Longtime DOD IT executive and legal counselor Sharon Woods announces her departure
Sharon Woods, a member of the Senior Executive Service who served in several leadership roles across the Defense Department’s IT enterprise, is leaving the federal government, she announced on social media.
Her last day as director of the Defense Information Systems Agency’s J6 command, control, communications, and computer enterprise directorate was Aug. 15, according to a post on LinkedIn.
In that position, she oversaw about 4,000 personnel and managed a $1 billion portfolio that included a variety of network and IT capabilities.
Woods has served in other key roles at DISA, a combat support agency that has undergone transformation in recent years and oversees major Pentagon cloud programs such as JWCC and JOE, among other IT initiatives for the U.S. military.
She was previously executive director of the Cloud Computing Program Office, which in 2021 merged with other DISA entities to create the Hosting and Compute Center. Woods was appointed director of the new organization.
Prior to joining DISA, Woods was general counsel for the Defense Digital Service — which was subsequently folded into the Chief Digital and AI Office at the Pentagon — for more than three years.
She also served in the Department of the Navy’s Office of General Counsel as associate counsel for the Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Systems.
Before working at DOD, she was an attorney advisor in the Department of Health and Human Services, according to her bio.
“I have had the privilege of serving the world’s best military and will forever be grateful for that opportunity,” Woods wrote on LinkedIn last week when announcing her departure from DISA and DOD after more than 20 years of federal service.
“From my first role as an acquisition attorney to my time as an IT executive, one mission has tied it all together: putting the best technology possible in the hands of the warfighter. It has been an absolute honor to serve that mission,” she added. “If I could leave one message behind, it would be this: Don’t stop innovating. Don’t let process be the enemy of progress. Don’t avoid risk for fear of failure. The adversary is not waiting. Our military must be equipped with the most advanced technology, and we must always stay a step ahead.”
Sajeel Ahmed is now performing the duties of Woods’ old role at the J6 in an acting capacity, according to DISA.
Updated on Aug. 19, 2025, at 11:50 AM: This story has been updated to note that Sajeel Ahmed is now performing the duties of Sharon Woods’ previous role at the J6 in an acting capacity.
