At the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, Abi Waldrupe supports community-based digital inclusion work across the country, particularly with digital navigator programs and with rural and Native communities. She led the development of local and statewide digital inclusion programs first in academic libraries, then in public libraries and their community partners across North Carolina, before moving to work on the national level. In her current position, she supports and learns from digital inclusion practitioners on the ground, uplifts their work, and advocates for their role in strong digital inclusion ecosystems.

Amanda Pereira is an Environmental Program Officer (EPO) currently leading the environmental and historic preservation compliance team for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth (OICG), focusing primarily on broadband grants and the Internet for All initiative. As an EPO, she is responsible for overall compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other environmental and historic preservation laws and Executive Orders.

In this role she works with grant applicants and recipients, as well as federal, Tribal, and state regulators and partners to collaboratively address requirements.  Before joining OICG, Amanda was with the First Responder Network Authority for nine years, serving as the NEPA Coordinator for five years and an auditor and policy development specialist for four years.

She has served as a project manager, lead author, or author on numerous Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) and Environmental Assessments (EAs) and has worked extensively on NEPA for Federal grants. Amanda holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Environmental Science from Boston University and a Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. She has a certificate in Climate Change Adaptation from the University of Washington’s consortium program and a certificate in Performance Auditing. Amanda received a Bronze Medal Award and an Environmental Stewardship Award from the Department of Commerce. 

Andrew Orosco Jr. joined the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in March of 2022 as a Federal Program Officer with NTIA’s Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth, Tribal Connectivity and Nation to Nation Coordination. As a Federal Program Officer, Andrew works with Tribal Nations/Organizations through pre and post award to ensure compliance and success with their respective projects.

In a broader sense, Andrew helps further the deployment and use of broadband technology in Indian Country, which lays the groundwork for sustainable economic growth, improved education, public safety, health care, and the advancement of other national priorities. In addition, Andrew leads the program’s mapping team responsible for coordination with applicants, awardees, and federal agencies such as United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Before joining NTIA, Andrew served as the Planning Director for the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians for eleven years where he led teams charged with infrastructure and residential projects, transportation, land survey and mapping, Fee-to-Trust, and development of tribal policy and legislation.Andrew holds a License for Land Surveying in the State of California and is a Certified Federal Surveyor.

Anthony Dillard serves on the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma tribal council, which is the legislative arm of the Choctaw Nation government. Prior to his election, he spent 20 years working for the Agriculture Research Service as a research technician working on vegetable research at the Wes Watkins Agriculture Research Station in Lane, Okla.
Dillard owns a small cattle ranch in southeastern Oklahoma where he raises beef cattle and manages a wetland reserve program for the benefit of wildlife on his ranch.
Dillard served on the FCC Task Force for reviewing the connectivity and technology needs of precision agriculture in the United States from December 2019 until November 2023.

Bill Valentino is Vice President of Strategic Partnerships with Dycom Industries, Inc. Mr. Valentino previously founded CAVO Communications, Inc. in Plainfield, IL. Dycom Industries, Inc. acquired CAVO in 2007 and Mr. Valentino served as President of the fulfillment company for the past sixteen years. In 2023, Mr. Valentino joined the Dycom leadership team and currently supports the 38 Dycom subsidiaries that provide engineering, construction, locating and fulfillment services across all 50 states.

Blake Callaham was born and raised in Frederick Oklahoma and currently resides in Kingfisher, OK. He began his professional career in 1998 with Pioneer Telephone Cooperative as a Construction Lineman and spent nearly 15 years in the local operations department where he held various titles including Combination Technician, Local Manager & Local Service Administrator throughout Southwest & Central Oklahoma. 

Since that time, Blake has served as Department Manager of Facilities Engineering, Division Manager of Marketing & Customer Service and is currently General Manager. As General Manager of the Cooperative, Blake reports directly to the Board of Trustees, and oversees the day-to-day operations, strategic planning, and Federal and State Regulatory issues to name a few. 

Blake obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Administrative Leadership at the University of Oklahoma and concluded his educational journey in 2016 with a Master of Business Administration at the University of Central Oklahoma. Being outdoors or on a beach with his family is what Blake enjoys doing to relax and enjoy life. However, his passion is driven by pretty much anything affiliated with competition including golf where he enjoys being in the moment and constantly seeking improvement.

