Colin Glover is the cybersecurity coordinator for Kentucky. Amongst other duties, he focuses on providing federal cybersecurity resources to State and Local governments as well as private sector organizations involved in Critical Infrastructure. Colin previously worked in the private sector helping companies achieve their cybersecurity goals and in the Department of Defense as a Counterintelligence Special Agent. He is a former Marine and holds a Masters in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the University of Virginia.

Leif Oveson currently serves as Vice President of Government Affairs. He oversees NTCA’s Government Affairs Department, which leads legislative analysis, advocacy outreach, and political engagement with congressional offices. Prior to joining NTCA in 2009, Leif worked in both the United States Senate and House of Representatives. He served for three years as a Research Assistant for Senator Tim Johnson and four years as the Senior Legislative Assistant for Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.

Chris Townson serves as the CEO of DTC Communications, headquartered in Alexandria, TN. Chris holds a D.Min. in Organizational Leadership, an MBA, and B.S. degree in Organizational Management. During his 30 years in the telecom industry, he has held front-line positions in Outside Plant and Information Systems and senior management roles in Industry Relations, Government Affairs and Customer Service & Sales. Chris serves as Past President of the Tennessee Broadband Association, President of the Tennessee Rural Communications Cooperative Association, President of the Rural Wireless Association, Chair of iRis Networks, Secretary of Trilight, Chair of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Foundation Board, Vice President of Nehemiah Teams, Inc., and Elder at The Journey Church of Lebanon, Tennessee.

Taylre Beaty started as the State Broadband Director at ECD in September 2021. Prior to joining ECD, she worked for USDA Rural Development, most recently as a Policy Advisor for Rural Utilities Service in Washington, D.C. During her time at USDA, she worked on then Secretary Sonny Purdue’s broadband priorities including the American Broadband Initiative, FCC Precision Ag Task Force, and critical broadband infrastructure projects during the COVID-19 pandemic. She earned a master’s in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University and a bachelor’s in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. She is originally from East Tennessee.

Meghan Sandfoss is the Executive Director of the Kentucky Office of Broadband Development, a role to which she was appointed in September 2022 by Governor Andy Beshear. In this role, she oversees planning and implementation of federal funding for the deployment of broadband infrastructure in the Commonwealth. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, and a master’s degree in Community Planning from the University of Cincinnati.

Sandfoss has over 20 years of experience in government and public administration. She previously held a senior leadership position at the Northern Kentucky Area Development District, where she oversaw a variety of local, state, and federal programs in the areas of transportation planning, infrastructure development, comprehensive planning, and community and economic development

Brooke is an Account Manager for Nokia, providing network solutions to service providers. She is a dedicated advocate for equitable access to resources, driven by her experience in both the education and telecommunications industry.

With a background and master’s degree in Instructional Practice, Brooke’s unique perspective aids internet service providers in understanding both the regulatory and technical aspects of navigating government grants.

Born in rural England, Craig's hometown was one of the last in the country to migrate from dialup to broadband. As a result, his passion for connecting communities is rooted in his upbringing. Craig's career includes leadership roles at British Telecom and Telefonica, and more recently, CIO and CISO of a cloud technology company. In 2022, he relocated from the UK to Tennessee. Now based out of Chapel Hill, TN, his company, Hatbox, is dedicated to helping broadband companies implement cybersecurity solutions and nurture a reliable workforce.

When Jackie served as an executive for a multi-national financial services group, one of the biggest challenges was finding qualified technical talent. She became involved with several non-profits to champion STEM education. It became clear that we needed options beyond college degrees to train people for technical careers and that led to co-founding Franklin Apprenticeships.

Franklin Skills helps corporate employers uncover hidden talent by finding people who fell out of the STEM pathway. They retrain them and track them into rewarding, in-demand tech careers through apprenticeships. Franklin Skills is unlocking the potential of the American workforce.