City Councillor At-Large Ayanna Pressley’s former chief of staff is launching a regional tech advocacy organization. James Chisholm, who stepped down from his City Hall post in May for a job at Resolute Consulting’s Boston office, is taking on the executive director job at The New England Tech Project.

The group’s priorities include increasing the amount of technological infrastructure, broadband access in urban and rural areas and technology-related instruction in schools, said Chisholm, who is maintaining his job at Resolute, where he’s a vice president. The New England Tech Project will also advocate for entrepreneurs and technology consumers at various levels of government.

Chisholm noted that the New England region plays a large role in the "innovation economy." "But we're facing growing competition from up-and-coming tech hubs like New York City, Washington, D.C., Austin and Chicago. It's not us vs. Silicon Valley anymore," he said. "Government and technology move at very different speeds. And oftentimes, government and the tech community seem to be speaking two entirely different languages. The New England Tech Project hopes to bridge that gap between government and the tech community and ensure that our focus is where it should be- growing our tech-driven economy for the benefit of our entire region."

Chisholm is a former aide to US Sen. John Kerry and state Rep. Tim Toomey (D-Cambridge).