The promise of smart cities is difficult to ignore. Across the nation, government leaders are looking at the confluence of new technologies and how they can improve operational efficiency and, ultimately, lift their constituents’ quality of life. Smart cities enable better service and infrastructure, public safety, economic and community empowerment and a pathway to new possibilities.
Join MMTC and Charter Communications for the Smart Cities – Pathway to the Possible Webinar on September 14, 2021, at 2-3 PM ET.
Register for the free webinar here: wwww.mmtconline.org/smartcities.
Robert Branson, President, MMTC
Robert E. Branson. Esq. is the President and CEO of the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC), a non-partisan, national nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving equal opportunity and civil rights in the mass media, telecom and broadband industries, and closing the digital divide.
Prior to joining MMTC, Branson served as Of Counsel at Empire Consulting Group a strategic business and public policy firm serving leading technology, wireless, broadcast and other industry clients. He brings his unique perspective as someone who has worked inside and outside government and who understands the challenges ahead in the diverse world we are creating in corporate America.
In his corporate career, most recently, he was an Associate General Counsel with Verizon Communications. In that position, hehad various responsibilities, including the 5G rollout in the Washington, DC area, privacy regulations, and relationship building with leaders in the federal and state governments. He also coordinated with trade associations and internally with other legal, public policy and business groups.
He has been the General Counsel of the Association of Local Television Stations, Chief Legal Counsel of Post-Newsweek Stations and an Assistant General Counsel at the National Association of Broadcasters. He also has worked at the Federal Communications Commission as a Senior Legal Advisor to a Commissioner.
Branson has served as President of the Federal Communications Bar Association where he has gotten to know many of the leaders at the FCC, NTIA, FTC and other federal agencies. He is a two-time recipient of the FCBA Distinguished Service Award. He has championed diversity and inclusion in the Bar and has lead several efforts to expand the pipeline my mentoring and working to assist the careers of numerous people in the industry and government. In part based on these efforts, he has been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from MMTC.
He has served on the Board of Trustees at Simmons University in Boston and was named an Honorary Trustee after his service. He was a member of the Boards of the Ridley Scholarship Fund at the University of Virginia and the Hayride to Help Others in Washington, DC.
Branson received his law degree from Harvard University and his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia.
Dr. Fallon Wilson, VP of Policy, MMTC
Dr. Fallon Wilson, Vice President, Policy, leads MMTC’s work on three focus areas in the tech, media, and telecommunications (TMT) sectors. The sectors include: Technology, Data Privacy, Artificial Intelligence, and Civil Rights in the Digital Age; Infrastructure, Broadband Connectivity, and Digital Inclusion; and Multicultural Media Ownership and Content Diversity.
Prior to joining MMTC, Dr. Fallon Wilson co-founded #BlackTechFutures Research Institute and is the former Research Director of Black Tech Mecca. At Black Tech Mecca, Dr. Wilson created the Smart Black Tech Ecosystem Assessment to support local city leaders with building a thriving black tech ecosystem. Recently, she was awarded a Kauffman Foundation’s 2020 Open Knowledge grant to launch #BlackTechFutures Research Institute. #BlackTechFutures Research Institute builds a national network of city-based researchers and practitioners conducting research on sustainable local black tech ecosystems.
She is a member of the Federal Communications Commissions’ Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment. Dr. Wilson is a 2019 TEDx Speaker (e.g. Stop Ignoring Black Women and Hear of Our Tech Prophecies). She is a Board Member of the State of Tennessee’s Future of Work Taskforce and Co-Chairs Nashville’s smart city plan, Connected Nashville. Given her tech activism, she is a 2017 recipient of the ISTE Digital Equity Award. Dr. Wilson’s research on first generation black college students’ alternative tech pathways and black tech ecosystems has garnered notable research grants from Kapor Center for Social Impact & Kauffman Foundation. During the pandemic, Dr. Wilson launched Nashville’s Digital Inclusion and Access Taskforce to address the effects of the pandemic and the digital divide on communities of color. In seven months, she raised and launched a mixed method city assessment of digital inclusion in Nashville. Because of her great work to support tech equity, Venture Beat as the modern day Fannie Lou Hamer for tech equity. Dr. Wilson chairs the Tennessee Higher Education Commission’s HBCU Success Board. Dr. Wilson has a BA from Spelman College and MA/PhD from the University of Chicago. As a public interest technologist, she discusses race, gender, faith, and civic tech issues.
