Executive Vice President of Legislative & External Affairs, New England Connectivity & Telecommunications Association (NECTA)
Brief description of who you are professionally with concise accomplishments:
I am a government affairs professional who specializes in telecommunications policy. Working for a trade association with a profile of five states, I am the primary liaison among our organization’s members, legislators and other government officials, advocating for sound policies that promote connectivity between people and businesses. As a government relations specialist, my work involves facilitating better partnerships with public and private stakeholders, providing strategic advice to companies, and building relationships with policymakers. My private sector career was made possible by the time I spent working as an attorney in the Massachusetts State House where I gained invaluable knowledge of the legislative process and made life-long connections and friendships.
Some accomplishments I’m particularly proud of include:
Serving as a keynote speaker on public-private partnerships in broadband deployment at Broadband Nation, a national broadband conference.
Successfully advocating for non-profit allocations in the state budget that benefited children and families.
Shaping legislation that ultimately led to the first major clean energy procurement in Massachusetts.
Why did you join TWT and what are you hoping to achieve?
When I worked in state government, I was often the only woman in the room in meetings and there were few women who were in the same position as me who I could turn to for advice. Most of the associations I joined were great for networking, but few focused on professional development. When TWT was recommended to me by a board member of our association, I was attracted to the organization’s focus on growth across different stages of your career. I’m hoping to not only connect with other women at a similar place in their career arc but also support women who are looking for career or life advice.
One of my most proud professional moments and what are you most looking forward to professionally the next five years:
I have had a lot of highs (and lows) in my career, but one that has been hard to top is when I received a standing ovation by the Massachusetts House of Representatives for my work on landmark legislation that authorized resort casinos in Massachusetts.
I’ve been at NECTA for two years now and there has already been rapid change in the telecommunications space. In the next five years, I’m looking forward to helping our industry face those challenges head-on and making substantive contributions to advancing policies that promote connected technologies while finding more opportunities to speak about all the good things we are doing here in New England at a national level.
What do you do in my “free” time?
I try to get outdoors as often as possible. Depending on the season you can find me paddle boarding, playing tennis, hiking, or cross-country skiing.
3 core values: Honesty, Balancing mind, body, and spirit, Finding people you can laugh with
Fun fact:
Interning for Sen. Ted Kennedy in college convinced me not to pursue a career in geology.