Speaker Biographies
Full speaker biographies can be found below, please check back regularly for updates.
Confirmed speakers
Confirmed speakers
Rebecca Slaughter
Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission
Rebecca Kelly Slaughter was sworn in as a Federal Trade Commissioner on May 2, 2018.
Prior to joining the Commission, she served as Chief Counsel to Senator Charles Schumer of New York, the Democratic Leader. A native New Yorker, she advised Leader Schumer on legal, competition, telecom, privacy, consumer protection, and intellectual property matters, among other issues. Prior to joining Senator Schumer's office, Ms. Slaughter was an associate in the D.C. office of Sidley Austin LLP. Ms. Slaughter received her B.A. in Anthropology magna cum laude from Yale University. She received her J.D. from Yale Law School, where she served as an editor on the Yale Law Journal.
David J. Redl
Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and Administrator, NTIA
David J. Redl was sworn in as Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the Department of Commerce in November 2017. He serves as Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Executive Branch agency that is principally responsible for advising the President on telecommunications and information policy.
Redl is a lawyer and communications policy expert with more than a decade of experience in government and the private sector. He was previously the chief counsel at the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce. In that role, he served as principal legal advisor to the chairman and members of the Energy and Commerce majority on communications and technology matters. Prior to his time with the committee, Redl was director of regulatory affairs at CTIA, a trade association that represents the U.S. wireless communications industry.
Redl earned his J.D. from the Catholic University of America with a certificate from the Institute for Communications Law Studies, and he is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University with degrees in journalism and political science. Redl is admitted to the New York and District of Columbia bars. He lives in Falls Church, Virginia, with his wife, Amy, and their son, Benjamin.
Dan Hushon
Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer, DXC Technology
Dan Hushon, DXC Technology’s (NYSE: DXC) senior vice president and chief technology officer, drives innovation strategy and growth for the company’s solutions and ensures technology excellence. He is responsible for defining DXC’s long-term technology strategy and vision, and advocating for that vision with customers.
Mr. Hushon has more than 20 years of experience delivering technology-differentiated solutions to private, public and international customers. He served as CSC’s CTO and vice president and general manager, cybersecurity, and provided the leadership for driving the strategy and growth of CSC’s product lines and boosting technology excellence across the company.
Prior to CSC, he served in chief technologist roles at EMC Corp. and Sun Microsystems. At EMC, Mr, Hushon led key strategic initiatives in big data, cloud technologies and next-generation infrastructure, and was chief technologist of the service provider business. At Sun Microsystems, he was chief technologist for a cloud service and the global sales organization.
Mr. Hushon holds a BS from Carnegie Mellon University.
Julius Knapp
Head of Bureau, Office of Engineering and Technology, FCC
Julius Knapp is Chief of the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology (OET). Mr. Knapp has been with the FCC for nearly 36 years. Mr. Knapp became Chief of OET in 2006, having previously served as the Deputy Chief since 2002. Prior to that he was the Chief of the Policy & Rules Division where he was responsible for FCC frequency allocation proceedings and for proceedings amending the FCC rules for radio frequency devices. Mr. Knapp was Chief of the FCC Laboratory from 1994 – 1997 where he was responsible for the FCC’s equipment authorization program and technical analyses. Mr. Knapp received a Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the City College of New York in 1974. He is a member of the IEEE EMC Society and is a Fellow of the Radio Club of America. He was the 2001 recipient of the Eugene C. Bowler award for exceptional professionalism and dedication to public service and received the FCC’s Silver and Gold medal awards for distinguished service at the Commission
Gerry Stegmaier
Partner IP, Tech & Data Group, ReedSmith
Gerry is a partner in the firm’s IP, Tech & Data group. He focuses his practice on corporate governance, intellectual property and internet issues, especially as they relate to privacy, information security and consumer protection. An experienced and pragmatic counsellor, Gerry focuses a significant part of his practice on prelitigation and advisory services relating to business strategy for privacy by design, global data protection, intellectual property, and emerging technologies and markets, often acting as outside product counsel to leading innovators and disruptive technology companies.
