March 21, 2023 (Cape Cod, MA) — The Cape Cod Technology Council has tapped Stephen Smith of Orleans, as its new Executive Director, replacing Bert Jackson who held the position since 2018 and who had previously served as its board president for most of the eight years prior.
“This is a real labor of love for me,” said Smith, who has been a member of the Council since 2019 and has been on its board since last year. “Technology fascinates me, partly because it is a great solution to so many potential problems and I love being part of finding solutions to problems.”
Smith, who most recently served as the director of sales for OpenCape, brings extensive experience in sales, telecommunications, and computer networking to the Tech Council. He has held sales leadership roles with EarthLink, AT&T, Verizon, and Tellabs. He has balanced his 40-year career with volunteerism, donating over two decades of his time and talents to the Special Olympics of New Jersey.
Originally from New Jersey, he and his wife Maria, a retired physical therapist, moved to the Cape full-time four years ago after vacationing here and owning a summer home for many years. The couple have four grown children, Matthew, Brendan, Sean, and Emily.
“Steve has a breadth of expertise that will be invaluable to the Tech Council as we look to grow, enhance our impact on the region, and encourage more people to take part in our programs that spotlight the innovation that is occurring on Cape Cod, the Islands and throughout Southeastern Massachusetts,” said the Council’s Board President Robbin Orbison. “What really impressed us about Steve is not only his familiarity with broadband through OpenCape, but his desire to improve internet access in our region. He is committed to driving digital equity in order to deliver the connectivity that residents, businesses, municipal organizations, and nonprofits need in today’s world.”
In his new position, Smith will be focused on growing membership and steering the direction of an organization whose mission is to communicate, promote, educate, and mentor the advancement of technologies on Cape Cod, the Islands, and in Southeastern Massachusetts.
He succeeds Jackson, who recently moved to Hawaii with his husband Wil Rhymer after spending nearly 32 years on Cape Cod. Jackson joined the Council’s board in 2009; the next year he became its president.
Jackson had high praise for the nonprofit. “Getting a chance to oversee the speaker series we have and being exposed to all different kinds of technology, from application to policy to new things coming down the pike, was fascinating,” he said. “We have so many inspirational, visionary talks and there is so much going on here in our region.”
What kept him at the Council for so long? “The chance to be a part of something greater than myself,” he said.
He said what he will miss most is the people he had a chance to interact with through the organization. “One of the things I love about the Tech Council is the bright, curious people it has attracted to it,” he said.
That is exactly what excited Smith about the Tech Council when he was first introduced to it by its General Counsel Eugene Curry. “You meet such fascinating people here with wide, varied backgrounds. I am constantly intrigued by that, and I love hearing how people got here, their back story and what brought them to the Cape,” said Smith. “Nobody can really replace Bert, but the Tech Council offers me an opportunity to combine my technological curiosity, my background in tech, and sales skills to help grow membership and keep the organization thriving and viable into the future.”
About Cape Cod Technology Council
Founded in 1994 and incorporated in 1996, the Cape Cod Technology Council is a membership-based, events-oriented nonprofit that promotes technology and its understandings on Cape Cod, the Islands, and in Southeastern Massachusetts. The Council’s work includes supporting the direction of development of the technology infrastructure in the region to advance the growth, effectiveness, and competitiveness of member organizations; assist in the technology education for the advancement of its members as well as future generations through a variety of programs; and provide unique, meaningful, and topical presentations, discussions, forums, and events focused on technology. To learn more about the Technology Council, visit www.cctechcouncil.org.