Benton Institute for Broadband & Society Executive Director Adrianne B. Furniss today announced the following additions to the organization's board and staff. Each member of the Benton Institute team is committed to making open, high-performance broadband available and affordable for all people in the U.S. and to contributing to the work Benton does informing, conducting research, partnering, and advocating on behalf of the broadband for all community.

Juan Sepulveda has joined the Benton Institute's board of directors. Sepulveda is currently the Ron Calgaard Distinguished Professor of Practice in Political Science at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, where he teaches urban education, politics, community building, and leadership. Previously, he served as senior vice president of station service and system leadership at PBS where he collaborated with more than 160 PBS stations across the country to strengthen their connections to their local communities and to each other as a national public media network. Mr. Sepulveda joined PBS after work at the Democratic National Committee as a senior advisor for Hispanic affairs and Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics in the Obama Administration. He is the author of "The Life and Times of Willie Velasquez: Su Voto Es Su Voz (Your Vote is Your Voice)." Sepulveda is a graduate of Harvard College; The Queen's College, Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar; and Stanford Law School. He has been admitted to the Texas Bar.

"The Benton Institute is blessed to have Juan join our board," said Benton Board Chair Austin Hirsch. "He brings decades of experience building relationships and partnerships to tackle key community issues. He quickly saw how broadband and digital equity or opportunity is so important for delivering individual opportunities and strengthening communities." 

Dr. Revati Prasad is the new Vice President of Programs at the Benton Institute. Working with the Executive Director and Executive Editor, Dr. Prasad defines and implements Benton’s strategic vision and oversees the day-to-day management of Benton's programmatic work. Through the Institute’s research and Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fund fellowship program, she leads Benton’s contributions to evidence-based policy solutions to advance universal equitable broadband access, adoption, and application. 

Dr. Prasad holds a Ph.D. in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and an MPA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Her doctoral work examined efforts to “connect the unconnected” in rural India. As a 2022 American Council for Learned Societies Leading Edge Fellow at the Institute for Local Self Reliance (ILSR), Dr. Prasad concentrated on tribal broadband research and technical assistance. Dr. Prasad's work has been published in a number of leading academic journals and she has received awards from the International Communication Association. 

"As I spend more time on the relationship building that will sustain the mission of the Benton Institute in the future," said Furniss, "I am happy to have found a leader with the breadth of research and programmatic experience to partner with me and Kevin Taglang, Benton's Executive Editor, on the implementation of our strategic vision and the day-to-day activities our partners find so invaluable."

Drew Garner recently joined the Benton Institute as the Director of Policy Engagement. He helps lead Benton’s work on the Affordable Connectivity Program, and he serves as Deputy Director for the Broadband State Education Project, which gives state and regional coalitions a powerful voice in state broadband investments. Previously, Garner worked as the State Broadband Policy Advisor for Common Sense Media, and as a Broadband Legislative Fellow for Senator Tina Smith. He received a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Minnesota, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from New York University. 

"Garner's talents combine research, analysis, and storytelling to educate government officials and the general public about broadband policy," said Furniss. "We're delighted to have Drew on the Benton team as we lend a hand to state and federal broadband leaders and work with communities to realize the goals and principles Congress articulated in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act." 

Zoë Walker joined the Benton Institute in 2023 as a Writing Associate. She works on the Headlines Newsletter and she is passionate about digital equity and inclusion. Zoë received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from North Carolina State University in 2022. 

"Zoe's background impressed us," said Kevin Taglang. "She served as a digital inclusion intern both at the North Carolina Broadband Infrastructure Office and the Institute for Emerging Issues and as a Community Engagement Associate at Underline Infrastructure. These positions prepared her to make an immediate, positive impact, so our Headlines readers can continue to rely on Benton to keep them informed about all things broadband." 

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all people in the U.S. have access to competitive, High-Performance Broadband regardless of where they live or who they are. We believe communication policy - rooted in the values of access, equity, and diversity - has the power to deliver new opportunities and strengthen communities.

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