Michael Abensour

Director of Policy and Advocacy
Human-I-T

Michael Abensour has spent over two decades in leadership roles in the political and nonprofit sector, having served as an executive director, campaign manager, political consultant and in international relations. He recently joined Human-I-T, a national nonprofit focused on bridging the digital divide, as its first director of policy and advocacy, where he is responsible for pursuing progressive digital inclusion policies at the local, state and federal levels. Prior to joining Human-I-T, Abensour served as the executive director of Kramden Institute, a North Carolina-based nonprofit also working on digital inclusion issues across the state. During his 10 years at Kramden, he spearheaded the organization through a period of enormous growth and impact, including the creation of several programs including its new digital literacy and digital navigator programs in addition to its computer refurbishing and distribution operations.

Prior to moving to North Carolina, Abensour worked in Washington, D.C., as the Quebec government’s national affairs attaché, where he advocated on behalf of the province’s interests before Congress, the administration and various departments and agencies. For nine years, he led numerous congressional delegations to Quebec, advised policymakers on U.S. legislation and regulation, and developed an active outreach campaign strategy to stakeholders in the capital. He worked on a wide set of issues pertinent to Quebec including energy, climate change, homeland and border security and cross-border transportation.

Abensour earned his B.A. in political science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a M.A. in political management from George Washington University. He is a co-founder and vice chair of the steering committee of AFTRR, the Alliance for Technology Reuse and Refurbishing. He also serves as a board member on Coastal Credit Union’s Foundation and is vice-chair of Coastal’s supervisory committee. Originally from France, he is a proud dual-citizen and resides in Cary, N.C., with his family.