Dr. Burton Williams became the Chief Executive Officer of the Ayers Foundation Trust in 2023. Dr. Williams is a veteran leader in business, development, and education. He spent nearly 25 years in higher education administration, community engagement, academics, and research. Most recently, Dr. Williams was the Director of Trustcore Institutional at TrustCore located in Brentwood, TN. He previously served as Associate Vice President for Advancement, as well as Assistant Dean of the College of Education and Associate Dean of the College of Business at Lipscomb University in Nashville. He earlier held similar roles at Freed-Hardeman University in West Tennessee.

Dr. Williams serves on the Board of Jackson State Community College Foundation, The Foundation for the College System of Tennessee, and is the Past-President of the Financial Planning Association of Middle, TN. He has a Doctor of Education from Lipscomb University, a Master of Science in financial planning, and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Freed-Hardeman University.