The leader of a local tech organization has been appointed by Gov. Gray Davis to a state technology position.
Joe Raguso, president and CEO of the San Diego Regional Technology Alliance, will begin his new job as deputy secretary for strategic technology for the California Trade and Commerce Agency next month. He has been with the RTA for two years.
“The governor could not have chosen a better person to help direct our state’s efforts to foster high technology growth and work with the private sector to ensure its sustainability,” said Kenneth Widder, chairman of the RTA board of directors. “Our loss is most definitely California’s gain.”
The RTA helps supply grants and business strategies to local high-tech start-ups. Under Raguso’s direction, the RTA has broadened its focus to include linking early stage companies with local businesses, conducting analysis to better understand the San Diego technology economy, and helping to bridge the digital divide by providing community centers with Internet access.
The RTA was created in 1994 as part of a statewide effort to help transition business dependent on defense related federal funding to the private sector.
