WASHINGTON—The National Governors Association (NGA) today announced the creation of a new technology office, NGA Future.
“Advancing innovation in states across the nation is absolutely vital to our prosperity,” said NGA Chair Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval. “I am thrilled that NGA will be focusing on technology through this new office, the first-ever to advise all governors and states on what the future will bring.”
Through NGA Future, state leaders will gain expertise and thought leaders will advise governors on the medium- and long-term impacts of technological disruption. The rapidly changing pace of technological innovation is reshaping the way citizens, businesses and government interact. Though many of these changes will have positive effects on everyday life, there will also be significant disruptive effects on society and government.
“I am excited for NGA to continue to grow as a forward-looking organization with the creation of this unit,” NGA CEO Scott Pattison said. “New technology developments are already changing the way governors and states operate. NGA Future will be crucial in navigating the intersection of emerging technology and state policy.”
NGA Future will be led by Timothy Blute, who formerly helped spearhead Meet the Threat: States Confront the Cyber Challenge, the 2016-17 chair’s initiative of Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe. Recent chairs’ initiatives, including Utah Gov. Gary Herbert’s States: Finding Solutions, Improving Lives as well as Gov. Sandoval’s Ahead of the Curve: Innovation Governors, have all focused on innovation at the state level. The NGA Future unit will help continue this work.
Most recently, Blute served as a program director at the NGA Center for Best Practices’ Homeland Security and Public Safety Division. Prior to NGA, Blute served as an intelligence analyst in the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. He holds a J.D. from American University and a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from the George Washington University.
“I am honored to be leading this new office and look forward to providing governors with insights into how to best prepare for the future of technology,” Blute said. “Governors will play a key role in assisting citizens during the coming technological transition.”
NGA Future will advise states on how to identify emerging issues and trends across the technological spectrum, including in the areas of transactional payment technology, automation and additive manufacturing, the Internet of Things and cognitive computer technology.
For more information on NGA Future, click here.