Pearse O'Donohue
Director, Future Networks, DG CONNECT, European Commission
Pearse O'Donohue is Director for the Future Networks Directorate of DG CONNECT at the European Commission, dealing with policy development and research supporting the Digital Single Market as regards 5G networks, IoT, cloud and data flows and conceptualising new and innovative approaches towards service platforms and next generation Internet. Before becoming Director, Pearse was Head of the Cloud and Software Unit in DG CONNECT, dealing with the strategic development and implementation of policy on cloud computing and software.
Until October 2014, Pearse was Deputy Head of Cabinet of Vice-President Neelie Kroes, previous European Commissioner for the Digital Agenda. He was responsible for advising the Vice-President on the development and implementation of policy on electronic communications, networks and services, as well as broadband, spectrum and other related policies such as Internet governance.
Before that, Pearse was Head of the Radio Spectrum Policy Unit in the European Commission, DG CONNECT.
Prior to joining the European Commission, Pearse held posts in the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU in Brussels, and as Assistant Director of the Brussels office of the Irish Business & Employers' Confederation.
Robert Metzger
Head of Office, Rogers Joseph O’Donnell, P.C
Robert S. Metzger, an attorney in private practice, heads the Washington, D.C. office of Rogers Joseph O’Donnell, P.C., a firm that has specialized in public contract matters for more than 35 years. Bob represents leading U.S. and international technology companies in several industry sectors. Bob attended Georgetown University Law Center, where he was an Editor of the Georgetown Law Journal. Subsequently, he was a Research Fellow, Center for Science & International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School. As a Special Government Employee of the Department of Defense, Bob was a member of the Defense Science Board task force that produced the Cyber Supply Chain Report in April 2017. Bob is recognized for subject area leadership in cyber, supply chain and related security subjects and has many publications on these subjects. Named a 2016 “Federal 100” awardee, Federal Computer Week cited Bob for his “ability to integrate policy, regulation and technology” and said of him: “In 2015, he was at the forefront of the convergence of the supply chain and cybersecurity, and his work continues to influence the strategies of federal entities and companies alike.” Chambers USA (2018) ranks Bob among top government contracts lawyers and said that “[h]e is particularly noted for his expertise in cyber and supply-chain security with clients regarding him as the ‘preeminent expert in cybersecurity regulations and how they affect government contractors.’” For RSA Conference 2018, Bob served on a panel on “First Recourse or Last Resort? The National Interest in Regulating the IoT” and moderated a second panel on “IOT and Critical Infrastructures: A Collision Of Fundamentals?” For RSAC Conference 2017, Bob moderated a discussion on “Cyber/physical Security and the IoT: National Security Considerations.” A member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (ISS), Bob’s articles on national security topics have appeared in International Security and the Journal of Strategic Studies, among other publications.
Michelle Richardson
Deputy Director, Freedom, Security, and Technology Project, Center for Democracy and Technology
Michelle Richardson is the Deputy Director of the Center for Democracy and Technology’s Freedom, Security, and Technology Project, where she works to ensure that government programs do not infringe on privacy and civil liberties. She is a recognized expert on how post-9/11 security policies can impact constitutional and human rights, and has successfully campaigned to reform the Patriot Act, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and government cybersecurity policies, among others.
Michelle has testified before Congress, advised numerous government agencies, and frequently appears in national press such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, NPR, The Los Angeles Times, Wired, and Politico. Recognized by The Hill as one of the most influential nonprofits lobbyists in Washington, she has led left-right coalitions to defend privacy in the face of ever-expanding government authorities.
Before joining CDT in 2017, Michelle led the American Civil Liberties Union’s preeminent legislative campaigns against overreaching surveillance programs for 10 years. She also served as a democratic counsel for the House Judiciary Committee where she worked on a range of anti-terrorism laws and policies including the Patriot Act, Intelligence Reform, warrantless wiretapping, detainee abuse, government secrecy, and terror prosecutions. She received her B.A. from the University of Colorado and her J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law.