Marva Johnson, GVP, State Government Affairs, Charter Communications
Marva Johnson is the Group Vice President, State Government Affairs, for Charter Communications South Region.
In this role, Marva oversees state government affairs, regulatory, local franchising, state legislative matters, and implementing strategies for government and community initiatives for the nine Charter states across the Southern United States. Marva joined Charter Communications in 2016 with a focus on state Government Relations throughout the Southeast including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Prior to Charter, Johnson was Corporate Vice President, Government and Industry Affairs with Bright House Networks. In 2006, she joined the company as a key leader that brought the company’s competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) forward from concept to operational reality. Johnson’s tenure in the technology-driven industries includes prior service in numerous legal, regulatory and policy roles. Before joining the Bright House Networks team, Johnson worked at Supra Telecommunications (a subsidiary of FDN Communications) where she was General Counsel, and previously served as Vice President and Senior Counsel for KMC Telecommunications, where she oversaw KMC’s regulatory, legislative and industry relations at both the state and federal levels. Johnson has also held auditing, marketing, and product development positions with Arthur Andersen, BellSouth, and MCI.
Currently, Johnson serves as the vice chair of the Florida State Board of Education, on the Enterprise Florida board, and as the Immediate Past Chair for the Global Board of Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT). She served as a member of Florida’s Constitution Revision Commission, the Board of Directors of the Florida Virtual Schools of Florida, and the Advisory Board for Rollins College’s Crummer Center for Leadership Development.
Throughout her career, Johnson has been passionate about creating educational opportunities that enable success for every child. As a result, she received the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council’s Champion for Digital Equality Award in recognition of her extraordinary leadership and advocacy in helping bridge the digital divide in education for low-income families. She has received many other accolades, including being named one of Cablefax: The Magazine’s “MSO Executive to Watch” and one of the “Top Women in Tech.” Johnson has been recognized numerous times as a member of Cablefax’s Most Influential Minorities and the Most Powerful Women in Cable.
Johnson received her J.D. from the Georgia State University College of Law, a Master of Business Administration from Emory University’s Goizuetta Business School, and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgetown University. She is admitted to practice law in Georgia.
She resides in Winter Garden, Florida with her husband and two children.
Satya Parimi, GVP, Enterprise Data Products & Smart Cities, Spectrum Enterprise
Satya Parimi is Group Vice President of Enterprise Products & Smart Cities for Spectrum Enterprise, a part of Charter Communications, Inc. In his role, Mr. Parimi is responsible for the full lifecycle management of all Enterprise products and leads the Smart City initiative across the company.
He previously held leadership roles in product management, product development and corporate strategy for Time Warner Cable, as part of the initial team that built the Business Services division. Prior to joining Time Warner Cable, Mr. Parimi help multiple roles of increasing responsibilities at a number of technology start-up companies in the telecommunication industry.
Mr. Parimi is a graduate of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, where he received his Master’s degree in electrical engineering. He received his MBA from the University of Massachusetts, and has received executive leadership certification from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Patti Zullo, Senior Director, Smart City Solutions, Spectrum Enterprise
Patti Zullo is Senior Director, Smart City Solutions for Spectrum, a part of Charter Communications Inc. Ms. Zullo is responsible for defining and executing the Spectrum Smart City go-to-market strategy and representing the company with industry groups and events to raise awareness of the Spectrum Smart City solutions.
Ms. Zullo has over 20 years of enterprise leadership experience in the areas of IOT/analytics, cloud, Internet security and mobile communications. Most recently, she was the Sales Leader for Smart Cities at AT&T, and came to AT&T through the General Electric – AT&T partnership for Smart Cities. Prior to the AT&T, Ms. Zullo was Sales Director for Smart Cities at General Electric and launched the GE Smart Cities initiatives. She was responsible for GE’s largest Smart City implementation at the city of San Diego.
Ms. Zullo has also held leadership positions at IBM, McAfee and Nokia. Her extensive leadership experience focuses on launching new technologies into new markets and driving adoption with Public Sector and Enterprise clients. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Connecticut.
Stephen Benjamin, Mayor of Columbia, South Carolina
Since being elected mayor in a record turnout election in April 2010, Mayor Steve Benjamin has made it his mission to create in Columbia the most talented, educated and entrepreneurial city in America.
