Monday, April 6, 2009

Innovator Alec Ross Joins State Dept.

Alec Ross, co-founder of the nonprofit One Economy, which uses technology to assist low income communities, has joined the State Department as a senior innovation adviser to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. The job was created for the 37-year-old who left the organization he helped build to work on President Obama's transition team. Just last week, a group of public interest organizations asked the administration to raise the profile of technological innovation within the government and sources told Tech Daily Dose on Monday the position may be a model for other agencies. In his new capacity, Ross is charged with using technology to enhance the department's diplomatic missions in areas such as healthcare, poverty, and human rights, according to a Washington Post profile.

Prior founding of One Economy in 2000, Ross served as special assistant to the president of the Enterprise Foundation. In that capacity, he led special projects and the development of strategies related to new business development, fundraising, technology, and program development, according to his One Economy bio. Ross is a 1994 graduate of Northwestern University and he taught two years in inner city Baltimore through Teach For America. "Alec's career has been one of fostering the development and use of technology to help people better their lives," said Public Knowledge President Gigi Sohn. "At the State Department, he will be able to showcase those talents, and the value of innovation, on a global scale."

"Secretary Clinton believes technology is a powerful tool to address the priorities of the State Department, including promoting human rights and vibrant democracies, fostering development and enhancing the impact of smart power," said State Department spokesman Fred Lash. "Alec's track record of successfully using technology for development initiatives around the world made him an ideal candidate for this job." Read more about Clinton's high-tech agenda here.