Top: John Williams ’94, right, with John Schoonover, at the Kalmar Nyckel at a send-off event for University of Delaware rowers going to the Pan American Games in Chile; Williams, center, at a Christina River clean-up event. Bottom: Williams at an event where his company, IncNow, was celebrating its B Corp Certification at the YMCA; Williams as a student at Tower Hill in 1986.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT JOHN WILLIAMS ’94 INVOLVED WITH WILMINGTON-AREA NONPROFITS BY HEATHER WEYMOUTH LOWRY ’97, DIRECTOR OF THE ANNUAL FUND
John Williams ’94, a proud lifer of Tower Hill, discovered his “food for the soul” more than 30 years ago when Tower Hill allowed him to participate in the Wilmington Youth Rowing Association (WYRA) program as an outside-of-school spring sport. In fact, his love of rowing and his involvement as a volunteer coach throughout his adult life propelled him into various Wilmington-based nonprofit commitments, initially with environmental organizations and later with community minded organizations. “When Tower Hill allowed me to participate in the WYRA program, my passion for sustaining our environment ignited,” Williams said. “During the 1990s when I rowed with WYRA, the Wilmington Riverfront was industrial, and the Christina River was one of the dirtiest rivers in the country. Watching it improve year by year through public works projects has inspired me to play a role in further enhancements to promote clean water.” 64
Tower Hill Bulletin
Fall 2021
After rowing at Williams College and coaching undergraduates as a law student at Emory University, Williams returned to Wilmington in 2001 to practice trust and business law with his father, David N. Williams, Esq. ’53. Both Hillers also operate IncNow, a business formation service that has facilitated business incorporations for about 20,000 entrepreneurs. Soon after Williams moved back to Wilmington, he helped get the University of Delaware men’s rowing program started and began volunteering as a coach, what he calls “food for the soul.” Coaching has led to 25 University of Delaware students and alumni working for their law firm, including Ryan Jornlin, Esq. ’04. IncNow has supported many UD rowers as they pursued national team dreams. Williams views his roles as an attorney and a volunteer as integrated parts of his life—something he attributes to beloved former English faculty member John Robinson.
