National technology industry advocacy group TechNet announced today that Laura Bennett will serve as executive director for California and the Southwest.
A part of TechNet’s 50-state advocacy program, Bennett will supervise activities in California, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah that focus on technology policy issues such as sharing economies, energy, tax and cybersecurity. Her new position will be based in Sacramento. She replaces Andrea Deveau, who was promoted in November to serve as the program's vice president.
“I am thrilled to join TechNet and its highly effective 50-state advocacy team,” said Bennett in the announcement. “California and the Southwest are home to some of the most innovative technology companies in the world, and it is critical that these companies have their voices heard in the policy debates taking place in this region. I look forward to continuing to engage with lawmakers to advance policies that foster innovation and promote growth in the technology industry.”
Prior to joining TechNet, Bennett was with Verizon for 12 years, most recently serving as the company’s Manager of State Government Affairs. While with Verizon, she worked on legislative and regulatory issues, including but not limited to telecommunications and procurement. She was also a legislative assistant as Smith, Watts and Co. from 2000 to 2004, and has previously worked with local organizations on a range of topics, such as STEM, sustainability and more.
TechNet is a bipartisan network of 72 member companies, including Apple, Facebook, Oracle, Microsoft, Google and Cisco. Since it was founded in 1997, the group has provided input on a variety of initiatives, including the California Energy Commission’s updated energy saving standards for computers and monitors proposed in early September.
