KC Tech Council leader tapped as new board member for Technology Councils of North America

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania — An advocacy organization that works to amplify priorities from across the tech industry in the United States and Canada has selected a Kansas City champion to join its leadership.

The Technology Councils of North America announced this week the appointment of Kara Lowe, president and CEO of the KC Tech Council, to its board of directors.

“I’m excited to help steer an organization that represents the powerful, united voice of thousands of tech employers in communities, states and provinces across North America,” said Lowe, who took the reins of the KC Tech Council in 2022. 

“TECNA is an organization on the rise, and our elected officials at the federal level are taking notice,” she continued. “I’m honored to be given this opportunity to serve, and looking forward to representing Kansas City’s tech industry on a larger, international scale.  

TECNA’s membership voted unanimously to appoint Lowe and Christina Fox, CEO of TechAlliance of Southwestern Ontario, to fill the remainder of two recently vacated terms.

The organization serves its members and the technology industry through its strong peer-to-peer network, benchmarking research, sharing of best practices and public policy advocacy.

“TECNA represents tech industry advocacy groups across the United States and Canada. As such, it runs both deep into communities and wide across them,” Lowe said. “It brings the organization a unique competitive advantage to our perspective when we unite to advocate for legislation and growth strategies for the industry.”

Lowe and Fox’s expertise is expected to help guide the organization and its members, said Michael Schutzler, chair of TECNA and president and CEO of the Washington Technology Industry Association.

“Our programs help our members serve more than 22,000 technology companies build productive relationships with government, educational institutions, and partners,” said Schutzler. “Together, we address challenges in workforce development, advanced technology applications, and regulations that promote a robust economic future for our society. We have much work to do, and these new board members will help us get that work done.”

The new board members’ experience within the innovation ecosystem will be especially key, added Jennifer Young, CEO of TECNA.

“They have both been so impactful in the Southwestern Ontario and Kansas City regions,” she said. “I am excited for TECNA to work with them more closely on how we can be applying some of their best practices on a larger scale.”

Kansas City is a perfect example of a tech region on the rise, Lowe agreed, noting her pride in representing the bi-state Kansas-Missouri region on the TECNA board.

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“Momentum is gaining toward regional centers of tech and innovation, and away from the cloistered, impenetrable hubs of the past,” she said.

The KC Tech Council serves as the regional advocate for the tech industry, comprised of some 200 member and sponsor companies ranging from large enterprises to small businesses. Advocacy work is focused around three strategic pillars: industry access and connectivity, public policy advocacy at every level of government, and workforce development. 

In conjunction with strategic partners, active stakeholders and unique cultural and lifestyle advantages, the KC Tech Council elevates Kansas City as a leading technology hub.