Joe Mefford is a private consultant serving as the Statewide Broadband Director for ConnectKentucky. He manages the organization's efforts related to Kentucky's Prescription for Innovation, a comprehensive broadband deployment and adoption plan that is slated to leverage state, federal and private investment to blanket Kentucky with high-speed Internet access by 2007.

In this role, Joe is responsible for facilitating the Commonwealth’s comprehensive GIS-based Inventory Assessment of existing broadband infrastructure and service availability, the community-by-community implementation planning process and ensuring that every community will have an online presence and the ability to improve citizen quality of life at the local level through this initiative. Under his direction, communities will have the ability to use technology applications and build partnerships that provide real time budget savings and process efficiencies over the Internet, ensuring their ability to compete in the global market.

Prior to joining ConnectKentucky, Joe served Kentucky as Chief Information Officer for Kentucky League of Cities (KLC) helping communities statewide with technology that would enable them to compete in the new economy, improving local government services, leadership and citizenship efforts. His expertise spans more than thirty years in telecommunications encompassing a broad range of responsibilities with Bell South and American Telephone and Telegraph. Among his many accomplishments in Kentucky is the management of telecommunications teams in the first digital switching office and performing as a liaison for furthering economic development.