Tech Forum on April 5 to Highlight Importance of Massachusetts IT Industry, Opportunities for Dramatic Job Growth in the Next Decade

Tech Forum on April 5 to Highlight Importance of Massachusetts IT Industry, Opportunities for Dramatic Job Growth in the Next Decade

FRANKLIN, Mass., April 2 -- State government officials and information technology executives will participate Monday (April 5) in a public forum that seeks to determine how the information technology can be a catalyst for growing the economy and jobs in Massachusetts.  The event will be hosted by Karen E. Spilka, Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Economic Development & Emerging Technologies.

Given new opportunities for growth in the IT industry, the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council, the state's largest tech business association, has just unveiled its MassTLC 2020 Challenge, a call for the state and the industry to work together to create 100,000 new IT jobs in Massachusetts by the end of the decade.  The forum will bring together IT leaders in government, education and business to discuss this challenge and other opportunities for the Commonwealth.

  Note to reporters, photographers and video crews:
  --  Interviews available with principals.
  --  Visuals will include students in the Robotics program at Tri-County
      Regional Vocational Technical School in Franklin, who will demonstrate
      their projects.

  WHEN:  Monday, April 5, 10:30 a.m.

  WHERE: EMC, 50 Constitution Boulevard, Franklin

  WHO:   Sen. Karen E. Spilka and other members of the Massachusetts
           Legislature
         Paul Matthews, executive director, 495/Metrowest Partnership
         Jay Ganson, manager, business development and environmental
          Affairs, Ambient Corp.
         Steve Krom, VP and general manager, AT&T
         Mohamad Ali, senior vice president, Avaya
         Mark Weinegger, president, CE Communications, Franklin
         Stuart Taylor, director, North American Mobile Segment, Cisco
          Systems
         Niraj Shah, CEO and co-founder, CSN Stores
         Chris Goode, vice president, EMC
         Sean Belka, SVP and director, Fidelity Center for Applied
          Technology
         Bill Sawyer, vice president, IBM
         Colin Angle, CEO, chairman and co-founder, IRobot
         Pat Larkin, director, John Adams Innovation Institute
         Joyce Plotkin, president emeritus, Mass Technology Leadership
          Council
         Tom Hopcroft, CEO and president, Mass Technology Leadership
          Council
         JD Chesloff, vice president, Mass. Business Roundtable
         Bonnie Biocchi, president, MetroWest Chamber
         Kiki Mills, president, MITX
         Bill Luster, president, North Shore Economic Alliance
         Ted Morgan, CEO, Skyhook Wireless
         Lynn Griesemer, associate vice president for economic
          development and executive director, UMass Donahue Institute
         Donna Cupelo, region president, Verizon
         Roberta Schaefer, president and CEO, Worcester Research Bureau

Source: Verizon
   

CONTACT:  Sarah Blodgett for Sen. Karen Spilka, +1-617-722-1640; or Phil
Santoro, Verizon, +1-617-743-1278; or Mark Horan, Mass. Technology Leadership
Council, +1-781-684-0880, Ext. 2

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