Brandon is the Vice President of Technology at MidSouth Electric Cooperative. He has worked in various technical roles over the last 12 years, and currently leads the cooperative’s technology departments, including its fiber project. Brandon’s focus is grid modernization through the use of innovative utility technology solutions. His experience includes the major utility technology stack, including but not limited to, distribution automation, DERMS, grid cyber security, SCADA, ADMS, etc.

Dr. Arnall’s extension, teaching, and research efforts are focused on precision technologies and nutrient management in all of Oklahoma’s cropping systems with an emphasis in site specific techniques. He works closely with extension educators and industry personnel to improve nutrient management practices in Oklahoma that will lead to increased profitability of Oklahoma producers. He currently has several ongoing studies focused at the developed of methods to use precision Ag technologies, nitrogen fertilizer timing and placement, increasing nutrient use efficiency, improvement of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer recommendations, and the application of biologicals in the central plains. In addition, Brian has a crew of developers producing iOS and Andriod applications. 

Brian Whitacre is Professor and Jean & Patsy Neustadt Chair in the department of Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University. He received his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech. Brian’s main area of interest is rural economic development, with a focus on the role that technology can play. He has published over 75 peer-reviewed journal articles, with most exploring the relationship between internet access and rural development. He has developed innovative outreach programs that help small towns benefit from the internet. Brian has won regional and national awards for his research, teaching, and extension programs. Dr. Whitacre also serves as the chair of Oklahoma’s Broadband Expansion Council.

Cameron Kilton is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Nextlink, where he applies his over two decades of experience in the telecommunications industry to designing, building, and operating wireless broadband, cellular, AMI, and fiber-optic network systems. He is a passionate advocate for customers and has been an outspoken voice in the WISP community for nearly 20 years. Cameron’s engineering, construction, and management expertise has enabled him to oversee large-scale wireless and fiber deployments at the local, state, and federal levels.

Carl has been working in the telecommunications industry for over 25 years helping service providers successfully deploy fiber-to-the-home networks. Leveraging a strong understanding of telecommunications technology and architectures coupled with keen understanding of customer and market needs. Carl has successfully helped industry leading organization such as Conexon, Calix and CommScope enable innovative emerging market service providers as they work to bridge the digital divide.

Over the past several years, Carl has concentrated on developing greenfield emerging markets with a focus on electric utilities. His focus on developing Smart Grid solutions allows electric co-op clients to leverage the power of a high-bandwidth, low-latency fiber connection all the way to the member’s home. With a background in Product Development Engineering, Carl holds 9 patents in the telecommunications space, most related to fiber technology. He received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Villanova University.

Dr. Christopher Ali is the Pioneers Chair in Telecommunications and Professor of Telecommunications in the Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State. He holds a Ph.D. in communication studies from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania (2013). An acknowledged national expert on broadband deployment, policy and planning, he is the author of the book Farm Fresh Broadband: The politics of rural connectivity (MIT Press, 2023). Based on his expertise, Dr. Ali was called to testify before the Senate Commerce Committee in 2021 on broadband funding and policy programs. He has also briefed members of the House Democrats Task Force on Rural Broadband, the New York State Blue Ribbon Commission on Re-Imagining New York, the Federal Communications Commission, and has presented before numerous state and county governments. His writing on broadband and communication policy has been published in The New York Times, The Hill, Realtor Magazine, Law & Political Economy, Digital Beat, GovTech, Zocalo Public Square, Washington Monthly, Columbia Journalism Review, and The Conversation.

Clark Scott is the Director, Global Business Development, Optical Solutions for Adtran. Clark has over 30 years’ experience in the telecom industry including leadership positions with both service providers and equipment manufacturers. These roles cover a wide range of disciplines from network engineering & operations to product line management across multiple companies such as Alcatel, Cisco, Time Warner Cable and now Adtran. Clark earned his Electrical Engineering degree from Texas A&M University.

Cliff Johnson is the Director of the NRECA’s Broadband Initiative, where he is responsible for working across the organization to lead the program’s design, development, and operation. Cliff joined the NRECA in January 2024 following six years at Bloomberg, where he led the marketing, product design and solutions consulting teams for Bloomberg Government. Cliff holds an M.B.A. from The McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and a B.A. in Law and Society from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

David Eckard is currently the Vice President of the Broadband Partners at Nokia overseeing the company’s response to the historical influx of capital from the various federal and state funding programs that aims to close the digital inequities in our country. Since 1999, David has been a key contributor, advocate and industry leader for the creation and adoption of fiber access in the United States and around the world. He brings a unique multi-disciplinary perspective to the industry and serves as a trusted consultant to executives, policy makers and industry decision makers on market and technology challenges. He previously has held various leadership positions in Nokia as the VP of Strategy and Technology of North America, VP of Business Strategy for the Optical Networking Product Division and the Chief Technology Officer for the Fixed Networks division. He has overseen the development and investment of key enabling technologies that has allowed Nokia to be a trusted partner for next generation fiber networks.  He is a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff, holds many patents in optical access technologies, has represented Nokia in standardization forums for next generation optical access networks and resides on the boards of various trade associations representing Nokia. 

