Jordan Williams, 5, 6, and 10 p.m. evening anchor and executive producer at 12News KBMT Beaumont, is departing the station after seven years to join Lamar University’s advancement office.
"For the past 22 years, I've dedicated myself to journalism and the communities we serve. I've worked tirelessly to share stories that matter, to uplift voices of the marginalized, and to fight for transparency," Williams said.
"Jordan Williams has been more than an anchor for 12News. He's been a steady, trusted voice for Southeast Texas through some of our most difficult days," 12News News Director Ginny Sweeney reflected. "While his departure is bittersweet, we're proud that he's found an opportunity that allows him to continue serving this community in a new way. The foundation he's helped build here is strong, and our team is ready to carry that forward."
In his new role as a major gifts officer, Williams will help secure funding to strengthen academic programs and ensure students continue to have access to higher education opportunities.
A Port Neches native, Williams returned home to Southeast Texas in 2018. Before becoming an evening anchor, Williams served as Assistant News Director at KBMT from 2018 to 2020. In that role, he oversaw nightside operations for the ABC and NBC affiliates.
Before returning to Texas, Williams spent more than five years as a news anchor and reporter at WIVB News 4 Buffalo, New York, where he co-anchored 3.5 hours of live morning newscasts and led overnight breaking news coverage for broadcast and digital platforms.
He previously worked for KRGV 5 Rio Grande Valley as an anchor and investigative reporter, producing award-winning coverage that exposed government corruption and tackled complex border and immigration issues. His investigative work earned national and regional recognition for its depth and public impact.
Before that, he was a reporter at KOCO 5 News in Oklahoma City.
Williams began his career at NewsWest 9, Midland, Texas, where he anchored the 4 p.m. newscast and led the top-rated morning show.
Throughout his 22-year journalism career, Williams has earned eleven regional Emmy Awards — including five Lone Star Emmys for his work on 12News at 10. Under his leadership, 12News captured the Lone Star Emmy for Evening Newscast (Market 61+) in five of the past six years.
In 2024, Williams received five Texas Broadcast News Awards, including Best Anchor Team and Best Breaking News for coverage of the historic Jasper County Wildfire — coverage that also earned a regional 2023 Edward R. Murrow Award. He previously received a regional Murrow Award in 2020 for reporting on the TPC Explosions and has been honored multiple times by the Press Club of Southeast Texas for excellence in anchoring, newscasts, and investigative reporting.
Williams graduated with honors from Trinity University in San Antonio in 2003, earning a Bachelor of Arts in both Communication and Music.