Jesse Spector

Experience

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  The Scottish Parliament

  Oct 2002 - May 2003

  Parliamentary Assistant

  Full-time research and office assistant to two Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSP)Monitored political activity, composed policy briefs and reports, researched topics for motions and debates, managed constituency correspondence, and liaised with local media.

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  The Commonwealth Club of California

  Apr 2008 - Dec 2008

  Program Assistant, INFORUM

  Conceptualized and delivered events centered around Bay Area business and culture, including the careful coordination of guest speakers and panels held in high regard by young business professionals.

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  Institute of International Education

  Apr 2008 - Jul 2008

  Program Officer

  Managed the itinerary for international leaders brought to San Francisco as guests of the US Department of State through the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP)

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  UK Trade & Investment

  Jan 2009 - Sept 2013

  Business Development Associate, Software

  Facilitated transatlantic economic growth by assisting enterprise software companies in the Bay Area to setup and grow their operations in the UK, and helping British startups to navigate opportunities in Silicon Valley.✦ Identified and approached high-growth enterprise software companies ready for global expansion.✦ Prepared bespoke industry, market, and company reports to inform expansion plans.✦ Co-led 6 themed trade missions which each brought ~20 British startups to the Bay Area for business opportunities linked to cloud computing, multi-platform app development, and consumerization trends. Show less

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  Delegation of the European Union to the United States

  Oct 2013 - Mar 2019

  Policy Officer, Digital Economy & ICT

  Served as liaison between the European Commission in Brussels (DG CONNECT) and U.S. government and industry stakeholders on the digital agenda (issues included telecommunications, cybersecurity, internet governance, and the innovation ecosystem).✦ Managed visit programs for senior EU officials to Washington DC, Silicon Valley, Boston, and Seattle, arranging gov-to-gov meetings, organizing industry roundtable discussions, and preparing briefing documents. ✦ Accompanied EU President Barroso and Commissioner Oettinger on their first visits to Silicon Valley, ✦ Secured Meetings with CEOs of leading tech companies and arranged roundtables with startup founders.✦ Worked with U.S. Dept of State to organize the annual Information Society Dialogue (ISD) ✦ Built and maintained relationships with key counterparts in EU Embassies, Dept of State, Dept of Commerce (ITA, NTIA), White House (OSTP, NSC), FCC, FTC, and Congressional offices, among others. ✦ Founded official EU presence at South by Southwest (SXSW) – organized 3 days of panel discussions, startup demonstrations, cultural experiences, and networking receptions. Drove the project from ideation through to execution annually from 2017-2019. Secured project funding for 2020-2022. Show less

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  SIIA (Software & Information Industry Association)

  Apr 2019 - Feb 2021

  Director, Technology Policy

  Oversaw emerging technology policy development for leading technology trade association, representing the interests of member companies in the digital content, media, education, digital health, and publishing industries.✦ Drafted and advanced global public policy positions on cross-border data flows, cybersecurity, and Artificial Intelligence through written testimony, white papers, blog posts, and other advocacy content ✦ Testified against application of Section 301 tariffs at USTR Hearings in June 2019, spoke at Federal Data Strategy Symposium.✦ Led a cross-departmental team to design the first ‘SIIA Tech Summit’ to discuss the opportunities and implications of artificial intelligence for member companies. Show less

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  Glen Echo Group, LLC

  Feb 2021 - Jan 2023

  Senior Director

  Directed public affairs initiatives for clients in the tech sector, translating complicated problems into compelling stories to advance policy priorities.✦ Designed communications, advocacy and outreach strategies to advance Federal policy priorities for a range of Clients including ACT | The App Association, Amazon, Mozilla, and Public Knowledge.✦ Built, launched and led a coalition of 28 companies across 3 industries advocating for the enforcement of fair licensing practices for standard-essential patents (SEPs).✦ Developed a high-visibility campaign including earned and paid media in NYT, POLITICO and WaPo.✦ Organized 3 virtual and 2 in-person events convening 50-100 stakeholders each from the tech community in DC for panel discussions with senior policymakers, thought leaders, and industry experts. Show less

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  Oversight Board

  Feb 2023 - Nov 2023

  Global Engagement Officer (temporary)

  Managed stakeholder outreach and engagement activities for the Oversight Board for Meta, with a focus on civil society actors involved in trust and safety, internet governance, freedom of expression, and human rights issues.✦ Led high-profile engagement activities to highlight individual Board Members as thought-leaders, including securing and coordinating Board Member participation at State of the Net, South by Southwest SXSW, and Collision in Toronto. ✦ Collaborated with conference organizers to develop sessions, prepared briefing materials for Board Members, and supported events on-site.✦ Partnered with Berkman Klein Center at Harvard to organize a 2-day conference assessing the state of content moderation - called ‘Now & Next: Platform Accountability and Content Governance’.✦ Briefed internal stakeholders on trends and considerations observed in media and external discussions. Show less

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  Software and Information Industry Association

  Aug 2024 - now

  Senior Director, Strategic Engagement

  Spearheading outreach and engagement activities to expand the footprint and impact of leading tech trade association.