Edyn Rolls is a dynamic leader in the public and private sectors with experience in various roles. She is currently serving as the Director of Broadband Strategy at the Oklahoma Broadband Office, where she is responsible for implementing the State Broadband Plan. In this role, Edyn works closely with the Broadband Governing Board and the Broadband Expansion Council to ensure that affordable, high-speed internet options are available to at least 95% of Oklahomans. To achieve this goal, the state of Oklahoma has committed over $1 billion in state and federal funding, with Edyn playing a key role in creating and administering grant programs to fund broadband infrastructure and accessibility.

Prior to her current role, Edyn worked as a Grants Analyst at the Office of Management and Enterprise Services and as the Director of Scheduling and Executive Assistant to the Chief of Staff at the Executive Office of the Governor of Oklahoma.  

Edyn received her Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree with a focus on Business Administration and Management, General from Oklahoma City University in 2021. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Government from the same university. 

Outside of her professional work, Edyn is actively involved in volunteering. She serves as a Board Member at Children’s Health Foundation, where she contributes to the organization’s efforts to improve the health and well-being of children in Oklahoma. Edyn is also an Advisor for Gamma Phi Beta International Sorority, where she provides mentorship and guidance to young women seeking to develop their leadership skills and make a positive impact in their communities. 

Gigi Sohn is the Executive Director of the American Association of Public Broadband (AAPB), a Benton Institute Senior Fellow and Public Advocate and a Distinguished Fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy. She is one of the nation’s leading public advocates for open, affordable and democratic communications networks. In recognition of her expertise and dedication to the public interest in communications, President Biden nominated her to serve on the Federal Communications Commission in October 2021.

From 2013 to 2016, Gigi was Counselor to the former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Tom Wheeler. Singled out by Chairman Wheeler as “the conscience of the Chairman’s office” for her tireless advocacy on behalf of American consumers and competition, the Daily Dot named Gigi one of the “Heroes Who Saved the Internet” in recognition of her role in the adoption of the FCC’s 2015 Network Neutrality rules.From 2001-2013, Gigi served as the Co-Founder and CEO of Public Knowledge, a leading communications and intellectual property policy advocacy organization serving the interests of consumers in Washington. She was previously a Project Specialist in the Ford Foundation’s Media, Arts and Culture unit and Executive Director of the Media Access Project, the first public interest communications law firm.

Gigi has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors for her work. Most recently, in May 2023, the he University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School’s gave Gigi its Louis H. Pollak alumni award for a career advancing social justice through service in the public interest. Gigi lives in Washington, DC with her wife Lara Ballard and their daughter Yosselin.

Joshua Edgar serves as the broadband program manager for the Kansas Office of Broadband Development. His role is to oversee the overall project management of all broadband infrastructure-related grants made through the Kansas Department of Commerce.

Kimia Nikseresht serves as Assistant Counsel to the Broadband Data Task Force at the Federal Communications Commission. In this role, she supports the other task force members by providing legal and practical guidance on emerging issues, as well as through outreach efforts to stakeholders. Kimia joins the Task Force from the Wireline Competition Bureau where she currently serves as an attorney advisor in the Competition Policy Division. Kimia joined the Commission as an Honors Attorney in the Media Bureau in 2020. Kimia earned her law degree from George Mason University School of Law and her B.A. from the University of Virginia.

Lane Bailey is the Broadband Grants Program Manager for the Arkansas Broadband Office. He has been with the Arkansas Broadband Office since 2023. Bailey has worked in various state offices and the private sector. Bailey is a Project Management Processional and holds an Master’s of Public Administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Margaret Gutierrez, Acting Division Chief NTIA, OICG Margaret Gutierrez joined the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in October 2015. Margaret Gutierrez currently serves as the Division Chief with NTIA’s Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth,Tribal Broadband Connectivity and Nation-to-Nation Coordination Division. Prior to the Division Chief role, Margaret spent 6 years as the Tribal Liaison for NTIA, FirstNet and served as the principal point of contact for tribes in FEMA regions I-VIII. Margaret is an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation (Oklahoma). 

