Director, Corporate Citizenship & Community Affairs, Trane Technologies
Executive Director, Trane Technologies Foundation
Deidra Parrish Williams leads Corporate Citizenship for global climate solutions and sustainability leader Trane Technologies, where she drives its strategy and programming, including oversight of Trane Technologies Foundation. By 2030, she will oversee the investment of $100M in STEM education and career pathing programs for populations around the world currently underrepresented in the industry.
A former journalist, Deidra started her career authoring compelling stories, and today, storytelling is paramount in her work as she generates support and advocacy to advance the narratives of those who lack access and influence.
Deidra believes that corporate citizenship is a necessary agent in a healthy society, and her leadership has produced award-winning work, including at Cablevision, and as founding executive director of NuHealth Foundation, the philanthropic arm for a New York safety net health system. She has also led unique community impact programs generating millions of dollars of revenue, as well as campaigns that have directed tens of millions of charitable dollars, social capital, and allyship for marginalized communities.
Deidra has enjoyed meaningful board engagements including with the Bethpage Federal Credit Union, The Nassau County Holocaust Museum, Project GRAD, and the Energeia Partnership at Molly College. She currently serves on the boards of Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Foundation, the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals, and is an advisory board member to the Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM and Society, an initiative of the Afterschool Alliance.
A frequent speaker on issues related to the CSR shared value model, Deidra is most delighted when she has the opportunity to be in a room of young people. Deidra is a married mom of two adult daughters who lives in Davidson, North Carolina. At heart, she remains a writer and has many published works, from features and Op-Eds to a 2017 novel, The Current’s Whisper.
