Susan L. Gates

Special Advisor on Education, SAS Institute Inc.

Susan L. Gates came to SAS in early 2014 and works with the company’s owners and education-related teams on education policy, advocacy and initiatives at both the state and federal level.

Gates helps coordinate SAS’s work to champion programs and policies that strengthen the state’s education system, and increases the number of students entering careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Before coming to SAS, Gates spent five years as the National Director of America’s Edge, a nonprofit business leader organization in Washington, D.C., whose members advocate for federal and state education policies and programs that will strengthen business and the economy.

Prior to joining America’s Edge, Gates spent five years as General Counsel of the Children’s Defense Fund, a national children’s advocacy organization also located in Washington, D.C. Gates also practiced for 18 years as a business litigation partner with Hall & Estill, a law firm of over 120 attorneys, headquartered in Tulsa, Okla. Gates represented several business clients, including Fortune 500 and other publicly-traded companies throughout the country, specializing in complex business litigation at the federal and state level.

Gates has a law degree with honors from the University of Tulsa, and a bachelor’s degree with honors from Oklahoma State University.