2013 Distinguished Alumna: Saundra Williams

The College of Sciences Distinguished Alumna award winner for 2013 is Dr. Saundra Williams. Williams earned her undergraduate degree in mathematics in 1985, her master’s degree in applied mathematics in 1987, and her doctoral degree in adult and community college education in 1996, all from NC State.

Williams began her professional career with Nortel as a software engineer. Then, after gaining 13 years of technical training experience at Broadband Technologies and Syntel, she returned to NC State as an assistant professor in Adult and Community College Education.

Today, Williams is one of the most important figures in higher education in our state. She serves as Senior Vice President and Chief of Technology with the North Carolina Community College System, which with 58 institutions and more than 850,000 students is one of the largest systems of its kind in the nation.

The system is the state’s primary agency for delivery of job training, literacy and adult education, and Saundra plays a key leadership role in its mission. She leads the information technology and resources, technology infrastructure, information technology security, distance learning, library systems, business intelligence, data programming, and project management organizations within the system.

Her expertise in technology leadership has been featured in books, leading technology media and national Chief Information Officer forums. She was also named one of 27 Cyril O. Houle Scholars in Higher Education in the United States. In addition, Williams holds a Master of Divinity from Regent University and is an ordained minister, motivational speaker, technical career coach and founder of Vision Building Women, an organization dedicated to inspiring women to move forward in technology careers. At NC State, she is an adjunct professor in the College of Education and chairs the Chancellor’s Advisory Council on African American Affairs.