Covington native Otis Williams received the Missouri Governor’s Career Service in Economic Development Award at the 2016 Governor's Conference on Economic Development held recently in Kansas City.

Williams is the executive director of St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC). A 1964 graduate of R. L. Cousins High School, Williams earned a bachelor of science in civil engineering technology from South Carolina State University in Orangeburg and a master of science in Educational Administration and Supervision from Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi.

The award is given to an individual in the economic development profession selected by the state for their hard work and dedication to the industry.

Williams joined SLDC in 1998 and has served as Executive Director since 2013. He has either led or participated in most of the real estate development activities and major development projects over the past several years, including: the redevelopment of City Hospital, The Highlands @ Forest Park, the new Busch Stadium and Ballpark Village, Cortex Innovation Community, the region's first IKEA store, the North Riverfront Industrial Corridor, CityArchRiver redesign of the Gateway Arch grounds, the redevelopment of the Arcade building, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's decision to relocate to North St. Louis.

Williams is married to Gwendolyn Smith Williams, and the couple has two adult children, Erin and Lisa, both living in Kansas City, Missouri.