Founding Directors

Roy Williams
President of the Institute for Preparing Heirs and Founder of The Williams Group
Roy Williams is the acknowledged Dean of Post-Transition© research and planning. He is a pioneer in the art of assisting high net worth families to meet the challenges of transferring wealth from one generation to the next.

Roy is the author or co-author of five highly acclaimed books on wealth transition-related topics.

In 1995, Roy was privileged to speak before The House of Lords in London, and he has been quoted in The International Herald Tribune and The Financial Times regarding his work in the wealth-transfer field.

In 1994, he was awarded a doctorate (honoris causae) by CSPP (California School of Professional Psychology), the largest graduate school of professional psychology in the nation. The honor was given in recognition of Roy's 30 years consulting with families on the crucial role of trust and communication in a successful family business and the transfer of wealth.

Also in 1994, in conjunction with Professor Michael Morris of the Miami of Ohio School of Business, Roy completed the largest research project to date on family wealth transfers, studying 3,250 families to determine why only 1/3 of the families succeeded in retaining their wealth and family harmony into the next generation.

Roy was one of seven children. He joined the Navy, serving as a Marine corpsman. After starting his own family in college, he gave up his dream of becoming a doctor and graduated from the University of the Pacific in 1963. He played tackle for the San Francisco 49ers until a serious injury forced him to retire from football.

Roy and his wife, Diana, have been married for 50 years and have three sons,  eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.


Vic Preisser
The Williams Group
Vic Preisser brings his 40 years of business and government experience to The Williams Group, focusing upon the development of career paths for family members/heirs. With eight companies where he served as CEO or Senior Management, two state level cabinet appointments, and three businesses within his own family, Vic brings a breadth of practical experience that has proven essential to family coaching.

Vic served as the Director of the Institute for Family Business and Resident Professor of Management at the University of the Pacific. As a frequent lecturer to graduate schools of major educational institutions, he has authored numerous case studies on strategic and organizational issues.

Co-author of the books Preparing Heirs, Philanthropy, Heirs & Values and Estate Planning for Post-Transition Success, Vic's specialty within The Williams Group is coaching and mentoring heirs on career choices, assisting heirs as they adjust those choices, and training institutions to work with their high net worth clients on wealth transfer issues.

He is a strong advocate for transparency and accountability in the management of family assets. A major tool is his substantial expertise in developing routine communication tools for heirs (and benefactors) to use as they track their progress toward the mission of the family wealth.

With three years service in the US Army, Vic also holds BS (summa cum laude) and MBA degrees, both from Stanford University.