What exactly does Connect Iowa do?

We are the state’s broadband initiative. We have federal funding grants through Connected Nation that have come down on the state level in several states across the country to promote broadband adaptation, availability, usage – just really to promote awareness and outreach for broadband programs. We want to work with communities, we want to work with broadband providers to really make our state as successful and competitive as we can be in a global market.

What attracted you to the position?

My previous role with the University of Northern Iowa was with an entrepreneurship development system called MyEntre.Net. It was a love of mine. I have an entrepreneurial background. One of the issues that we ran into a lot with that program was a lot of what we do was online. We wanted to have resources available online for small businesses across the state, and we did run into broadband barriers with many of our counties that we worked with across the state. So when this job fell across my desk, it wasn’t something I was actively looking at, but this one was a really nice next step for me to go out and be able to take this initiative and really start pushing for broadband across the state, and therefore helping our businesses, helping our communities, to really be able to grow economically.

What do people need to know about broadband that they wouldn’t normally think about?

I think a lot of people think it’s just the social aspects of broadband: connectivity, Internet, getting on Facebook, Twitter, downloading movies, and all of that interaction. And there are so many more really helpful adaptations that can be used. There’s e-learning; a lot of students can take classes online, they can access their teachers, their homework. E-medicine; more and more physicians are having access to their patients via broadband access, and that can be especially important in our rural areas. Just interacting with government, we file our taxes online, we can interact with government officials, we can follow our legislators.

How important is it for entrepreneurs to have broadband access?

That is going to be key, especially in the next decade and starting immediately, if not prior to this. There’s a lot that are out there that really aren’t connected or don’t feel the need to be connected. They do a lot of hands-on or storefront activity, but don’t necessarily have an online store. But there are a lot of applications they can be using to keep up with their client base. Just being able to research competitors online (is important). There’s just a lot of different things they can do, and it’s going to be key for them to be competitive. Not even just the global market, but in our own backyard market it’s going to be important too.

Tell me about your prior jobs and experiences.

I started out in my early career working with the state Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in the Mason City office. I worked there for a number of years, and that got me interested in the public sector. I had always been more entrepreneurial-based. I come from what I call a serial entrepreneurial lineage in my family, but working for SBDC really got me into the public sector. From there, I went and worked at my family’s business for a little bit, and so I have had some for-profit experience as well, worked for a technology company for a number of years in sales as an account manager, and worked specifically with librarians. From there, I went to the University of Northern Iowa.

You currently live in Waterloo; do you plan to move to Des Moines?

I am going to be moving to Des Moines. I love Waterloo, but it’s going to be a little easier for me. I am going to be doing a lot of outreach stuff for the state, but I also have an office here with the Iowa Department of Economic Development. They’re housing me, and I have a great place there and some great resources there, so I will be relocating hopefully before the end of the year. I’m looking forward to that. Des Moines is a great city, and I can’t wait to explore all the corners.

What are you most looking forward to?

I think just the diversity. It’s going to be nice to have the Civic Center. We’ve got some awesome entertainment venues and restaurants in Waterloo, and I do appreciate those, but Des Moines is a little bigger base, so just another step up and explore some of those things that I haven’t had in my back yard yet.

What goals do you have at Connect Iowa?

One of my main goals that I’ve been charged to do is really increase awareness and community outreach activities across the state. So I am really trying to go out and touch many organizations, community anchor institutions like schools, libraries, hospitals, communities themselves, and just visiting with them about awareness, trying to figure out what barriers they might have to adopting broadband, working on trying to make that something that will help their community or their institution. We’re all about the growth, not lobbying for one thing or another at all. We’re all about the outreach and education.

What do you do outside work for fun?

I love to read. I like to be outside. I golf. I have two dogs that keep me busy. I like to spend as much time as I can outside between the temperatures of 72 and 85. I like to garden, I like nature, I like animals, I like hiking, anything outdoors.