Jessica Koch
Industry Association and External Affairs Senior Manager - Calix
Nominee Questionnaire
| Please provide a short bio for voters to get to know you. | Jessia Koch is the Industry Association and External Affairs Senior Manager at Calix. In her role, Jessica works with national and state industry associations to build relationships and strategies that will directly support the work of broadband service providers. Prior to joining Calix, Jessica worked for a rural broadband service provider in Colorado for eighteen years as the Controller (PC Telcom). In that role, Jessica managed all aspects of financial management including state and federal funding for new fiber deployments. Jessica holds an MBA from Touro College. Jessica has held board seats on the Holyoke City Council and was the Secretary on the Holyoke RE-1J School board. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time in the Colorado outdoors, hiking, skiing, and paddleboarding. |
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| Please explain why you consider yourself an excellent candidate for the Board of Directors of the Fiber Broadband Association. | I have over 20 years of experience in the fiber broadband industry as both a service provider and a vendor. This experience has made me an expert in what it takes to effectively deploy fiber broadband networks and manage them effectively to meet and exceed the needs of the customer. In addition to extensive knowledge of the fiber broadband industry, I have valuable experience working on and for a Board of Directors. Knowing the intricacies of working on both sides of a board has been an asset as it informs my work with fellow Board members and industry association members. In my current role at Calix, I work extensively with Executive Directors and staff at numerous national and state associations representing many different segment focused associations. This experience will be valuable as it will give me an opportunity to share what I have seen work well or fall flat as it relates to content, events and advocacy. Not all associations are created equal, yet there is an opportunity to learn from the success and missteps of others. My insights and engagement across the states will be experience that makes me a bit unique and offer a differentiated perspective. |
| How many years has your company been a Fiber Broadband Association Member? | 15 |
| How many years have you participated in Fiber Broadband Association activities? | 6 |
| Please indicate any Fiber Broadband Association Committees or working groups you have participated on including position and years served. | Conference Committee – Member 1 year |
| Please list any Fiber Broadband Association Contributions (activities supported, assets developed, documents drafted, webinars presented, etc.) | Attending Conference Committee in Person work sessions to develop 2024 events. Supported FBA Regional Events as a moderator on panel discussions. Participated in facilitation of the State Broadband Office Tour at Fiber Connect 2024. Moderated a Pre-Conference Session at Fiber Connect 2024 Supported a POC Submission by Calix Attended Women in Fiber Events. Attended FBA Fiber Day on the Hill Currently working on Fiber Connect 2025 Pre-Conference workshop content |
| How many years have you been in your current position? | 1 |
| Describe your current job and functional responsibilities. | As Industry Association and External Affairs Senior Manager, I work to develop effective programs to support Calix’s participation in national and state associations. This work includes monitoring the advocacy work of these associations, providing data for this advocacy work, monitoring state and federal legislation and providing content for speaking engagements that will provide insights to new platforms which will help broadband service providers elevate to provide the best customer experience to their end users. Calix views our association relationships as a key opportunity to connect and support our customers. |
| What was your previous position? | Broadband Program Manager |
| How many years did you hold your previous position for? | 1.5 |
| Do you have experience as a member of a Board of Directors? | Yes |
| If you answered yes, please provide the entity, the number of years served, and the officer position held. | Holyoke City Council – Member 3 years Holyoke RE-1J School Board – Secretary – 9 years |
| The bylaws prohibit convicted felons from serving on the board. Is there any legal impediment that would prevent you from serving on the Board? | No |
| Is there any legal issue personally of which the Association should be aware? | No |
| Being a Fiber Broadband Association Board Member requires a considerable time commitment. Please confirm that you have the support of your company if you are elected. | Yes |
| Please provide a short overview of your experience with telecommunications, fiber optics, and FTTH technologies. | I worked for a broadband service provider for 18 years. In this role I wrote the USDA Infrastructure Loan application to fund our overbuilding of legacy copper plant to fiber to the home. Once secured, I managed these funds including contracts, funding, audit and post award compliance. This included close work with the outside plan manager, engineering team, and contractors to ensure compliance and timely completion. In addition to this large project, I also wrote funding applications to convert CLEC plant from coax or fixed wireless to FTTH. These projects were funded by state and federal programs. In my current role, I work with associations to align on strategy and content that demonstrates the value of FTTH and associated platforms that allows them to drive additional revenue and increased revenue by selling more than just speed. |
| Please describe the goals you would like to accomplish during your term as Fiber Broadband Association Board Member. | FBA is a growing association that recognizes the need and value of FTTH networks. I would like to be a part of continuing to grow the association, its role in the advocacy of its members, and assist in identifying new opportunities to grow the membership and the value that being a part of FBA brings to the members. This industry is undergoing rapid growth and change, and FBA is well positioned to play an integral role in propelling its members forward. My experience in the trenches as a broadband service provider gives me specific experience that will allow me to provide valuable insights. In addition, working with associations across the country on behalf of Calix will allow me to bring concepts and thought leadership that I have seen work and bring value in other associations. |
| Have you reviewed the Board of Directors’ Responsibilities document, and do you understand what is required? | Yes |
| Please describe the level of commitment (in terms of time and effort) that you intend to make to the Association during the three-year term. | As a newly elected board member I will commit to putting in the time required to learn, contribute and execute my duties. I recognize that I will have been elected by my peers to represent them as well as myself and my organization. I will commit to being accessible to all members and open to hearing and learning from all perspectives. I know that being an effective board member means being present at meetings and events, being a volunteer, a leader, a listener and a collaborator. I recognize that the commitment requires both in person as well as virtual meetings, Calix is committed to the budget that will be required for travel and engagements required of a board member. I currently serve FBA in speaking/moderating panels, and I look forward to continuing that work in addition to new opportunities that will be available. As a Conference Committee member, I have been committed to meetings, as well as taking on special projects to help develop content and framework for events. Being a part of a committee means bringing your experience, your perspective, as well as the feedback and insights from other members to the table. I would bring this same philosophy to the board. The foundation is strong, as a board member I am committed to the time and effort required to ensure that the Fiber Broadband Association continues its strong growth and mission of advocacy for Fiber Broadband. |
| Please inform us of any other information, issue, or concern of which the Association should be aware. | NA |