Tom McDermott
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Cyber Policy, Department of Homeland Security
Thomas McDermott is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cyber Policy at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He advises senior department officials and oversees the development of policy positions related to the full range of cyber, technology, infrastructure, and resilience issues.
Mr. McDermott has served in a variety of roles at DHS, including an assignment as Deputy Director for Strategy at the National Cybersecuritiy and Communication Integrations Center (NCCIC). His tenure includes acting as Deputy Associate General Counsel and as the Assistant General Counsel for Infrastructure Programs, where he oversaw the provision of legal advice in connection with the Department’s programmatic efforts to protect U.S. critical infrastructure, including in the areas of cybersecurity and voluntary efforts to enhance the security and resilience of critical infrastructure from terrorism and all hazards.
Mr. McDermott has advised senior DHS and White House officials in connection with numerous departmental and Administration priorities, including the development and implementation of a series of executive orders that seek to strengthen information sharing, critical infrastructure cybersecurity, and the security and resilience of critical infrastructure against physical and cyber threats. In 2012, he received the DHS General Counsel’s Excellence Award for his leadership in the development of the Administration’s comprehensive cybersecurity legislative proposal. He has also advised on the development of major DHS cybersecurity programs, including the EINSTEIN and Enhanced Cybersecurity Services programs, and provided operational legal support to the NCCIC as well as the DHS National Infrastructure Coordinating Center (NICC).
Mr. McDermott was previously an attorney in the DHS Office of the General Counsel’s Legal Counsel division and acted as the Assistant General Counsel for Strategic Oversight and Review. Prior to joining DHS in March 2007, Mr. McDermott was an attorney at Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s Washington office where he focused on matters involving complex and commercial litigation. Mr. McDermott graduated from the Duke University School of Law and the University of Notre Dame, and clerked for the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.
Brian Barnard
Director of Governmental Affairs, Policy, and Strategic Planning., NHTSA
Brian Barnard is NHTSA’s Director of Governmental Affairs, Policy, and Strategic Planning. Mr. Barnard arrives at NHTSA having spent the last seven years working on appropriations, budget, and transportation policy on Capitol Hill. In his most recent role as the Legislative Director for a member of Congress from West Virginia, he managed appropriations and transportation initiatives, including efforts to improve the infrastructure of rural communities. Prior to that position, Mr. Barnard served for four years with the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development. While in that role, Mr. Barnard was responsible for the subcommittee’s oversight and annual funding for the National Transportation Safety Board, U.S. Access Board, Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, and the Federal Maritime Commission. Prior to his years on Capitol Hill, Mr. Barnard worked in the business development division of a Fortune 500 corporation headquartered in California.
Mr. Barnard received his bachelor’s degree in political science and his master’s degree in legislative affairs, both from George Washington University.
Preston Read
Senior Director for Partners and Alliances, Verizon Smart Communities
Preston Read joined Sensity Systems in 2014, and leads smart city sales initiatives with Cisco Systems in his role as Senior Director for Partners and Alliances.
A longtime resident of Washington DC, Preston has over 20 years of experience with energy and sustainability issues as a local government official, consultant, and trade association executive. He has worked for venture backed startups since 2008.
Katerina Megas
Commercial Adoption Lead for the Trusted Identities Group, Program Manager for the Cybersecurity for IoT program, NIST
Katerina Megas is the Commercial Adoption Lead for the Trusted Identities Group and Program Manager for the Cybersecurity for Internet of Things (IoT) program. She has her undergraduate degree in Business Administration with a minor in Marketing and M.S. Information Systems and has over 25 years of experience leading organizations' development and execution of marketing strategies, and deployment of solutions in telecommunications, ERP and IAM (identity and access management) technologies.
Andrew Smith
Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission
Andrew Smith is Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. He came to the FTC from the law firm of Covington & Burling, where he co-chaired the financial services practice group. Earlier in his career, Mr. Smith was a staff attorney at the FTC, where he led the agency’s efforts to make several rules under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Mr. Smith has written extensively on consumer protection and financial services issues, served as the Chair of the American Bar Association's Consumer Financial Services Committee, and is a Fellow of the American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers and the American Bar Foundation. He earned a bachelor's degree in history from Williams College, and a J.D. from William & Mary Law School, where he served as Professional Articles Editor of the William & Mary Law Review.
