MassTLC led a delegation of technology leaders to Washington on a mission to deepen public-private collaboration on key legislative priorities and special projects that support our tech ecosystem. In each meeting, the group focused on key issues in the areas of cyber security, IoT, open data, and talent, including the President’s recent Executive Order on Immigration.
The annual trip was organized in collaboration with the Tech Councils of North America and CompTIA’s annual DC Fly-In. The MassTLC delegation included Mohamad Ali, CEO of Carbonite, Tom Erickson, CEO of Acquia, Alex Daly, Gov’t Affairs at PTC, Jim Daniell, COO of Oxfam America, Tom Hopcroft, President & CEO of MassTLC, Kate McLeod, VP of MassTLC, and Michael O’Hanlon, VP Gov’t & Industry Relations at Wayfair.
We joined 150-200 other tech leaders in advocating from 29 Councils across the United States. This year, in addition to our regional agenda items, we rallied, in coordination with CompTIA and our regional partners across the nation, around a proposed apprenticeship bill, called the Championing Apprenticeships for New Careers and Employees in Technology (CHANCE in Tech) Act.
MassTLC organized meetings on both Tuesday and Wednesday with members of Congress and their staff from the offices of Senator Ed Markey, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Congressman Michael Capuano, Congresswoman Katherine Clark, Congressman Joe Kennedy, Congressman Stephen Lynch, Congressman Seth Moulton, and Congresswoman Nicki Tsongas. As a broader group, we honored New Jersey Senator Cory Booker for his leadership with the Internet of Things and tech apprenticeships and Texas Representative Will Hurd for his work on developing a cyber national guard proposal and focus on STEM education.
As the CyberMA affiliate to the CyberUSA network, MassTLC focused on legislative proposals ranging from the security of IoT devices to tech apprenticeships. We discussed getting more MA tech leaders involved in national working groups/advisory panels, and lawmakers engaged in the Congressional CyberSecurity and IoT Caucuses. We also discussed in-district activities like participation in the Congressional App Challenge.
MassTLC is the largest technology organization in the region. Our members represent 170,000+ people or 60% of the tech sector in MA and span multiple tech-focused and tech-enabled industries, company sizes, and geographic areas in the state. Our mission is to accelerate growth and innovation in the Massachusetts tech economy.
We know that advocacy on multiple levels has the power to create awareness, develop strong partnerships, and it also ensures that our voices are heard by our leaders in Congress. MassTLC’s core principles guide our work. We believe in:
- Innovation–in business, government, education, and as consumers
- Diversity–of workforce, ideas, and ecosystem investment
- Equity & Opportunity–by age, gender, race, income, sexual orientation, etc.
- Mobility–international/domestic talent, capital, and ideas
- Democracy–we are stronger with the ‘wisdom of the crowd’ acting together
As Carbonite CEO Mohamad Ali said, “It’s important for technology leaders to become more involved in our governing process. As technology becomes the leading driver of income for the Commonwealth’s seven million residents, it is vital that government policies support a workforce that allows all to participate and enable Massachusetts companies to continue to lead in innovation.”
Looking ahead, MassTLC will continue its work with our Congressional leaders to move legislative priorities forward. We will continue discussions in D.C. and at home in their districts, and will engage our members through our direct outreach, reports, programs, and newsletters. If you are interested in lending your voice, please email Sara Fraim: sara@masstlc.org.
