works to strengthen congregational economic capacity, cultivate partnerships, and expand opportunities for community development.

Dr. Williams serves as an Independent Director of Valley National Bank (NASDAQ: VLY), bringing extensive experience in corporate governance, risk oversight, fiduciary responsibility, and capital allocation. A former Wall Street investment banker, he has contributed to more than $10 billion in financial transactions and helped mobilize more than $50 million in catalytic capital for social ventures and place-based development.
He is the author of Fishing Differently, which provides an important intellectual foundation for the work of Oikos. His F.I.S.H. Capital framework recognizes Faith, Intellectual, Social, and Human capital as essential resources for institutional sustainability and community transformation. By emphasizing people, property, and partnerships, the framework encourages congregations to recognize the economic and social value already present within their communities and to leverage those resources to attract additional investment.
Dr. Williams also teaches in the doctoral program at Drew Theological School and holds degrees from Howard University, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Wesley Theological Seminary, and Payne Theological Seminary.

Guiding Question
How can we equip congregations and communities to mobilize the capital they already possess, access the capital they need, and transform underutilized assets into lasting sources of community wealth?