SSTI Board of Trustees appoints Nick Maynard to the board

The SSTI Board of Trustees has appointed Nick Maynard, co-founder and CEO of US Ignite, as a member of the board. “I'm excited to work with Nick as he joins SSTI's board,” said Mark Skinner, CEO of SSTI. “Since meeting Dr. Maynard fifteen years ago, he has proven in my estimation to be one of the brightest, most thoughtful, solutions-oriented people in the country working to advance regional economic growth through innovation."  

Maynard became CEO of US Ignite in April 2021. In his previous role as COO, Maynard was instrumental in building out the US Ignite Communities program and in establishing the Smart Bases program. He also wrote a white paper on smart transportation that informed the Biden infrastructure plan, which created the $500M DOT smart cities program funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

Before joining US Ignite, Maynard served as a program director at the National Science Foundation, where he helped launch national advanced wireless research and technology accelerator programs. He was also the assistant director at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he launched a federal R&D portfolio, launching more than $1 billion in new programs, including a photonics testbed foundry and President Obama’s ConnectHome program of free broadband for public housing students. Previously, Maynard was a member of the National Broadband Task Force at the FCC, where he created a public-private partnership to offer technology training to small businesses in low-income communities. He also spent ten years in the telecom industry, consulting with leading global carriers and vendors on next-gen networks and services. Maynard received his BA and MA from the University of Chicago and a Public Policy PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.