Sharon Cates-Williams
CIO/Commissioner
Suffolk County Department of Information Technology

Sharon J. Cates-Williams is the Chief Information Officer and Commissioner of the Department of Information Technology for Suffolk County. A graduate of Baruch College, Sharon left the private sector after serving 16-year’s as vice president in the Global Technology division at Lehman Brothers in New York. In the aftermath of Sept.11th, Sharon entered the public sector taking the industry by storm with her vibrant, bright and self-assured attitude. She became the first African American Commissioner of the Department of Information Technology for the Town of North Hempstead, orchestrating the implementation of Long Island’s first 311 non-emergency constituent response system. Her selection in 2005 as Chief Information Officer for Suffolk County distinguished her as the first African American woman CIO in County history as well as the highest ranking African American woman in the Steve Levy administration. She is currently leading the bi-county initiative to provide wireless broadband access across Long Island, making it one of the largest outdoor municipal wireless networks in the country. In partnership with the Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT) and the Suffolk County Wireless Commission, Sharon has been instrumental in developing the Long Island Wireless Initiative to blanket most of the 1200 square miles with multi-tier wireless services. These services include email retrieval and casual browsing, with other premium services including VoIP and faster data transmission is also envisioned.

With more than 25 years experience providing vision, strategy and solutions for business, her strong family and religious foundation has been the keys to her success. Sharon is involved with women’s education and mentor programs, actively participates in events for young adults (Girls Going Places and Microsoft’s DigiGirlz Camp), and holds membership with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Long Island Center for Business and Professional Women and National Council of Negro Women, Inc. In 2007, Sharon was nominated NYS CIO of the Year and was honored by the Heckscher Museum of Art for her exemplary technology leadership and public service. She has received the Long Island Top 50 Women honor; awarded the LISTnet Diamond Award; Women Achiever Against the Odds Award from the Long Island Fund for Women and Girls; and is a recipient of the March of Dimes Women of Distinction Award. Sharon lives in Medford, NY with her husband, Andre, and their daughter Langston. A cancer survivor, Sharon is committed to fulfilling her purpose in life by transforming lives.