Internet Association Opens Texas Office And Hires State Government Affairs Southern Region Director

“We’re excited to have James join our team. His more than two decades of advocacy experience in Texas and the Southern Region makes him an excellent fit to lead IA’s newest office and to further impact the growing economy.”

Robert Callahan, Senior Vice President, State Government Affairs

Austin, TX – Internet Association (IA) announced today the opening of a Southern Region office in Austin, TX, with James Hines joining the organization as Director of State Government Affairs, Southern Region. This expansion is a significant addition to IA’s 50-state government affairs program and existing offices in California, Illinois, Washington State, and New York.

“The websites, apps, and services powered by IA’s members have an enormous positive benefit for all Americans, and the southern U.S. represents a rapidly developing part of the digital economy,” said Robert Callahan, IA’s Senior Vice President of State Government Affairs. “We’re excited to have James join our team. His more than two decades of advocacy experience in Texas and the Southern Region makes him an excellent fit to lead IA’s newest office and to further impact the growing economy.”

The internet sector represents 10.1 percent of the U.S. GDP and employs over 6 million Americans, including nearly 479,000 people in Texas, alone. Hines will also cover Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, which include an additional 1,366,000 American internet sector jobs.

Hines will lead IA’s advocacy efforts before state legislatures and other key decision-making bodies in the Southern U.S. to advance public policy solutions that foster innovation and growth in the internet economy. He will report directly to IA’s Senior Vice President of State Government Affairs Robert Callahan.

Most recently, Hines was the owner of Riposte Strategies where he represented and advised clients on legislative and procurement matters in various states. He also served as the In-House Counsel and Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at the Texas Association of Business, Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs at Copart, and Director and Senior Consultant of Government Affairs at Verizon. He holds a B.A. from Rice University and a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law.

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