As the Division Chief, Margaret provides administrative oversight of all TBCP activities involving applications, awards, reporting, and other programmatic functions. Margaret assists in developing strategies to engage with Tribal governments and Tribal community groups on NTIA high speed internet grant programs and policy issues. In this role, she anticipates and identifies potential or actual problems relating to the achievement of program goals and tribal consultation and coordination. Additionally, she serves as a technical liaison between various government agencies, tribal governments, contractors, and external customers to ensure comprehensive engagement for Tribal stakeholders in the high-speed internet planning and funding process.

Margaret is the first Native American graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security program and holds a Master’s Degree in Security Studies. She is a Professor in the School of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Emergency Management at Cal State University Long Beach.

Mark Argenbright is the Director of the Public Utility Division and Consumer Services of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and the OUSF Administrator. Mark also serves as the Commission’s appointed non-voting member on the Oklahoma Broadband Expansion Council. The Public Utility Division (PUD) administers and enforces Federal law, State statutes, agency rules and orders involving various service providers in the areas of electric, gas, water, cotton gin, and telecommunications.

PUD also administers the Oklahoma Universal Service Fund. As a seasoned professional with more than 35 years of experience engaging with both regulatory agencies and the companies they regulate, to include his 11 years at the OCC, Mark provides a broad base of knowledge for the development, consideration and implementation of utility regulation at the OCC. This includes an understanding of the industry side of the regulatory equation, having had regulatory responsibilities for a variety of telecommunications industry participants over the span of his career.

Mike Sanders was hired as executive director of the Oklahoma Broadband Office in March 2023. 

Since taking the reins of the office, Sanders has quickly built out the professional staff and is setting the course for productive and streamlined operations. 

Prior to taking the position, he started and operated his own business, Sanders Strategy and Consulting Group. 

Sanders served six terms in the Oklahoma House of Representatives beginning in 2008. He chaired the House Utilities Committee and Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee on Transportation and served as House Majority Leader. 

Prior to his legislative service, Sanders worked in the White House for President George W. Bush as Director of Interns. He managed more than 1,000 interns and put policies and procedures in place that returned the White House Intern Program back to prominence. 

Additionally, for Sanders’ dedicated service to the White House and nation on September 11, 2011, he was awarded the Distinguished Honor Service Award by President Bush. 

Sanders continued his service in the Bush Administration in senior management at the United State Department of Agriculture as senior advisor to the chief of the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and as deputy chief of staff in USDA Rural Development. 

Sanders earned his undergraduate degree in History and Pre-Law from Oklahoma Christian University and attended Georgetown University to work on a Master’s degree in Government. 

Sanders is a native of Kingfisher, where he lives with his wife, Nellie, and sons, Davis and Walker. 

Philip Powell joined the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in September 2023 as the federal program officer (FPO) for the State of Arkansas. Philip also became the FPO for Oklahoma in June 2024. In this role, Philip coordinates partnerships and outreach with the state and local governments, community groups, and other entities with a vested interest in NTIA’s high-speed internet grant programs and policy issues. Philip works directly with the Arkansas and Oklahoma broadband offices and the state-level county and municipal associations to ensure comprehensive engagement from all stakeholders in the state on the State’s high-speed internet planning and funding process.

Prior to joining the NTIA, Philip was the Director of Local Affairs and Rural Development at Arkansas Farm Bureau where he advocated on behalf of the organization’s 180,000 members on agricultural and rural issues, including rural broadband access. Philip tracked state legislation and local government issues that impacted Arkansas’s farmers and ranchers. Prior to Arkansas Farm Bureau, he spent two years in sales and operations with Chonex, Inc, an ag startup that recycles poultry manure into an organic microbial soil amendment to help with soil restoration.

Philip holds a Bachelor of Arts in American History from The University of The South in Sewanee, Tennessee. Philip also has a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics and Business from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Outside of his professional work, Philip enjoys spending time working on his farm with his family in Blevins, Arkansas, where he calls home. Philip serves on two Arkansas state boards, the Board of Trustees for the Arkansas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Arkansas School for the Deaf, and the Arkansas Board of Hearing Instrument Dispensers. Philip also serves on the board of Arkansas Hands & Voices, a nonprofit that works with families of Deaf and Hard of Hearing children.