Alex Young-Williams grew up in the Washington, D.C. area and moved to Minnesota in 2016 to attend Macalester College, attaining a Bachelor's degree in International Studies. After graduating, he served in AmeriCorps for two years with Lead For Minnesota in Fairmont, MN. He then served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay running weekly savings groups and teaching basic business skills in a high school. His professional interests include rural community economic development and in particular local entrepreneurship, especially in Latin America and in Minnesota.