His service in Columbia started back in 1990 when he served as student body president at the University of South Carolina, later becoming the Student Bar Association President at the USC School of Law.
Quick facts about Mayor Benjamin:
- First elected in April 2010
- 2018-2019 President of the US Conference of Mayors
- Executive Chairman of Municipal Bonds for America
- Member of the Federal Communications Commission’s Intergovernmental Advisory Committee
- Co-chair of the Mayors for 100% Clean Energy campaign
- Former African-American Mayors Association President (2015-2016)
- Member of the Accelerator for America Advisory Council
- Honorary Co-Chair of the New Leaders Council
- Authored Foreword for Smarter New York City: How City Agencies Innovate by André Corrêa d’Almeida
- 2018 Yale Mayors College participant
- 2018 Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative participant
- Named 2018 Leading Globally Matters Locally Award winner by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition
- Named 2018 Historic Preservation Elected Official Award winner by Preservation South Carolina
- Named 2018 AIPAC Ralph Bunche Award winner
- Named one of the 2018 Distinguished Achievement Award winners by the Sierra Club
- Named 2017 Phoenix Award Winner for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery by a Public Official by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
- Named 2017 Partner America Small Business Advocate Award winner
- Named Columbia Chamber of Commerce award winner for 2016 Small & Minority Business Advocate of the Year
- Named 2016 Walgreen’s Happy & Healthy Communities Champion award winner
- Named 2016 Deborah Boward Leadership Award winner by Senior Resources
- Named 2001 SC Young Lawyer of the Year
- Named 1999 National Bar Association Young Lawyer of the Year
- Named 2006 SC Bar Association Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year
- Member of the Affordable Housing Advisory Council for Federal Home Loan Bank Atlanta
- Member of the South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development Board
- Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
- Member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
- Former member of the ETV Endowment of South Carolina, Inc. Board of Trustees
- Generated budget surpluses in six of the last seven years and seven straight years without a tax increase
- Established the city’s first Poet Laureate and public art initiative
- Launched “Let’s Move! Columbia” and in 2015 named the #1 National League of Cities “Let’s Move” city in the nation
- Launched new green infrastructure projects including utilizing new, low-impact technologies and use of modular storage for flood control
At 29 years old in 1999, Benjamin was appointed to Governor Jim Hodges’ cabinet as director of the state’s second largest law enforcement agency, the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services.
Mayor Benjamin has continued his service to the community in serving on numerous boards for nonprofit organizations such as the Columbia Urban League, Benedict College, the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce and as a founding board member of the Eau Claire Promise Zone. He also served as a founding member of Choose Children First and chief legal counsel for Midlands Crimestoppers.
In 2009, Benjamin drew national attention by representing prominent radio host Tom Joyner and securing a pardon for Joyner’s great uncles wrongfully convicted in the death of a 73-year-old Confederate veteran and executed in 1913. In a landmark decision, the South Carolina Board of Paroles and Pardons voted unanimously to grant the posthumous pardon, the first for South Carolina in a capital case.
Reelected by a 30 percent margin in November 2013, Mayor Benjamin’s administration has been characterized by his firm belief in Columbia’s potential and intense focus on job creation. In his first term alone, his leadership helped cut unemployment in the metro by roughly half and secured billions of dollars in new regional capital investment in the midst of a national recession.
Combined with the rebirth of Main Street, these accomplishments have drawn national attention and accolades including his being awarded an Aspen Rodel Fellowship and receiving an Honorary Doctor of Humanities from Francis Marion University. He has twice been named to The Washington Post’s “The Root 100 List” (2011 and 2013) as well as the 2014 GRIO 100 and was honored to receive a 2014 Triumph Award from the National Action Network as their 2014 Public Servant of the Year.
As part of his commitment to fostering a world class police department in the City, Mayor Benjamin introduced the “Justice for All” initiative in 2014, which implemented new training, competitive pay, diverse representation and community engagement to strengthen the foundation of trust and accountability that exists between our communities and law enforcement agencies.
President Obama’s administration has also commended Mayor Benjamin on his work on behalf of My Brother’s Keeper (MBK). The city’s MBK efforts, in addition to Mayor Benjamin’s leadership, have led to Columbia being seen as a nationwide leader in implementing and upholding the missions of the program.
