By Allan Maurer
RESEARCH TRIANGLE, NC – Brooks Raiford, the new CEO of the North Carolina Technology Association, says partnering with other organizations, defining its brand, and a focus on public policy and education are among his primary goals. “We would like to get people at all levels, from the CEO on down, the chance to be in the circle,” he says.
Raiford, director of business development at Balfour Beatty Construction in Raleigh, brings a familiarity with other non-profit organizations and political connections and savvy to the job.
“Even though I don’t come from the technology arena formally, it has always been a key issue dating back to when I worked for Gov. Hunt in the 1990s,” he says.
A North Carolina native and graduate of NC State University, Raiford was president of the non-profit, Leadership North Carolina from 2001-2005.
The NCTA board, says Raiford, “Was attracted to my background in running other organizations, some that needed reinvigoration and the fact that I’m familiar with the political process here.”
Like many trade organizations, NCTA lobbies the state legislature and the U.S. Congress on issues of importance to its members, from taxes to education.
Even as he talked with TechJournal South Tuesday, NCTA’s lobbyists, both of whom Raiford worked with during Gov. Hunt’s administration, were meeting with the state’s Congressional delegation and two Senators.
While Raiford says he does not envision any “radical departure,” from NCTA’s current approaches, he does expect to engage with its board to do strategic vision thinking, he says.
“We want to be clearer about who we represent and who we should represent,” he notes.
“Traditionally, we focused on the IT arena, but over time, we’ve moved toward understanding that there is a whole world of people and organizations in and around technology that are not in technology per se.
“Those might include a utility company that uses technology to deliver its product, or the CIO of a company with a robust technology department.”
“There are a host of audiences out there we can speak to,” he says. “My first goal is to explore that with the board and be reasonable but ambitious in defining who our target audience is.”
He hopes to team with organizations such as the NC Council for Entrepreneurial Development and the NC Chamber of Commerce and media such as TechJournal South to bring the organization “expertise and content.”
Raiford also points out that NCTA is a service organization and has to meet the needs of its 400 or so members. Those concerns too frequently involve legislation.
He says an emphasis on K-12 education, long an NCTA focus, will continue to be a top priority, particularly focusing on the science and technology arena.
“We need to get some definition around what a world class school really means,” he says. “There are efforts underway to make real change in how our high schools are structured. Certainly technology can play a role in that.”
“I am a big believer in being unique,” says Raiford. “If you’re only doing things others are, you are not of great value. Do things they’re not or that complement what others are doing, then you are of great value.”
On the Web: www.nctechnology.org
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