Federal Communications Commission, US

Deborah Taylor Tate was nominated to the Federal Communications Commission by President George W. Bush on November 9, 2005 and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on December 21, 2005. She was sworn in as FCC Commissioner on January 3, 2006. Among her many responsibilities, Commissioner Tate serves as Chair of both the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service (Universal Service Joint Board) and the Federal-State Joint Board on Jurisdictional Separations.

Commissioner Tate has worked extensively to facilitate market based solutions to public policy issues. Drawing on her extensive experience at the state and local level, Commissioner Tate actively promotes cooperative federalism and public/private partnerships when it is time for the government to act. And, as a leading voice on issues affecting families and children, she has been at the forefront of the movement to ensure that advances in communications technologies benefit all Americans.

Consistently recognized by Tennessee Business as one of Tennessee's "Most Powerful People," Commissioner Tate has been the recipient of numerous local and state professional and nonprofit honors as well as the International Mary Harriman Community Leadership Award (Justice Sandra Day O'Conner was a previous honoree). She is invited to speak regularly at law schools, nonprofits and professional organizations across the country, seeking to inspire others through her lifelong commitment to volunteerism. She is the founder and former president of Renewal House, a recovery residence for women addicted to crack cocaine and their children, and is currently chair of board of directors of Centerstone, Tennessee's largest, and the nation's ninth largest, behavioral healthcare organization.

• Commissioner Tate