James Williams is a Venture Partner in the Technology Practice of RIDGE-LANE LP.
Mr. Williams was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as Acting Administrator of U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), and was the first Commissioner of Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) at GSA. Mr. Williams was also the first Director of US-VISIT at U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the program that was successfully implemented at to track the entry of foreign visitors with biometrics after 9/11, initiated by Secretary Tom Ridge.
Prior, he was head of Procurement for U.S. Internal Revenue Services (IRS) and was tasked by Commissioner Charles Rossotti to lead Program Management for IRS's then-troubled Modernization Program. He served on the original 4-Person Procurement Team for Vice President Al Gore’s Reinventing Government Program and made the recommendation to better emphasize best value in federal procurement.
Mr. Williams has over 37 plus years of successful public and private sector experience, over 18 at the federal senior executive level, leading major program and acquisition organizations. He serves as Co-Chair of the Partnership for Public Service’s Chief Acquisition Officer’s Council; ACT-IAC Industry Chair; TechAmerica Homeland Security Committee Chair; Strategic Advisor to the Government Services and Technology Coalition; and he serves on the VA’s Acquisition Academy Advisory Board.
He has received numerous awards, including: two Presidential Rank Awards; four FED100 Awards; Civilian Government Executive of the Year by Government Computer News; Service to America Finalist; Founder’s Award, National Business Travel Association; Professional Services Council’s Marc S. Ross Award; Admiral in the Texas Navy; Public Sector Partner of the Year, the Greater Washington Contractor Awards; Government Technology and Services Coalition’s 2014 Market Maven of the Year Award; and 2010 American Council for Technology John J. Franke Award. He earned a B.S. in Business from Virginia Commonwealth University and a MBA from The George Washington University.
