Elizabeth (Libby) Beaty, Executive Director of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA), passed away on Friday, June 12 after a valiant battle with cancer. Libby was an extraordinary woman, a loving mother and a great friend to NATOA.  Under Libby’s leadership, NATOA developed into an influential communications policy organization representing hundreds of communities around the country. As the Executive Director, Libby was responsible for oversight and management of all aspects of NATOA’s operations in coordination with its Board of Directors.  Libby’s tireless efforts at the FCC, NTIA, and before Congress gave communities a powerful voice in the debate over America’s communications policy.  

“Libby was an accomplished professional,” said Mary Beth Henry, President of NATOA, “Yet nothing in the world was more important to her than her husband Randy and her two adorable boys, Jonathan and Nicholas.”   NATOA is indebted to Libby for her exemplary leadership and her fierce advocacy on behalf of communities across America.  “Those of us who had the honor and privilege to work with Libby will be forever grateful,” said Ken Fellman, President-Elect of NATOA.  

Prior to joining NATOA in 1999, Libby served in a variety of senior positions at the Federal Communications Commission.  She earned her B.A. in Business Management and in Fine Arts from Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, North Carolina and her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in Brooklyn, New York. 

To honor Libby, NATOA will be establishing an Education Fund for her children.  Services have not yet been scheduled. Further details will be posted to www.natoa.org as they become available.