Karen Jackson Appointed Virginia Deputy Secretary of Technology

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine today announced the appointment of Karen Jackson as the commonwealth's deputy secretary of technology. Jackson is currently the director of the Office of Telework Promotion and Broadband Assistance for the commonwealth. She has previously served as the vice-president for broadband programs and as a regional director for Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology and worked as an associate information design specialist for Computer Sciences Corporation in Hampton Roads.

Jackson has played an active role in legislative activities during the Gilmore, Warner and Kaine administrations, most notably authoring the final report on "Advancing Affordable, High-bandwidth Electronic Networks in Rural Virginia" as directed by House Joint Resolution 163 (2002), drafting Executive Order 35 establishing the Office of Telework Promotion and Broadband Assistance in 2006, and collaborating with members of the General Assembly and the Kaine administration to ensure adoption of HB1329/SB206, which requires access to state owned telecommunication towers by qualified wireless broadband service providers in un-served areas of the commonwealth.

Jackson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from Christopher Newport University, where she graduated cum laude, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the College of William and Mary Graduate School of Business.