Sharon P. Pitt earns ORBIE Award
Pitt, vice president for information technology and chief information officer, was recognized for enterprise leadership in cybersecurity, organizational transformation, and research infrastructure.
Sharon P. Pitt, vice president for information technology and chief information officer, earned a 2026 CapitalCIO ORBIE Award in the enterprise category, recognizing her leadership in advancing the university’s technology strategy.
This award recognizes exceptional leadership by chief information officers in the greater Washington, D.C. area who enable transformative outcomes for institutions and corporations
Since joining Virginia Tech in 2024, Pitt has led efforts to modernize enterprise systems, strengthen governance, improve service delivery, and align information technology priorities with the university’s mission.
“Sharon has worked to bring operational clarity, discipline, and strategic focus to an area that is essential to every aspect of the university,” said Amy Sebring, executive vice president and chief operating officer.
Pitt’s leadership has produced striking outcomes across the university’s technology landscape. Cybersecurity capabilities have been strengthened through higher standards and improved compliance practices designed to reduce institutional risk. Core services used daily by students and employees also have been enhanced through improvements to learning and collaboration platforms, a new video content management system, wireless and network services, and artificial intelligence tools and capabilities.
Pitt is spearheading a multiyear modernization of enterprise resource planning systems, working to convene and align campus partners around plans that emphasize financial stewardship, operational continuity, and long-term institutional readiness.
"Sharon understands enterprise IT not simply as a collection of tools and services but as an integrated capability that must be aligned with institutional priorities, governed responsibly, and managed for long-term value," Sebring said. "Her leadership helps position IT as a pivotal partner for university leaders in our academic, research, and service domains."
In addition to advancing technology strategy and operations, Pitt has led a thoughtful organizational redesign within the Division of Information Technology to better support agility, accountability, and shared outcomes. The shift has enabled professional growth and strong performance across teams within the Division of IT and is supporting additional transformation in departmental IT units.
Under Pitt’s leadership, Virginia Tech has continued to invest in high-performance computing and advanced research infrastructure, efforts that support academic excellence, operational resilience, and the university’s long-term competitiveness.
The work is building trust across the institution through a focus on integrity, responsiveness, and results. That approach is helping strengthen the division’s role across the university, moving it beyond a service provider model to one that more fully contributes to enterprise strategy and institutional effectiveness.