José Gontijo
Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Digital Innovation and Deputy Secretary of ICT Secretariat, Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications, Brazil
José Gontijo is the Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Digital Innovation and Deputy Secretary at the ICT Secretariat of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications.
He holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Brasília (2002) with a specialization in Public Management in Science and Technology (2009).
Since 2009, he is a career server of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Analyst in Science and Technology). He has worked in the Anatel Spectrum Engineering Management (2003-2007), in the ICT Secretariat (2007-2009) and in the Technological Development and Innovation Secretariat (2009-2010) of the MCTI.
He was also advisor for the area of digital inclusion in the Presidency of the Republic (2010) and Director of the Department of Industry, Science and Technology at the Telecommunication Secretariat (2012-2016), of the Ministry of Communication. In the Ministry of Communications, before assuming this Department , he was project manager and Deputy Director at the Broadband Department since 2011.
Andy Hudson
Head of Policy, GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem. Andy has global responsibility for spectrum and regulatory modernisation, as well as the regulatory and policy aspects of the future networks, IoT and identity programmes.
Previously, he was Director of Spectrum Policy at Ofcom for three years, where he led the Mobile Data Strategy, including the release and sharing of public sector spectrum for civil use, and the 2.3/3.4 GHz auction team. Before that, Andy spent 12 years at Vodafone, where he held various senior product development, corporate strategy and public policy roles. As Head of Spectrum Policy, he was responsible for managing spectrum policy and auctions across the Vodafone Group. He was frequently in Brussels and further afield supporting Vodafone’s local operating companies, and over four years he managed the acquisition or renewal of spectrum in over 20 countries for a total of €9.5bn.
In 2000, he was part of the senior management team which spun an internet payments and encryption company out of NatWest. He was formerly a management consultant and a research scientist at Sharp Laboratories of Europe and Sony Corporation, based in Japan. He has a doctorate in Engineering Science from Oxford University and an MBA. He is married with two boys (17 and 13) and lives in a small village close to Oxford.
Steve Griffith
Industry Director, NEMA
Steve Griffith is an Industry Director for NEMA’s Transportation Systems Division. He manages sections within this division in such areas as Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment, and Industrial Imaging & Communications. He is also the principle NEMA staff liaison for NEMA’s Internet of Things (IoT) and Cybersecurity activities, leading and defining common approaches to standardization, guidelines, and architecture development while enabling connectivity, defining and simplifying interoperability, and safeguarding privacy and cybersecurity in electrotechnical and medical imaging products.
Steve has over 18 years’ experience in program/project management including a Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification. Before joining NEMA he managed projects for various Department of Defense facilities, and the Transportation Security Administration
Peter Fatelnig
Minister-Counsellor for Digital Economy Policy, Delegation of the European Union to the United States
Peter Fatelnig is Minister-Counsellor for digital economy policies at the Delegation of the European Union to the United States, residing in Washington DC. Peter’s long experience in the digital tech sector, notably in building industrial innovation strategies, helped the EU to drive forward internet innovation policies. A senior manager at the European Commission since 1998 he is committed to a positive European vision of the future internet society and economy. Before coming to Washington he managed the team leading Europe's new Internet policy and investment initiative (flagship on 'Next Generation Internet').
Prior to the EU he worked on international assignments for the strategy consulting firm American Management Systems, and for the European Space Agency, in the Netherlands. Peter holds a Master degree in Communication Engineering from the University of Technology in Graz, Austria, and is a senior member of the IEEE. He is married and has raised two daughters.
The EU Delegation was first established in Washington, DC in 1954 and now represents the European Union across the United States. It has expanded to host staff of the European Parliament Liaison Office, EUROPOL, the European Central Bank, the European Investment Bank and the European Air Safety Agency.
Naomi Lefkovitz
Senior Privacy Policy Advisor, NIST
Naomi Lefkovitz is the Senior Privacy Policy Advisor in the Information Technology Lab at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce. She leads the privacy engineering program, which focuses on developing privacy risk management processes and integrating solutions for protecting individuals’ privacy into information technologies, including digital identity services, IoT, smart cities, big data, mobile, and artificial intelligence.
