Nurse Practitioner and JIREH Providers co-founder Samantha Williams has been named a recipient of the prestigious Nancy Jamison Fund for Social Justice Award, presented by Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties. Selected as one of only two honorees from nearly 200 applicants, Williams will receive a $50,000 unrestricted award in recognition of her transformative work advancing health equity.
With more than 25 years of medical experience, Williams has dedicated her career to closing critical gaps in access, trust, and health outcomes—particularly for African American and Hispanic communities in Southeast San Diego that have long been underserved by traditional healthcare systems.
Williams’ commitment to this work is deeply personal. At just 16 years old, she endured a traumatic childbirth experience that reshaped her understanding of care and injustice within the medical system. Although her prenatal care had been supportive, her labor experience was marked by neglect, dismissal, and harm. “It was a horrific experience—from beginning to end,” Williams recalls. “My pain was minimized. I was denied care I now know I should have received. There were moments that made me feel unseen, unheard, and unworthy. That experience never left me—it became my why.”
That defining moment, among many unfortunate others, shared by family and community, sparked a lifelong mission: to reimagine healthcare as a system rooted in dignity, compassion, and cultural responsiveness as the standard, not the exception.
In 2020, Williams stepped away from traditional outpatient care to focus fully on community-based health, advocacy, and education. Through JIREH Providers—short for Joint Initiative for Racial Equality in Health—she has built a trusted, community-led model that meets people where they are, addressing not only medical needs but also the social and emotional realities that shape health.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams served as Chair of the San Diego Black Nurses Association COVID-19 Task Force, helping lead one of the region’s most impactful equity-driven responses. Under her leadership, the organization expanded from administering 400–600 vaccines annually to delivering more than 50,000 vaccines in a single year. “That moment showed us what’s possible when trust & collaboration is at the forefront,” said Williams. “When care is delivered by people who understand the community, outcomes change.”
Williams also led the development of JIREH’s innovative Test-to-Treat model, bringing testing, treatment, and follow-up care directly into communities most impacted by health disparities. The program removes barriers for individuals who are uninsured, unhoused, or hesitant to engage with traditional systems—offering not just medical care, but holistic support including food, medication delivery, and wellness resources. “For many of our families, it’s not just one barrier—it’s layers,” Williams explains. “So the solution can’t be one-dimensional. It has to be a network of care that wraps around people and walks with them through their healing.”
As a Black woman leading community-rooted health initiatives, Williams is challenging traditional power structures in healthcare and redefining what equitable care looks like in practice. Her work centers listening, trust, and lived experience—demonstrating that sustainable impact is built in partnership with the community, not imposed upon it. “Our communities already hold the answers,” Williams says. “Our role is to listen, to honor that truth, and to build systems that reflect it. Our current phase of reimagination is only the beginning. This is about transforming systems, shifting power, and building something that will outlive us.”
About the Award Namesake
Nancy Jamison served as President and CEO of San Diego Grantmakers (SDG, now Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties) from 2005 to 2019. Under her leadership, SDG grew as a network of foundations, corporate giving programs, grantmaking public charities, government funders, giving circles, and impact investors. In her role, Nancy gained unique insights into philanthropic and nonprofit practices while becoming increasingly aware of and committed to the need for philanthropy to reckon with inequality and racism.
Nancy led SDG to develop an equity-centered strategic framework with an initial focus on racial and gender justice; shifted internal culture and practices; and evolved member educational offerings and collaborations. In 2020, in recognition of the action-oriented network that had blossomed under her leadership, SDG became Catalyst of San Diego and Imperial Counties.
While Nancy’s accomplishments are easily codified, equally important is the manner by which she traversed this challenging landscape. Authenticity, grace, and steadfastness are hallmarks of Nancy’s leadership. She was open as she learned how long-standing philanthropic decision-making processes unintentionally supported inequality. With vulnerability she shared her own struggle and emotion in committing to this work, and by doing so encouraged others to join her. As a result, she made great strides in moving our sector towards a commitment to equity, justice, and inclusion.
In 2019, Nancy had recently launched a consulting practice to continue to move the sector on a national scale when she was diagnosed with cancer. The Nancy Jamison Fund for Social Justice (NJFSJ) was established in her honor by local community leaders who wanted to find a way to keep Nancy’s indelible spirit alive with those working towards social change in our region, and to continue the work that was so important to her.
