Ellsworth “Tony” Williams
Ellsworth “Tony” Williams has spent over fifty years in a military environment or in service on behalf of veterans’ health. Born in Fort Hood, Texas, Tony was born to a military family. He enlisted in the U.S. Army from 1979-1986, earned a 3-year Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship in 1986. Tony served on active duty in the U.S. Army for over 24 years, including tours during Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He received numerous military awards including a Bronze Star and 3 Meritorious Service Medals. After he retired in 2007 at the rank of major.
Tony would then enroll in Temple University earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and Management and later earning a Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Troy University. He would go on to found Veterans Counseling Veterans (VCV) Inc. in Tampa, FL, a nonprofit dedicated to connecting Veterans and dependents of Veterans with mental health profession through collaboration, networking and mentoring. VCV’s primary service is Veteran Suicide Prevention (Training, Intervention, Awareness and Postvention), military sexual trauma (MST) and providing support to families who lost a Veteran to suicide. They provide early intervention and treatment for veterans who had mental health and substance issues, often as a direct result of their service. Williams is also a champion for black veteran’s mental health issues and the contributions of Women Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces for their sacrifices, achievements and critical roles in defending America and their ongoing civic commitment to enhancing their communities. Williams was inducted to the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame in 2023 for his post-service career with VCV.
