RALEIGH, N.C. (Nov. 5, 2014) – MCNC today announced that Jean Davis has been named president and CEO of the non-profit operator of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN). The organization made the announcement as more than 200 educators, researchers, government officials and business leaders from all over the state gathered for NCREN Community Day 2014 on Wednesday at the James B. Hunt Jr. Library at NC State University.

Davis comes to MCNC from the N.C. Department of Commerce, where she served as both COO and Executive Director of Business, Industry and Trade. Jean’s background includes executive management experience with major technology multinationals, entrepreneurial startups and government. She will begin her tenure at MCNC officially on Nov. 17. She is just the eighth CEO in this history of the organization since 1983 and is the first woman to hold the position.

“The history of MCNC is truly one of innovative firsts, and we were very fortunate that MCNC’s successful history could attract the caliber of a person like Jean who is highly knowledgeable about North Carolina’s education, business and governmental environment with a deep-seated track record of success and experience in leadership positions,” said Tom Rabon, chairman of the MCNC Board of Directors. “On behalf of the MCNC Board of Directors and the search committee, I’m excited that she has accepted this position to usher in a new era for the organization.”

For 30 years, North Carolina has set the pace for national research and education networking by leveraging NCREN, which provides true high-performance broadband connectivity for community institutions in K-20 public and private education, non-profit health care, public safety and many federal, state and private research institutions.

“MCNC has a rich history of innovation in North Carolina, and I’m excited for the opportunity to build upon that path of success for the next phase of MCNC’s growth,” said Davis. “Technology changes daily, and by working in collaboration with the NCREN Community, staff, private-sector partners and others, we can create new opportunities that will keep North Carolina as a leader in broadband connectivity.”

Each year, MCNC recognizes and celebrates the progress and achievements from the NCREN community with this event. MCNC also will announce the winners of this year’s annual NCREN Community Awards on Thursday.

Sponsors for NCREN Community Day 2014 include: (Zettabyte Sponsor) Cisco Systems; (Gigabyte Sponsors) AT&T, Dell and Presidio (Megabyte Sponsors) CenturyLink Business Solutions, Conterra Broadband Services, EMC Corporation, NWN Corporation and SunTrust Bank; (Door Prizes) BalsamWest, ECC Technologies, Financial Directions, Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, K&L Gates, Progressive Benefit Solutions, a Marsh & McLennan Agency, Raleigh Convention Center, and Wells Fargo Insurance.

The two-day event is being held at the Institute for Emerging Issues and the James B. Hunt Jr. Library.