Jessie Curneal / KUT News

Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell resigned Tuesday to take a position with the Trump administration.

Gravell will serve in the U.S. Small Business Administration, a Cabinet-level agency created in 1953 as a resource for small-business owners and entrepreneurs. He will be responsible for representing the interests of businesses in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas.

"It is a great honor to serve as the voice for the 4.5 million small businesses that make the South-Central region of the United States their home," Gravell said in his announcement. "Growing up at 1402 East Main Street in Round Rock, Texas, I never could have imagined that one day I would have the opportunity to serve the United States. This is truly an honor, but I will never forget where I came from."

Gravell made the announcement shortly before the county's Commissioners Court meeting. Afterward, he was sworn into his new position by 425th District Judge Betsy Lambeth.

Gravell became county judge in January 2019.

Under his tenure, Williamson County "welcomed more than 12,500 new small businesses and saw the expansion of major corporations such as Apple, Samsung and Kalahari," according to county officials.

Gravell also signed the county's first-ever international economic mutual cooperation agreement with Korea-Trade Investment Promotion Agency in 2023.

Before becoming county judge, Gravell served Williamson County as a justice of the peace in its third precinct. He was appointed to that position in 2013.

Commissioners will meet again for a special session Friday to accept Gravell’s resignation and to discuss how to fill the vacancy until an election in November 2026.