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Adelina Zendejas appointed CTA assistant secretary for broadband and digital literacy

Adelina Zendejas, 52, of Woodland, has been appointed assistant secretary of broadband and digital literacy at the California Technology Agency (CTA).

Zendejas will join Carlos Ramos, Secretary of California Technology, in providing leadership for the state’s IT programs, working collaboratively with other California IT leaders. Zendejas’ specific focus will be to promote the availability of broadband connectivity throughout the state while fostering digital literacy for all California residents.

"Digital literacy is one of the cornerstones of keeping California on the leading edge of innovation and competition in the global economy. We must ensure that residents in any part of the state have broadband access," Ramos said in a press release. "Zendejas brings a keen understanding of the challenges and opportunities in these areas."

Zendejas, a democrat, has been a data processing manager III at the State Board of Equalization since 2004. She was chief information officer at the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board from 2002 to 2004, a data processing manager III at the California Department of Finance in 2002 and a project executive and special assistant to the director at the Department of Information and Technology Services from 2001 to 2002. She held multiple state technology positions prior to that, working with the Department of Information Technology from 1997 to 2001.

The CTA assistant secretary position is a result of the 2009 Executive Order SB-06-09, which called for the establishment of an Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) Digital Literacy Council and Advisory Committee as well as an action plan to bridge the state’s digital divide.

"It is exciting to see the state’s Technology Agency fill this position, because it shows the continuing commitment of California to digital literacy and broadband access issues," said Rachelle Chong, Comcast’s regional vice president of affairs in California. Chong worked as a special counsel for CTA’s Advanced ITC from 2009 to 2011.

"As a state leading in broadband initiatives, this continued laser focus on critical digital divide and broadband adoption issues will benefit our people and businesses. I commend Secretary Ramos on his leadership in this area,” she said.

The 2012 update to the California IT Strategic Plan includes the goal of achieving accessible and mobile government. The State of California hopes to achieve this by increasing online service and information offerings and making them more accessible through mobile devices; addressing the digital divide by promoting broadband access and digital literacy; enhancing transparency, accessibility, and openness through online solutions; and enhancing the value of state information through tools to increase the ease of collaboration and data analysis.