Connected Nation Names Vice President to Lead Connect K-12 Initiative

BOWLING GREEN, Ky., June 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Connected Nation (CN) has named Emily Jordan as Vice President of its new Connect K-12 initiative, which aims to improve school connectivity nationally. Jordan will, among other things, lead the launch of the new online tool later this year. It will provide free school broadband data and pricing intelligence that school districts and state leaders can use to upgrade connections to meet or exceed the FCC's 1 megabit per second (Mbps) per student bandwidth goal.

"Because of the many coronavirus closures, we've all witnessed how essential technology and internet access really is to our daily lives. With that, there is an increased recognition of how critically important school connectivity is to our teachers and students no matter where they are," said Tom Ferree, Chairman & CEO, CN. "As a former classroom teacher and advocate, Emily understands the importance of equipping state and school district leaders with the information and support they need to maximize federal funding, increase bandwidth, and ultimately implement engaging digital teaching and learning practices both inside and outside of the classroom."

Connect K-12 will carry forward the legacy of nonprofit EducationSuperHighway, which is sunsetting this year. Connect K-12 will provide actionable internet speed and pricing information on K-12 broadband connectivity gleaned from publicly available data from the federal Schools and Libraries Program of the Universal Service Fund (commonly known as "E-rate").

The tool will highlight connectivity trends to ensure the E-rate Program continues to effectively support school broadband access, and equip state and school district leaders with information to drive school network upgrades toward the 1 Mbps per student goal. Moving forward, Connected Nation will maintain the tool in collaboration with Funds For Learning (FFL), a professional firm specializing in the federal E-rate Program. FFL was selected as the technology partner to manage the data readiness and software elements of the tool.

Jordan joins the team after having previously served as Director of Operations for the bipartisan Lincoln Policy Group in Washington, D.C.  Jordan also served as an assistant to the president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. She was responsible for, among other things, the production of the organization's 2019 centennial celebration and convention. 

Jordan also has five years of classroom experience as a special education teacher. It is from that experience that she derives her passion for accessibility, organization, and sound public policy. She has a BA in Special Education from Clemson University and is an active member of the Junior League of Washington.

"I'm excited about joining Connected Nation as we work to tackle the need for faster, more cost-effective broadband for U.S. schools," Jordan said. "Ensuring better broadband in schools is not just about improving technology; it's about what that technology can do to prepare our children for a better life ahead."

Connect K-12 will be available for free nationwide later this year.

SOURCE Connected Nation