North Carolina Department of Information Technology
“With her expertise, the division is well positioned to continue leveraging state and federal funding to provide crucial access to affordable, reliable high-speed Internet, digital devices and digital literacy resources,” NCDIT Secretary and state Chief Information Officer Teena Piccione said in a statement.
In her new role as deputy secretary, Taylor will be charged with overseeing the investment of close to $1 billion in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, as well as $30 million in state funding.
“The opportunity is meeting people where they are, and the challenge is meeting people where they are,” Taylor said at the 2023 State of the Net Conference.
Prior to joining the state, Taylor worked in various community service and civic engagement roles across the public and private sectors, and in philanthropy. According to her LinkedIn profile, she served as a director of community engagement for the U.S. House of Representatives for more than five years. She holds a Master of Science in organizational leadership from Pfeiffer University, a Bachelor of Arts in communications from North Carolina Central University and a nonprofit management certificate from Duke University.
American Rescue Plan funding is expected to have a significant impact on residents in the state. One way the state is leveraging these funds is through its Digital Champion grant program. NCDIT is also trying to engage constituents about this work through the Tech Resource Finder, which centralizes more than 1,000 resources to support Internet access and adoption and digital literacy in the state.
