Sue served as the Director of Internet Services for the City of Austin Texas where she developed the City's first Internet strategy in 1995.  Sue's company, Beckwith Technology Services, is currently under contract with the City of Austin to advise the City on the strategic direction of the City's web presence including e-commerce, brand development, content management practices, policy development (language, accessibility, advertising, wireless), and public access.

Sue served as the Executive Director of the nonprofit Austin Free-Net (AFN) from its inception in 1995 through 1998. AFN was awarded a quarter-million dollar Federal grant (U.S. Department of Commerce) in 1996 to develop the East 11/12th Street Community Network, providing access to the Internet and emerging technologies for all Austin residents. Austin Free-Net is a nationally recognized model of public access to the Internet and emerging technologies.  In 1995, Sue was appointed by the Austin City Manager to lead the City's Universal Access Project and co-chaired the task force to develop the Austin City Connection, the City's award-winning Web site.

Sue graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Mathematics. Prior to 1999, Sue's work focused on project management of technology projects for the City of Austin's environmental department including implementation of networked computer systems over multiple geographic sites and enterprise-wide database development. Before agreeing to lead Austin Free-Net, Sue was responsible for overseeing an annual budget of over $1 million with a staff of 15 systems analysts and technical support staff.

Speaking Engagements

- Texas Community Networking conference. Panelist. (1998, 2000)

- Web99 Advisory Council, Miller Freeman Training Conference (1999)

- Florida Directors of Libraries Conference. Keynote Speaker (1998)

- TIIAP Outreach Workshop, Dallas, Presenter (February, 1998)

- CFP98 Conference on Computers, Freedom, and Privacy. Speaker. Universal Access: Libraries, Schools and the Free-Net movement (1998)

- Austin Eastside Story Technical Advisory Team (1997-98)

- CitySearch, Inc. Advisory Council member (1997-99)

- Advisory Committee for the State of Texas Strategic Plan for Information Resources (1997-98)

-Social Security Administration Forum, Privacy and Customer Service in the Electronic Age. Industry expert: Business/Customer Service, at the request of the Office of the President of the United States. (June 1997)

- Carnegie-Mellon University, Community Technology Centers' Network Conference. Speaker: Building Partnerships with Municipalities. (June 1997)

- University of Texas at Austin, Women Leading Technology Conference. Programs in Contemporary Issues in Technology. Member of Planning Team and panelist: Using Technology for Social Activism. (1997)

- Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility National Conference, Seattle. "Community Space and Cyberspace: What's the Connection? Panelist: A Practical Guide to Developing Collaborations. (March 1997)

- Government Technology Conference, Austin. Speaker: Public Access, the Internet, and Open Records: Are we doing the right thing? (February 1997)

- Austin Chamber of Commerce. Panelist: "How the Internet can Significantly Improve Your Business" (1996)

- University of Texas at Austin, LBJ School of Public Affairs. Faculty: Universal Access to Technology (1996)