Panhandle Connected

Gagnon is Assistant City Manager and Chief Information Officer leading Information Technology, Amarillo Public Libraries, and the newly formed 3-1-1 and Broadband initiatives.
Rich Gagnon is a highly experienced technologist and executive leader. Prior to filling his role at the city of Amarillo six years ago, Rich lead a worldwide engineering team responsible for over a billion dollars of annual revenue as the Global Vice-President of Systems Engineering for F5 Networks. He also led as the Theater Vice-President of the Americas for Palo Alto Networks and the Director of Global Infrastructure for Gamestop. Rich now applies his experience and proven track record of bringing transformative technical and business initiatives to market in the private sector to his work for the citizens of Amarillo. "It is an honor, a privilege, and a joy to work everyday serving the community we call home,"

Michael is native to the Panhandle of Texas and has served as a technology leader in education institutions for over 14 years. He received a BBA with a minor in Computer Information Systems and later went on to achieve a M.Ed in Technology and Instruction. In two of the Panhandle's larger School Districts (Canyon ISD and Dumas ISD) he planned and coordinated the procurement and implementation of dark fiber connectivity throughout the towns that connected multiple school buildings into a single network. In Canyon ISD, this project consisted of over 130 miles of dark fiber connecting the cities of Amarillo and Canyon in a bi-directional ring. This project not only provided a benefit for the district but also put infrastructure in the ground that fostered business development in the 15-mile space between the two cities as businesses began to move into those areas with the new access to the fiber infrastructure. Michael is passionate about promoting programs that enhance equity, economic development, and the success of the Panhandle of Texas.

Melissa spent over a decade in the telecommunications industry focused on large-scale cellular network deployments for a commercial carrier. Her passion for the industry comes from a deep respect for the ways connectivity impacts people and businesses. While working for her last employer, she felt compelled to draw on her knowledge of Private LTE and cellular networks to explore cutting-edge solutions to solve for the Digital Divide.

Gaby Rowe is the Managing Principal and CEO of the consulting firm Grow Associates, LLC, which specializes in developing solutions at the intersection of technology, equitable access to resources and meaningful collaboration between the public and private sectors.

A born and bred New Yorker, Gaby served as a school principal in NYC for 15 years where she was engaged in the development of NYC’s tech eco-system under Mayor Bloomberg and the transformation of local education policy leading to the development of Universal Pre-K. In 2014, she moved to Houston, TX to lead the largest independent school in the state. In 2018, Gaby made the jump to technology development and innovation, as the CEO of Station Houston, Houston’s leading startup accelerator. The following year, she became the founding Executive Director of the Ion, a $100 million innovation hub in Houston spearheaded by Rice University. In that role, Gaby secured the support of Intel, Microsoft, The City of Houston and others for the establishment of the Ion Smart and Resilient Cities Accelerator and helped bring DivInc and Greentown Labs to Houston, securing their permanent homes in the city’s Innovation District.

Since mid-2020 Gaby and Grow Associates have led Governor Abbott’s statewide program, Operation Connectivity. Operation Connectivity is Texas’ initiative to close the digital access and affordability gap for students across the State. Operation Connectivity is responsible for supplying more than 4.5M devices and securing $1B of support for closing the Digital Divide for Texas’ students, for mapping the connectivity needs of students across the state and for supporting the development of nearly a dozen innovative rural broadband pilots designed to bring highspeed connectivity to some the State’s most currently unserved communities.

Keralee grew up in Amarillo and is a proud Amarillo High Sandie. She received a BA in Vocal Performance from Arizona State University and lived in NYC for 10 years where she pursued a performing career. During this time, she also maintained a “day job” with her consulting company, Red Clay Consulting, assisting small firms with HR, training, and IT. After the birth of her son, she and her family returned home to Amarillo and she worked as the Director of Ticketing for the Civic Center/Globe-News Center. She joined the Foundation in 2016 as the Director of Operations, became the VP of Operations in 2019, and Senior Vice President in 2021. She oversees HR, IT, Operations, Communication, and Special Projects. In addition, she has an enhanced role supporting promotion of the foundation's mission through community outreach.