# Frank Williams

> Frank J. Williams is the co-founder and former chairman and CEO of Evolent, a former CEO and chairman of the Advisory Board Company, and a venture partner at Define Ventures. His career spans company building, public listings, board service and advising founders. He lives in Berkeley, California, and serves on the SFJAZZ board of trustees.

- **Role:** Venture Partner at Define Ventures
- **Organizations:** Define Ventures, Evolent, The Advisory Board Company, Wellth, Helix, Nayya, Foodsmart, Blackbird, Qualified Health, SFJAZZ, Bain & Company, MedAmerica OnCall, Vivra Orthopedics
- **Education:** BA with High Honors, Political Economies of Industrial Societies, University of California, Berkeley, MBA, Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** Led Evolent from its founding through a 2015 IPO and growth to more than $1 billion in annualized revenue during his tenure., Led the Advisory Board Company during its 2001 IPO; its annual revenue grew beyond $450 million during his leadership tenure., Ranked first in Glassdoor’s 2015 U.S. highest-rated CEOs list for small and midsize companies, with 98% approval.

## Career timeline

- **1988** — Graduated from UC Berkeley.
- **1995** — Earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.
- **2001-2008** — CEO of the Advisory Board Company, beginning June 2001 and ending September 2008.
- **2008-2011** — Chairman of the Advisory Board Company, September 2008 to August 2011.
- **2011** — Co-founded Evolent with Seth Blackley and Tom Peterson; became chairman and CEO.
- **2015** — Led Evolent through its June 5 NYSE listing.
- **2020** — Transitioned from CEO to executive chairman on October 1; Seth Blackley became CEO.
- **2022** — Became non-executive chairman on January 1.
- **2023** — Retired from Evolent’s board in June.
- **2024** — Joined Define Ventures as a venture partner, announced April 9.

## Achievements

- Led Evolent from its founding through a 2015 IPO and growth to more than $1 billion in annualized revenue during his tenure.
- Led the Advisory Board Company during its 2001 IPO; its annual revenue grew beyond $450 million during his leadership tenure.
- Ranked first in Glassdoor’s 2015 U.S. highest-rated CEOs list for small and midsize companies, with 98% approval.

## Latest updates

- **2025-07** — Posted about returning for Evolent’s tenth anniversary as a publicly traded company, praising its leadership and employees.
- **2024-04** — Define Ventures announced his appointment as venture partner.

## Links

- Website: https://www.definevc.com/team/frank-williams
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-williams-379b82

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/frank-williams
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21