NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Grace M. Lopez-Williams has achieved great professional success as a Latino
businesswoman in Atlanta since moving in 1994. Her thriving and successful accounting
practice is a tribute to her relentless pursuit of professional excellence and the will of a Latino
woman determined to make a difference both on a personal and professional level. On a
professional level this has meant accolades and recognition among her peers and by the
Hispanic community in Atlanta. Williams has been in the local spotlight since in 1999, she
was the first Latino member appointed by Governor Roy Barnes to the Workforce Investment
Board. Also in 1999 the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce bestowed upon her the
award of Business Woman of the Year. She was chosen one of Atlanta’s 100 Most Influential
Women in Business by the organization Women Looking Ahead. She is was also the President
and Founder of the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Chapter of the National Society of
Hispanic MBAs. In 2000, Hispanic Business Magazine selected Williams among the 100
Most Influential Hispanics in the United States, selection that puts her in the national
spotlight.
On a more personal level, she has translated her successes into community advocacy and the
commitment to help Hispanics in our area become success stories of their own. Those who
have benefited the most are the hundreds of Hispanic small business owners that she has
helped become successful and the thousands of Latinos that she has touched through the
years. Her achievements are not hers alone, they belong to a community that she proudly
represents and fights for from several trenches.
In 2004 Governor Sonny Perdue has appointed Lopez- Williams, to the Georgia State Board
of Accountancy. In 2005 the Georgia Women Entrepreneurs (GWEN) recognized the
achievements of women-owned businesses, included in this acknowledgement was Lopez-
Williams who co-founded the Ivy Preparatory Academy for Girls, the first of its kind charter
school in Gwinnett County and for also serving as a founding member of the Atlanta Sunrise
Bank.
In her Georgia State Board of Accountancy appointment, Lopez-Williams regulated the practice of public accounting,
set standards for accounting licensure and investigated and disciplined unauthorized, negligent or incompetent
practices. During her tenure Lopez-Williams the only Latina and the youngest woman on the State Board of
Accountancy and was nominated by her peers as the board’s Chairperson. Another reason she considered herself a
“role model not only for the Latino community but women in general.” She noted that her appointment brought
“diversification to the Board” and hoped her hard work and commitment in the newly appointed
position motivated other Latinos to consider public office. Lopez-Williams is also the first Latina to serve on the
Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce board and is proud to note her involvement with this prestigious body at the time.
Whether as part of the Governor’s Workforce Investment Board, the Georgia State Board of
Accountancy or even the positions she holds on numerous other Boards, our community has
in Grace Lopez-Williams an unconditional champion of Hispanic causes and endeavors. The
Hispanic community—especially Latino women—has in Grace Lopez- Williams a leader, a
role model and a heartwarming individual that asserts pride to be Latino!