New State Board Seeks Director for State Broadband Office
OKLAHOMA CITY – The newly created Oklahoma Broadband Governing Board is seeking applicants for director of the State Broadband Office. The director will be responsible for building and managing implementation of broadband services throughout the state.
The board and office were created in House Bill 3363 enacted this past legislative session. The nine-member board is responsible for broadband expansion policy and overseeing the broadband office. It is composed of the lieutenant governor, state treasurer and appointees by the governor, House speaker and Senate president pro tempore.
The board is chaired by Oklahoma Municipal League Executive Director Mike Fina.
“Building broadband to reach every Oklahoman may be the most important infrastructure project this state has seen in the past 30 years,” Fina said. “The person we hire must manage the unique relationships between the state, telecommunications companies and the tribes with the end goal of connecting every Oklahoman with reliable and affordable broadband before the end of 2028. The successful candidate will have an enormous amount of responsibility placed on their shoulders.”
Those interested in the position can apply through jobs.ok.gov, the state’s online job application site, at this link. Minimum qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in business administration, computer science, information technology or a related field with 5 to 10 years of senior level experience in management of telecommunications, business, government, broadband-related “think-tank,” nonprofit or related industry.
The successful candidate will oversee administration of more than $269 million in grant funds with the goal of providing adequate broadband service to 95% of Oklahomans by June 2028, at which time the board and office will be sunset.
The nine-member governing board’s initial focus is on hiring the new director and establishing the office. The board is composed of:
Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell.
State Treasurer Randy McDaniel.
Gubernatorial appointee Mike Fina, Chair, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Municipal League.
House speaker appointee Jim Meeks, Vice Chair, Director of Region 9, Oklahoma Farm Bureau.
Gubernatorial appointee Russ Teubner, CEO of HostBridge Technology, LLC.
Gubernatorial appointee Lyle Roggow, President of Duncan Area Economic Development Foundation,
House speaker appointee Fob Jones, Attorney with Fob F. Jones Law.
Senate president pro tempore appointee Katy Boren, CEO of the Oklahoma City Innovation District, Inc.
Senate president pro tempore appointee Mike Erhart, Managing Partner with Erhart & Associates.
For more information, contact Leslie Blair.