CALPIRG Staff
Rich Williams is the CALPIRG students Higher Education Advocate.
Since 2008, Williams has worked to represent college students before the White House, Congress and the Department of Education. His expertise is federal higher education policy, including affordable textbooks, student aid, grants, and loans. His views and opinions have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today and other publications.
A first generation college student, Williams started organizing for higher education while a student at Coconino Community College and Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. He spearheaded a statewide affordable textbooks campaign, organizing public university students, professors and Regents to introduce and pass a bill in the state legislature making textbooks more affordable. He graduated in 2008 with a degree in history.
Get Involved!
Work on important issues, learn valuable skills, get hands-on experience, and make a difference.
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Students from across the state organize a press conference to STOP CUTS to CalGrants in Sacramento with their elected officials. -
UC Berkeley Intern Kat Lockwood speaking to students at Cal about the NO on 23 campaign to protect California’s clean air and global warming law with Van Jones. -
UCSB interns host the Textbook Rebellion as part of a national tour to fight high prices and successfully get both TV and print media to report on their event. -
Actress Amy Smart speaks at the CALPIRG Statewide Organizing Conference about activism and banning plastic grocery bags. -
Four TV, two radio, and two print media cover our High Speed Rail Spring Break Tour stop in the central valley. -
UC Davis students kick off a TEXT-2-GIVE table for Somalia Famine Relief on the quad – our efforts statewide raised thousands of dollars for famine relief. -
UC Davis CALPIRG Interns Justin Hassis and Manny Rin take a photo petition during the CALPIRG Alternative Spring Break Tour- gathering hundreds of petitions calling for a statewide ban on single use polystyrene containers and plastic bags -
UCR, USC, and UCLA interns come together for a joint beach clean-up! -
Jared Calinisan, UC Mercd AmeriCorps Member and CALPIRG intern, teaching kids at a local elementary school about energy efficiency (UC Merced educated 1,157 kids in one quarter – way to go!) -
UC Merced intern caulking a window as part of our Energy Service Corps program’s work to save Californian’s energy and money while also saving the environment!