RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Meet Jean Davis, CEO for the MicroElectronics Center of North Carolina (MCNC).  Since 2014, she has been leading MCNC’s efforts to build a fiber backbone across North Carolina for educational, medical and industrial uses.  She recently spoke about the cross-section of broadband and economic development at RIoT XXX: Smart and Connected Gigabit Cities. WRAL TechWire’s Chantal Allam recently tracked her down to find out more.

  • Tell me a little bit about yourself, and how you ended up MCNC.

I’m Boston, born and bred. I moved to North Carolina after living in Europe for eight years. This is home now. I’ve spent most of my career working in technology in the private sector. My first job in North Carolina was working at IBM. After a successful entrepreneurial exit, I pursued a dream I’d always had to go into public service and went to work in economic development for the NC Department of Commerce. That led me to my latest position as the CEO of MCNC where we bring technology and rural economic development together via our high speed fiber network.

  • What exactly is MCNC and its mission?

MCNC started as a semiconductor incubator around 30 years ago — hence the name, Microelectronic Center of North Carolina. Over the years, we evolved into a physical university research network and have now grown into a state-wide community network that provides internet connectivity and network services to our clients . We connect all the schools  universities , community colleges, hospitals and public health clinics, government,  non profits and other community-anchor institutions. It’s the state’s largest gig network, which means we’ve got a robust, reliable and open network to move out state forward to accelerate research, increase educational opportunities and improve health care outcomes in our communities.

  • MCNC operates North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN). Why is this such an important initiative?

NCREN is one of the nation’s first statewide education and research networks. It provides broadband communications technology services and support to K-12 school districts, higher education campuses and academic research institutions, and hospitals across North Carolina. MCNC offers NCREN technology tools and services to guarantee equal access to 21st century learning by providing a future-proof technology network that is the foundation for change and innovation in our educational systems.

North Carolina, nation’s first gigabit state? That’s the goal, say state officials

  • You recently appeared as a panelist at RIoT XXX: Smart and Connected Gigabit Cities. You specifically spoke about economic development and the future of Internet of Things. What’s the biggest takeaway you want people to know? 

The idea that every city, small and large, can be part of the smart city movement, and that smart cities will become the cornerstone of growth and increased economic development activities. Economic development takes a holistic view of the assets in a community. It’s about housing, transport, education and quality of life. Harnessing the power of a speed network to make your community a better place to live, work and play is the goal.

  • In the last five years, how far has North Carolina come in terms of the Internet of Things and its broadband infrastructure? 

There are amazing things happening with IOT in our state — from university research to small tech companies with cool gig applications and software, to public-private partnerships between state agencies and their big partners such as IBM, Cisco and SAS.

We’re well ahead of the pack [when it comes to our broadband infrastructure], and the big issue we need to collaborate on is rural residential connectivity. It breaks my heart to think about kids who can’t do their homework at night because they are not connected to a network,  or to hear about elderly patients who don’t have a hospital near them and don’t have connectivity at home to access telehealth services. It’s going to take all of us coming together to solve that complex problem .

Photo Shoot: RIoT’s sneak peek at what’s in store for gigabit cities