Friday 11/1/2024 – 11:00am-12:00pm – General Session Panel #3 Digital Equity

After the Build: Digital Equity and Affordable Internet

Moderator: Leina Gonzalez-Baird, Business Oregon, Digital Equity Program Coordinator

Leina Gonzalez-Baird is the Digital Equity Program Coordinator in the Oregon Broadband Office State of Oregon. Leina is a human rights practitioner and has a background in political science, law and public policy, and emerging tech.

Panelists

Panelist: Pam Marsh, Oregon State Representative

I am honored to serve residents of southern Jackson County for a fourth term in the Oregon Legislature. House District 5 spans from the Applegate to the Greensprings and includes Ashland, Talent, Phoenix, a southern portion of Medford, Jacksonville and Ruch. I’m convinced my district has
the state’s most passionate and involved constituents.

In the wake of multiple crises brought on by the pandemic, catastrophic wildfire, social inequities, and a housing shortage, I am committed to taking bold and transformative action in support of all Oregonians—for our health, our environment and our economy.

I am honored to currently serve as Chair of the House Committee on Climate, Energy and Environment, shepherding policies to promote energy efficiency, energy affordability and environmental justice; and focusing on meaningful policy for waste prevention and wildfire mitigation. In addition, I am currently serve as a member of the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and
Water, House Committee On Revenue, and Joint Committee On Tax Expenditures.

Broadband: Since 2016, I have been working to close Oregon’s digital divide, authoring HB 2173 (2019) to establish the state Broadband Office, and HB 4092 (2022), which set Oregon’s course for broadband expansion. I continue to pursue policies that resolve infrastructure challenges so all Oregonians can have access to highspeed internet for education, health, government information and services, entertainment and more.

Rebecca Brown, Comcast Pacific NW Region

In this role, I have the opportunity to help bring together our diverse communities to focus on making a difference through volunteerism and employee engagement, and help increase technology access and expand digital skills by forming impactful partnerships with our local CBOs.

Juan Muro, Free Geek

Juan M. Muro, previously Sr. Manager of Customer Experience, is the Executive Director of Free Geek. Free Geek is a non-profit organization with a mission: to repurpose technology and discover sustainable solutions while providing educational resources. Prior to his time in the nonprofit world, Juan worked at Starbucks as an Operations and Training Store Manager leading teams and helping to develop talent from within the organization. Juan has put those skills to use at Free Geek and has been working to make the organization better since his arrival in 2018. At Free Geek he has brought operational excellence, ability to build great teams.