Fifth Annual Financial Literacy Leadership Conference

The event brought together leaders from community-based organizations, businesses, government agencies and academic institutions for discussions on effective ways to empower consumers financially.

Williams led a training session titled “Preparing to Succeed,” which focused on how to deliver financial literacy programs to diverse adult participants. She explored key principles of adult learning, including why and how adults learn best, and provided tips on incorporating the principles into a successful presentation.

“The most effective trainers are able to teach material that reaches the entire audience regardless of their individual learning styles,” said Williams. As part of her session, she grounded her message in a real-world scenario by walking the participants through Consumer Action’s newly revised ID Theft & Account Fraud training module. Later, Williams staffed a table to display a sampling of Consumer Action’s extensive collection of free, financial education resources, including multilingual brochures, leader's guides and fact sheets, all of which were popular with attendees.

Rita Cheng, president of the Financial Planning Association of the National Capital Area, attended the conference. “Linda Williams…was exceptional because [her presentation] was designed to accommodate individuals with different learning preferences/styles. Linda has the unique ability to engage, entertain, and educate her audience,” Cheng commented.

Another conference participant, Betty Habershon, director of the Office of Service-Learning at Prince George’s Community College in Largo, Maryland, agreed, saying that Williams “provided an excellent foundation for working with our community members. The tips were extremely beneficial and practical.”