Lamiya Williams is the senior operations manager for StockX. Williams attended Clark Atlanta University and started her career shortly after in the footwear and apparel industry. She has worked in various capacities within the sneaker industry over the span of her 10-year career including sales, merchandising, product marketing, and supply chain management. She delivers results by giving her team the tools they need to be successful.
Why did you select your career?
I have always been into sneakers for as long as I can remember. Growing up with two older brothers, basketball was a constant theme in my home in the ’90s. The evolution of culture-shifting into basketball shoes as it relates to fashion has always captivated me and I think my career is a direct reflection of that. I love the self-expression and versatility in fashion and sneakers and I never dreamed that love would take me this far in my career.
As a Black woman, what do you consider your superpowers to be?
My superpower is resilience. There have been so many times I have wanted to give up, but the yearning for greatness surpasses that. I believe I get this superpower from my mother and grandmother, two women I have seen embody this all of my life. My second would be discernment, having the ability to see and lead through scenarios that seem scary or big at the moment but provide great lessons learned to move forward.
What key skills or qualities make you unique as an African American female leader?
I believe my ability to adapt, relate and nurture in any environment I am in allows me to have direct connections and feedback as a leader. I’m a very direct person, and I like to cultivate my working relationships in this way as well so everyone knows what is expected of them and why. It is so important to have that level of transparency with your team.
What thoughtful or encouraging piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
I would tell my younger self to bloom where you’re planted. Continue to grow, stretch and elevate even if that means you have to outgrow this particular flower pot and find a bigger one to bloom in.
If you could thank any Black woman for her contributions to history and society, who would it be and why?
I would like to thank Michelle Obama. Not only was she the first Black woman to serve as first lady, but her accomplishments while serving awarded her a civil rights award and elevated our awareness [of] young women’s education. Even with all these efforts, she always humbly advocates that she is “a mother first” to her two daughters and I think that is so important. Not only has she been a figure and role model for Black women globally, but her most important role is that of a mother. That resonates with me so much because this is also my first order of business.
