Media/Publishing Advisor
Sheree Williams is a James Beard Award-winning founder and executive director of the nonprofit The Global Food and Drink Initiative (GFDI), based in Oakland, California. Since 2009, Sheree has published the first Black global digital media outlet and print culinary lifestyle publication, Cuisine Noir, that connects the African diaspora through food, drink and travel. Through her leadership, the outlet has pioneered and influenced important conversations about Black chefs, food culture, winemakers, travel influencers and more.
Sheree is a 2022 – 2024 judge for the James Beard Awards, a 2020 Women of the Vine & Spirits Fuel Your Dream scholarship recipient and a trendspotter for the Specialty Food Association.
When she is not leading a global education and media organization, you can find the Illinois native trying new recipes, exploring her Bay Area backyard or the world, sipping on her favorite glass of bubbles or relaxing by the water.
