December 14, 2023

Department of Commerce

Williams

Anderson

Washington Department of Commerce welcomed back two former agency executives to lead industry sector economic development: Julie Anderson rejoined the department in November as agricultural innovation sector lead; and Dr. Joseph Williams came back on board this month as information and communications technology (ICT) sector lead. Both are based in the department's Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness in Seattle. Anderson returns after stints with the city of Tacoma and Pierce County, where she was the elected county auditor for 13 years. Prior to that, she served Commerce (then the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development) as a senior policy advisor focused on Washington's green economy job initiative, industry cluster development, and Innovation Partnership Zones. She also served on the Community Economic Revitalization Board, providing low-interest loans and grants for public infrastructure to promote private business growth. Williams will again lead ICT sector development at Commerce after serving as the Seattle director of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory from 2019 to 2022. He held the ICT sector lead role from 2016 to 2019, during which time the state experienced unprecedented economic growth in its tech sector. Williams most recently was the global lead partner for the cybersecurity practice at Infosys Consulting. During his previous tenure at Commerce, he was appointed as an assembly program fellow at Harvard's Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, where he worked with others on developing an AI ethics framework. A former executive at Microsoft and Sun Microsystems, Williams also served as the dean of the School of Business, Government, and Economics at Seattle Pacific University. Williams will lead Commerce's work with the industry, stakeholders and partners to deepen Washington's status as a world leader in quantum computing, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. His immediate focus includes helping the state secure federal funding made possible by the $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act.