Brian D. Newby

About Brian D. Newby

Leads the North Dakota State Broadband Office, driving Broadband for All in North Dakota by administering more than $175 million in federal grants.Formerly served as the State Election Director at the North Dakota Secretary of State; previously was the Executive Director for U.S. Election Assistance Commission, a federal government agency overseeing the ongoing requirements of the Help America Vote Act, and Election Commissioner for Johnson County, the largest jurisdiction in Kansas and in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Before elections, worked for Sprint as director of strategy for Sprint’s $10 billion Global Markets Group. Brian Newby has the rare distinction of holding the top election administration position at the county, state, and federal government agency level-first, overseeing all election operations for Johnson County, the largest county in Kansas (population and the largest election jurisdiction in the Kansas City metropolitan area, before serving as Executive Director of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, a federal government agency, and then as State Elections Director in North Dakota. He also is a former City Council member in Shawnee, Kansas,(pop. and past chair of the Council’s finance/administration and public works/safety committees.He administered more elections than any other Election Commissioner since the position was created in Johnson County in 1952. Initially appointed Election Commissioner by Kansas Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh in January 2005, Newby served under, and was appointed by, three Secretaries of State (Ron Thornburgh (R), Chris Biggs (D), and Kris Kobach (R)), and he is the only Election Commissioner in Kansas state history to be appointed by Republican and Democratic Secretaries of State. Between Kansas and North Dakota, Newby has worked under five Secretaries of State. Internationally, he has served as a short-term elections observer in the countries of Georgia and Albania.Before his 18-year-career specifically focused on election administration, he worked a similar stretch at Sprint, including as director-wholesale marketing and director-strategic planning. Executive experience was specialized in broadband and local access products, ISP products, mobile wireless, government, branding, and wholesale telecommunications.Specialties: Marketing channel distribution, election administration, broadband and mobile communications, government operations, business development, strategic planning, product management and development, and public relations.

Experience

1. Broadband Program Director, State of North Dakota

   North Dakota Information Technology (NDIT)

   Mar 2023 — Present · Bismarck, ND, US

   Leads North Dakota’s State Broadband Office, targeting broadband for all in North Dakota by administering more than $175 million in federal grants through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD), Digital Equity (DE), and American Rescue Plan Act Capital Projects Fund programs. Grants are focused on funding to enable all locations in North Dakota to have reliable, fast internet, and then encourage adoption of internet applications.

Education

• University of Virginia Darden School of Business

  LEAD Program (Leading, Educating, and Developing), Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service

• University of Missouri-Kansas City

  BA, Communications Studies

• University of Missouri-Kansas City

  Masters, Public Administration

• Auburn University

  Certified Elections/Registration Administrator Program, Public Administration

Skills

• Team Building
• Program Development
• Management
• Elections
• Public Policy
• Teaching
• Time Management
• Thought Leadership
• Business Planning
• Operations Management
• Customer Service
• Program Management
• Policy Analysis
• IT Strategy
• Coaching
• Change Management
• Marketing
• Technology
• Market Research
• Leadership
• Event Planning
• Organizational Development
• Workshop Facilitation
• Business Development
• Budgets
• Community Outreach
• Training
• New Business Development
• Proposal Writing
• Policy
• Strategic Planning
• Research
• Project Planning
• Leadership Development
• Staff Development
• Newsletters
• Telecommunications
• Analysis
• Government
• Nonprofits