President Biden announced this week his intent to appoint Dr. Patricia G. Sims, President of Drake State Community & Technical College, to the President’s National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC). The NIAC advises the White House on how to reduce physical and cyber risks and improve the security and resilience of the nation’s critical infrastructure sectors. She joins 26 highly qualified and diverse industry and government leaders selected for this appointment and is the only Alabama representative.

Dr. Sims has been President of Drake State, a Historically Black Community College, since 2018. Under her leadership, Drake State has seen a significant increase in state and federal funding, has increased strategic partnerships, and expanded its program offerings. The College was recently awarded a $2.4 million grant as part of the U.S. Department of Commerce and National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA), Connecting Minority Communities Pilot (CMCP) program, to help eliminate historical broadband and computer access inequities in and around Madison County, Alabama. Drake was one of the first five universities and the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) to be awarded the grant.

Sims has more than 28 years of progressive experience in the field of Education. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Alabama State Port Authority, the Alabama Partnership for Children, and the Alabama Forever Wild Land Trust.

“It’s an honor to be asked to serve on this much-needed council,” said Sims. “Our work at Drake State is always about improving the lives of individuals for the betterment of our community. We address workforce needs in key areas of technology and healthcare that play a role in cyber security and disaster preparedness.

Since its establishment in 2001, the NIAC has conducted dozens of studies to address problems such as: improving intelligence information sharing across government and industry; identifying and reducing complex cyber risks; better preparing for and responding to disruptions that can ripple across multiple infrastructure systems; facilitating cooperative decision-making among senior executives and federal leaders during imminent threats and disaster responses; and addressing the skills gaps and loss of institutional knowledge in key national workforces.