Jessica Rosenworcel

Jessica Rosenworcel is the executive director of the MIT Media Lab. Before joining MIT, she served as chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) — the first woman confirmed to do so in U.S. history.

As a result of these experiences, Rosenworcel is an expert on the intersection of technology, politics and futurism. Her work has led her to be named by POLITICO as one of 50 Politicos to Watch and profiled by InStyle Magazine as part of a series celebrating “women who show up, speak up and get things done.” She was also named to the The Verge 50 list of the most interesting and impactful game changers building the future.

At the MIT Media Lab, an institution known for work exploring bold, unconventional ideas often years ahead of industry, Rosenworcel helps guide its work blending digital technology, design, science and art. She oversees the development of research in areas that range from wearable computing to artificial intelligence to robotics.

At the FCC, Rosenworcel led ground-breaking initiatives involving wired, wireless, broadcasting, broadband and satellite communications. During her time at the agency, she led pioneering programs to close the digital divide. She is credited with developing the term “homework gap” to draw attention to children who had broadband access in the classroom but did not have it at home for nightly schoolwork. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this led her to build a coalition that secured billions of dollars in congressional support for students, and connected more than 10 million students with the household internet access they needed for school.

She also set up the first-ever Space Bureau at the FCC. As part of this effort, she developed a novel global framework for integrating space communications into smartphones. In addition, she is credited with championing new approaches to network resilience, including developing the United States CyberTrust Mark for connected devices and the internet of things (IoT). At the agency, she also set up 988, the first nationwide number for 24-hour voice and text support for mental health.

Before serving at the FCC, Rosenworcel was counsel for communications technology at the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. In this role, she helped set up the policy framework to manage the nationwide transition to digital television. She also proposed legislation that reimagined and reorganized broadcast spectrum for new wireless uses for consumers and public safety. This idea was featured in one of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union addresses and eventually became the First Responders Network Authority, which is used today by police, firefighters and emergency medical personnel nationwide.

Rosenworcel’s work has been featured on NBC News, Teen Vogue and The Joe Rogan Experience. She has been published in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, TIME, WIRED and Harvard Business Review.

Rosenworcel has served on the United Nations Broadband Commission, and presently serves on the board of directors of Intrado Corporation and the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Additionally, she is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Rosenworcel is a graduate of Wesleyan University and the New York University School of Law, where she was awarded the Eugene J. Keogh Award for Distinguished Public Service.

Jessica Rosenworcel is available to advise your organization via virtual and in-person consulting meetings, interactive workshops and customized keynotes through the exclusive representation of Stern Speakers & Advisors, a division of Stern Strategy Group^®.