Dennis Alvord

Mr. Alvord has more than 20 years of experience leading high-impact programs within the U.S. Department of Commerce. Mr. Alvord joined the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) in 2024 as the senior executive overseeing external affairs. An independent agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the FirstNet Authority oversees FirstNet, the nation’s broadband network dedicated to the public safety community. Mr. Alvord’s portfolio includes leading public safety stakeholder interactions, legislative and intergovernmental affairs, and information sharing activities, all of which support the operation and evolution of the FirstNet network. Mr. Alvord also engages with international stakeholders and in addition to his work at the FirstNet Authority, he serves as the Chair of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Regional Development Policy Committee.

Prior to joining the FirstNet Authority, Mr. Alvord served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Development and Chief Operating Officer at the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) where he oversaw enterprise-wide operations and program execution. Mr. Alvord performed the duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development from April 2017 through March 2019 and, again, from January through August 2021. Mr. Alvord works closely with his peers across the Department of Commerce, and while at EDA, he was elected and served as Co-Chair of the Department Management Council, comprised of the highest-ranking career executives from each of Commerce’s principal operating units.

Mr. Alvord has also worked in a variety of Department-wide and government-wide capacities. As Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of Commerce, he advanced a broad portfolio of Department-wide management, operations, program and policy issues and co-chaired the Department of Commerce's 2016-17 Presidential Transition, coordinating efforts across the Department, with the White House and President Elect's Transition Team. As Executive Director of BusinessUSA, he led the development of a multiagency customer service center that promoted and improved access to government-wide business assistance resources, building on his success leading development of the Department’s CommerceConnect initiative, which simplified access to the Department’s business solutions.

Before joining the federal government, Mr. Alvord worked as a manager in the infrastructure finance group of an environmental and transportation consulting practice. Mr. Alvord holds a Master of Public Administration from George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the State University of New York College at Cortland.

He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2022 Federal Leadership in Economic Development Programs Award and the 2015 President’s Award for Customer Service.