Jon P. Gant, PhD

Fellow, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Media and Technology Institute

Associate Professor, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Jon is a leading scholar in the field of information systems and public administration and policy and examines the social and economic impact on people, communities, organizations and society. Jon’s research examines IT strategy and how people, communities, organizations and governments build resources and capabilities to use and accept information systems for human development and service delivery. This includes expertise in e-government, IT and organizational performance, and the acceptance and use of IT for online services.  Jon is also an expert in geographic information systems with over 20 years of experience.  Jon’s recent publications include approaches for using national strategies for building an IT infrastructure, geographic information systems to enhance citizen participation in the US and developing countries; economic evaluation of e-government security systems, and e-government strategies in local government. He is working with internationally with national governments, local governments and school districts to develop GIS systems. Dr. Gant graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1998 with a PhD in Public Policy and Information Systems. He was previously a professor at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. Jon has been recognized for his teaching excellence.  Through his courses, Jon has supervised over 50 information system related service-learning projects where his undergraduate and graduate students have assisted community-based organization, non-profits, and local governments and federal government agencies. Jon’s research is supported through the National Science Foundation, the United Nation’s International Telecommunication Union, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, IBM, Syracuse City School District, Central Bank of Haiti and the University of Illinois’ Community Informatics Initiative.

Nicol Turner-Lee, Ph.D.

Dr. Nicol Turner-Lee is Vice President and the first Director of its Media and Technology Institute for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies that was established last year to study how the media industry and emerging communications technologies can become avenues of advancement for people of color. The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is one of the nation's leading research and public policy institutions and the only one whose work focuses primarily on issues of particular concern to African Americans and other people of color.

For the past seven years, Dr. Turner-Lee has been an executive at One Economy - a global nonprofit that uses the power of technology and information to expand opportunities for low-income people – serving most recently as Senior Vice President for External Affairs in charge of public relations, national strategic partnerships and business development. While at One Economy, Dr. Turner-Lee played key roles in all aspects of its core business, including residential and community broadband access, online public purpose media and youth technology training. She helped to establish broadband connections in thousands of affordable housing units, supported the development and distribution of One Economy's core media properties and expanded a national technology service initiative from 250 to nearly 3,000 youth in less than two years. Before joining One Economy, Dr. Turner-Lee founded the Neighborhood Technology Resource Center, a Chicago-based nonprofit that provides public access to computers and the Internet to thousands of low- and middle-income people. In its nine-year history, NTRC has been recognized by the State of Illinois and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as a model community technology center.

Dr. Turner-Lee has served on the board of the Center for Economic Progress, most recently as its chairperson. She is a member of the board for the Community Renewal Society and a former member of the Chicago Wireless Task Force. In 2007, Broadband Properties magazine named her to its list of the "Top 10 National Broadband Promoters."

Dr. Turner-Lee is a former Research Fellow with Northwestern University's Asset-Based Community Development Institute, a recent Rockwood Leadership Fellow and has served as adjunct faculty at Northwestern and North Park Universities. She graduated with honors from Colgate University, has a doctorate in Sociology from Northwestern University and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Illinois-Chicago.

Ying Li, Ph.D.

Research Analyst, Media and Technology Institute
Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

Dr. Ying Li is a Research Analyst at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.  She has provided statistical support to DataBank, Place Matters and other projects at the Joint Center since 2005.  She serves on the Steering Committee of the Census Information Center Program, created by the U.S. Census Bureau to disseminate meaningful data to underserved population.  Dr. Li received her Ph.D. in mass communication and media arts from Southern Illinois University, and her master's and bachelor's degrees in library and information science from Peking University, China.

Joseph S. Miller

Policy Counsel, Media and Technology Institute
Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

Joseph S. Miller serves as Policy Counsel at the Joint Center’s Media and Technology Institute. He focuses on telecommunications, internet and media.  Prior to becoming a lawyer, he worked in advertising sales, production, and music research at New York City radio stations, including WQXR-FM, the oldest radio station in New York City.  He interned at New York's 103.5FM WKTU, 95.5FM WPLJ, and at WQHT (Hot 97).  While attending New York Law School, he edited its Media Law & Policy journal. He served as a Law Student Associate at Sun Microsystems.  Upon obtaining his Juris Doctor, he worked at CBS-TV in New York, from 2003-2004.  He then went to work for Pace University, from 2004-2005, where he served as the Assistant Director of Pace’s business incubator program for early-stage companies in the New York Economic Development Zones of Lower Manhattan and Yonkers, NY.  Joe is a proud graduate of the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, at which he earned a B.S. in Mass Communications, with Concentration in Music and Minor in Business Administration