TheBridge profile: Nicol Turner Lee
Name: Nicol Turner Lee
Current city: Washington, DC
Current job: Senior Fellow, Governance Studies and Director, Center for Technology Innovation, Brookings Institution
And Author of the book, Digitally Invisible: How the Internet Is Creating the New Underclass, coming in 2024.
Past job: Chief Research and Policy executive, Multicultural Media, Telecom, and Internet Council
Q. Favorite spot for a coffee meeting? Zoom
Q. Describe how a skill you learned in a previous job helped you in your current job. A skill that has helped me in my current career is the power of inquiry. I always ask a range of questions when presented with a question or problem.
Q. Job advice in three words? Mentorship is key.
Q. How are you (or your company, org, nonprofit) currently bridging the gap between politics and tech / innovation and regulation? We work to deliver policy messages around tech and telecommunications through my Center that can be understood by policymakers, academics, and civil society leaders. We present on, critique, and interpret policies around tech from a range of points of views.
Q. What can innovators learn from policymakers? Innovators can understand the unintended consequences of their research and development on vulnerable populations. In partnership with policymakers, innovators can also understand those sensitive use cases that impact constituencies.
Q. What can policymakers learn from innovators? Policymakers can learn to speak the language of innovators and develop policies that use their languages and practices. Finding a common lens for which to examine policymaking from the perspective of innovators can also reduce siloes between the two groups.
Q. Favorite book/podcast/long-form article you recommend? Evicted is my favorite book because it integrates the best qualitative storytelling for policymakers to understand the challenges of housing. My favorite podcast is Brookings #TechTank because we host it and it touches upon the most recent and challenging concerns in tech. My favorite long-form article is one that I wrote on the rural broadband divide, which can be found here.
Q. Everyday is probably different, but can you describe a "day in the life" of your job? A day in my life includes catching up on current events in government and civil society, writing notes around what intersects with my work, and putting pen to paper to memorialize my thoughts.
Q. Looking back, what advice would you give yourself in the beginning of your career? At the start of your career, have more than a few networks. That is, get to know as many people as you can because the list will dwindle down as you become more focused in your career.
Q. Most underrated virtue in an employee? The most underrated virtue in employees is integrity. Your word matters.
Q. Morning routine? I always take a morning walk or run to gather my thoughts.
Q. How do you unwind after work? We have a tradition of sitting at dinner as a family and discussing our days (even our middle school student) and talking about current events.
Q. Last time you were completely unplugged? The last time that I was completely unplugged was before the internet became mainstream.
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