Andrea Williams Jones

I attribute my success to the guidance of my mentors, my parents, Eugene and Paula L. Williams and Dr. Shirley White, my business professor at LSU, whose leadership and insight have been instrumental in my development. My strong faith in God has also been a steady foundation that keeps me grounded and focused in my purpose. In addition, my persistence has played a key role in helping me overcome challenges and stay committed to my goals. I am also deeply motivated by the encouragement I receive and the fulfillment that comes from witnessing meaningful, positive changes in the lives of those impacted by my work.

One of the best career advices that I received came from Dr. Shirley White, one of my business professors at LSU. She was one of the first African-American women hired in the LSU Business School in the late 1980s, and she became far more than a professor to me—she became a mentor.

Dr. White would always say, “Don’t ever let people define who you are. You know your skills, your talents, and your abilities. Never downplay them because of someone else’s insecurities. Keep moving forward and keep moving upward, because those are the only two directions you should go.”

Those words carried me through moments of doubt, rejection, and seasons when others questioned my qualifications—even while coming to me for guidance and answers. Her wisdom taught me not to allow people to determine my future, because they don’t have that power. Only God does. That mindset gave me the confidence to keep growing, keep leading, and keep walking boldly in purpose.

My advice to young women wanting to enter entertainment, theater, or event planning is simple: don’t get discouraged. This industry is a roller coaster. There will be highs and lows, successes and setbacks, but the one thing that must remain constant is your focus.

You have to know where you’re going and understand your ultimate purpose. Ask yourself the hard questions up front: Why do I want to do this? What is truly driving me? Because your “why” is what will sustain you through the valleys even more than the peaks.

There will be good days and bad days, moments when doors open and moments when they close. But you cannot allow temporary challenges to make you forget your purpose. You have to constantly remind yourself why you started and whether you are truly committed to the journey.

If you are “in it to win it,” then you have to keep pushing forward, stay consistent, and remain focused no matter what comes your way. Success in this industry is not just about talent—it’s about perseverance, clarity, discipline, and the willingness to keep going even when things get difficult.

I think the number one challenge has been financing. For anyone trying to launch and sustain their own business, securing the funding needed to grow and operate is always difficult. Vision requires resources, and sometimes getting others to invest in what God has given you can be one of the hardest parts of the journey.

The second challenge has been finding people who genuinely share the vision. What God places in your heart is not always immediately understood by others. It takes the right people—people who can see beyond where you are now and recognize the impact and potential of what is being built. I’ve been blessed that God has brought individuals alongside me who have witnessed the transformation that happens through these productions. They’ve seen lives changed, people come to the altar for prayer, and audience members say they received exactly what they needed through the message of the plays.

The third challenge—and honestly the most disheartening—has been dealing with what we call in Louisiana “crawfish mentality.” It’s the idea of people pulling each other down instead of helping one another rise. Rather than collaborating, supporting, and encouraging, sometimes there is jealousy, competition, or insecurity that keeps people from wanting to see others succeed.

That has been difficult for me because the mission is bigger than any one individual. We are all supposed to be working toward a common purpose: helping, empowering, and uplifting women and communities. Instead of tearing each other down, we should be building one another up. I believe there is room for all of us to succeed. Too often people operate from a scarcity mindset, believing there is only one small slice of opportunity available, when in reality the pie is much bigger. There is enough space, purpose, and opportunity for everyone to grow, thrive, and make an impact together.

Faith is the foundation of everything I do. My day begins with prayer before I even put my feet on the floor. I don’t move, make decisions, or start my day without first spending time with God. I truly believe in the principle of rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s, because everything I do ultimately belongs to Him.

My work has never been just about me—it’s about how God can use me to encourage, minister to, and impact others. Honestly, I would rather stay in the background, but God continually pushes me to the forefront because there is purpose attached to the work He has called me to do. Everything I pursue is rooted in kingdom thinking and looking beyond the mindset of “me, myself, and I.”

I constantly ask myself how what I’m doing can impact a person, a family, a community, a city, or even the world in a positive way. Whether it’s through rescuing young male survivors of sex trafficking and caring for special needs animals in my current position as the Director of Business Development at Ranch Hands Rescue, or producing stage plays for Dominion Theatrical Productions, LLC to inspire healing and lead people to seek prayer and transformation, my mission is always centered on restoration, encouragement, and hope.

At the core of it all, I want people to leave better than they came—healed, encouraged, empowered, and reminded that God still sees them, loves them, and has purpose for their lives.