Adapt As You Go
Jack Markell served as Governor of Delaware from 2009 to 2017. He chaired the National Governor’s Association from 2012 to 2013.
PUF's Steve Mitnick: During your time in office, as Governor, what were you trying to do around innovation?
Jack Markell: I thought a lot about the issue of talent. The only way any company, state, or country can compete these days is based on talent. We focused extensively on what it would take for our employers, and our state, to recruit talented people.
Obviously, they want great schools, and educational opportunities, and to be in a place where there's a great quality of life. That means everything from having nice outdoor spaces to enjoy with your family on the weekend, to a feasible commute. It means having broadband infrastructure, so you can communicate and have access, and having strong utilities that aren't going down all the time.
We recognized that government is not in position to solve all the big problems, and we've got to do a better job of tapping into the expertise of the private sector. That's something that governmental jurisdictions around the world must do a better job of.
PUF: You have a telecom background and recently you've associated with pdvWireless. Tell us about that?