Mayor Benjamin was asked to speak at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, where he talked about the importance of instilling in his daughters that they can do anything they set their minds to, even becoming President of the United States.
In December 2017, Mayor Benjamin initiated city ordinance 2017-109, which banned the attachment of bump stocks and trigger cranks in the City of Columbia, making Columbia the first city in the nation to do so. He is a firm believer in common sense bipartisan leadership and endeavors to implement policies and programming that provide the best course of action for city residents.
In addition to serving as Mayor of Columbia, Mayor Benjamin also served as the 2018-2019 President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and as Chairman for Municipal Bonds for America. He formerly taught a class at the University of South Carolina Honors College and Columbia College titled “Columbia, South Carolina: Building a Great City” and is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi and Sigma Pi Phi fraternities.
Mayor Benjamin is married to the Honorable DeAndrea Gist Benjamin. The two are the proud parents of daughters Bethany and Jordan Grace.
Lili Gangas, Chief Technology Community Officer, Kapor Center
Lili Gangas is the Chief Technology Community Officer at the Kapor Center working to create new and more inclusive tech innovation ecosystems regionally & nationally. Her work is centered at the intersection of racial justice, technology, and action driven partnerships to tackle pressing social and economic inequities of underrepresented communities. Her areas of focus and interest include tech advocacy themes such as closing the Digital Divide, Future of Work(ers), Responsible Technology, and Ecosystem Building as they relate to new models with cross sector partners. Lili believes that it is critical that we help prepare and upskill communities of color for the future and encourage going beyond being consumers to also being creators and owners. She was a New America CA fellow focused on Tech for Good, was recognized as SF Business Times Most Influential Women in Business and SF Business Times 40 Under 40, and is an MBA lecturer at Mills College. Lili was recently a featured Salesforce Dreamforce and TEDxOakland speaker.
Before coming to the Kapor Center, Lili was an Associate Principal at Accenture Technology Lab’s Open Innovation team, based out of Silicon Valley,focused on partnerships and programming to connect startups to Fortune 500 clients. She was also a founding member of the Innovation Services team at Booz Allen specializing in crowdsourcing, prize challenges, and open data solutions at the federal level. Before that, Lili could be found in the lab working on software and hardware solutions for the aerospace industry as a Senior Multi-Disciplined Software Engineer at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems. She is an advisor to tech focused nonprofits such as AI-4-All.org as well as community investing organizations such as The Unity Council and Pacific Community Ventures. Lili holds an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business, a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California.
Dr. Chad Womack, Senior Director, STEM Initiatives & HBCU Innovation, UNCF
Dr. Chad Womack currently serves as the Senior Director of National STEM Programs and Initiatives at the UNCF. At the UNCF, Dr. Womack has raised over $70M to support a portfolio of STEM programs that include the Annual HBCU Tech Innovation Summit, HBCU CS Academy, HBCU Center for Excellence in Computing and Computer Science and the Ernest E. Just Life Science Initiative. In addition, Dr. Womack is the Founding Director of the UNCF Fund II Foundation STEM Scholars Program – a $50M and 10-year commitment to support 500 academically talented African American high school students pursuing STEM as majors in college and careers in the tech-industry. Dr. Womack also manages several partnerships and programs in collaboration with several Silicon Valley tech-companies including Google, Facebook and Genentech.
Prior to joining the UNCF, Dr. Womack, Dr. Womack led the White House-based HBCU Startup and Innovation Initiative, which resulted in the launch of the HBCU Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship initiative. In addition, Dr. Womack has previously served as a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Agency (EDA) National Advisory Council for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE), and the DC Mayor’s Innovation and Technology Inclusion Council (ITIC). More recently, Dr. Womack co-founded CS4Philly – a Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization dedicated to equity and access to high quality computer science education for K12 youth in the City of Philadelphia; and Black Tech Ventures (BTV) as a nonprofit initiative committed to supporting entrepreneurial leadership among African American student and faculty innovators at HBCUs and STEM professionals.
Dr. Womack completed several postdoctoral research fellowships at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in the National Institutes for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Vaccine Research Center (VRC) and at the Harvard AIDS Institute and the Harvard School of Public Health in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Womack earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from a joint graduate program with the Morehouse School of Medicine and the Harvard School of Public Health; and is a proud graduate of Morehouse College where he earned his B.S. degree in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Applied Physics.
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