Will serve as Digital Equity Director of Commerce Department agency, oversee allocation of $2.75B
Cleveland lawyer Angela Thi Bennett has been tapped to serve as the first-ever digital equity director at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), within the US Department of Commerce.
Bennett will move from her current position as DigitalC’s director of advocacy, where she has championed fuller digital inclusion in Cleveland. She has also been deeply engaged in national digital equity work for years with the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA).
“We are thrilled Angela Thi Bennett is joining the NTIA team,” said Angela Siefer, executive director of NDIA, in a statement on the group's website. “Her local digital inclusion experience combined with her active national community involvement means she is equipped to understand the challenges and the need for holistic and collaborative solutions.”
NTIA is the agency responsible for advising the President of the United States on telecommunications and information policy issues. Currently, NTIA has a strong focus on expanding broadband access and adoption and advancing digital equity.
This is the first-ever position in the federal government with “digital equity” in the job title.
Starting the position on March 29, Bennett will be charged to direct the allocation of $2.75 billion from the Digital Equity Act and help develop guidelines for states to equitably use these funds.
“I am honored to join the Biden Administration and to serve the American people,’’ Angela said of her new role in a statement released by DigitalC. “As my ability to serve scales to the national level, I remain steadfastly committed to amplifying marginalized voices, empowering local communities to drive solutions and creating shared standards of metrics to inform interventions and create accountability.”
Bennett has focused on community work throughout her career. A former member of the state board of education, she also served as superintendent of OAK Leadership Institute, a community school in Cleveland's Hough neighborhood.
Angela earned bachelor’s, master’s, and juris doctor degrees from Case Western Reserve University.
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