Roy Williams is the acknowledged Dean of Post-Transition research and planning. He is a pioneer in the art of assisting high net worth families to meet the challenges of tranferring wealth from one generation to the next.

Roy is the author or co-author of four books, the most recent of which is Philanthropy, Heirs & Values , released in April 2005.

In 1995, Roy was privileged to speak before The House of Lords in London, and he has been quoted in The International Herald Tribune and The Financial Times regarding his work in the wealth-transfer field.

In 1994, he was awarded a doctorate (honoris causae) by CSPP (California School of Professional Psychology), the largest graduate school of professional psychology in the nation. The honor was given in recognition of Roy's 30 years consulting with families on the crucial role of trust and communication in a successful family business and the transfer of wealth.

Also in 1994, in conjunction with Professor Michael Morris of the Miami of Ohio School of Business, Roy completed the largest research project to date on family wealth transfers, studying 3,250 families to determine why only 1/3 of the families succeeded in retaining their wealth and family harmony into the next generation.

Roy was one of seven children. He joined the Navy, serving as a Marine corpsman. After starting his own family in college, he gave up his dream of becoming a doctor and graduated from the University of the Pacific in 1963. He played tackle for the San Francisco 49ers until a serious injury forced him to retire from football.

Roy and his wife, Diana, have been married for 45 years and have three sons and eight grandchildren.