08/18/2026
Jeff Williamson is the Director of the Office of Communications for Orange County Government. Prior to his current service at Orange County Government, Jeff served as the spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office, where he handled hundreds of media cases including the arrest and trial of Casey Anthony, the death of drum major Robert Champion, and Lane Graves, the 2-year-old killed by an alligator on a tourist hotel beach. Jeff has worked with the FBI, Homeland Security and the Secret Service. Prior to his government service, Jeff worked as a broadcast journalist for affiliates of NBC, FOX, CBS and the New York Times. During that time, he won multiple journalism awards. He also worked on the staff of G.Q. Magazine.
Jeff is the author of the books Feeling Tall: Eight Short Lessons on Courage and Change and Say Less Lead More: Essential Communication Skills for High Impact Leadership. He has written numerous articles for national magazines and is the recipient of the FBI Trilogy Award for Law Enforcement Executive Leadership. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business and psychology from Oakwood College, a master’s degree in communications from New York University, and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Central Florida. He has been married to his wife, Meryl, for 37 years and has three adult children.