FierceGovernmentIT named Ms. Lefkovitz on their 2013 “Fierce15” list of the most forward-thinking people working within government information technology, and she is a 2014 and 2018 Federal 100 Awards winner.
Before joining NIST, she was the Director for Privacy and Civil Liberties in the Cybersecurity Directorate of the National Security Council in the Executive Office of the President. Her portfolio included the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace as well as addressing the privacy and civil liberties impact of the Obama Administration’s cybersecurity initiatives and programs.
Prior to her tenure in the Obama Administration, Ms. Lefkovitz was a senior attorney with the Division of Privacy and Identity Protection at the Federal Trade Commission. Her responsibilities focused primarily on policy matters, including legislation, rulemakings, and business and consumer education in the areas of identity theft, data security and privacy.
At the outset of her career, she was Assistant General Counsel at CDnow, Inc., an early online music retailer.
Ms. Lefkovitz holds a B.A. with honors in French Literature from Bryn Mawr College and a J.D. with honors from Temple University School of Law.
Nitin Kumar
Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting
Nitin Kumar is a Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting and is based in San Francisco. Mr. Kumar is a member of the Telecom, Media and Technology practice.
Mr. Kumar’s areas of expertise focus on the entire deal continuum ranging from M&A and divestiture strategy, pre-deal due diligence (commercial, customer, operational and IT), merger integration, divestiture separation and post-deal performance improvement.
Although Mr. Kumar has led consolidation mergers focused on realizing cost synergies from back office functions such as IT, HR and finance, his core area of expertise is around driving revenue growth by unlocking value from functions such as sales, marketing, service, pricing and customer experience. He advises executives in technology, media and telecom sectors during times of rapid changes, including adapting to disruption and designing new business models.
Prior to joining FTI Consulting, Mr. Kumar worked at PwC and Deloitte where he led several M&A, operational performance improvement and revenue growth projects. Mr. Kumar has significant global experience serving clients across North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. He is also a well-known speaker, author and thought leader with international recognition.
Mr. Kumar’s past experience include developing the divestiture strategy for a global technology company through portfolio assessment, core analysis, growth potential and exit options evaluation, creating around $30 billion in shareholder value.
Mr. Kumar has led more than 50 M&A integrations, focusing on business model enhancement and revenue synergies through optimization of brand, customer segments, products, channels and pricing. Additionally, he has led more than 100 customer, IT, operational and commercial due diligences in order to harness cost and revenue synergies during adjacency and new business model acquisitions.
Mr. Kumar designed and executed multiple wargames and simulations for technology clients focused on integration strategy validation and revenue synergy execution, with scenarios including competitor moves, talent defection, pricing timelines, brand positioning and channel partner engagement. He also led the technology enabled digital transformation for a global media company, managing aspects from customer strategy, sales force, marketing, organization, pricing, service and organization, ultimately creating $90 million in growth through digital services across 18 months.
In the sales force effectiveness area focused on business model alignment such as digital, SaaS and IoT, Mr. Kumar has led more than 10 projects with typical areas of focus spanning from sales model design, channel structure, territory alignment, sales training, pipeline conversion, new customer penetration, incentive alignment, organization design, improved linkages with marketing and service functions.
Mr. Kumar has led go-to-market SaaS transformation for a traditional licensing company driving changes within sales, marketing, customer service, customer experience, incentives, organization design and change management focused on customer adoption of the SaaS offering. He also managed the transformation of customer service for an education technology client with focus on customer retention, new customer acquisition and tiered service model, where he helped reduce customer churn by 18% in the first six months.
Mr. Kumar led the merger integration of a technology semiconductor company across Europe (Netherlands/Germany) and North America establishing a new operating model with focus on process improvement, organization design, enhanced customer experience and asset consolidation.
Mr. Kumar received his Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kerala, India and has completed the Leading Professional Service Firms program from Harvard Business School. He is a Certified M&A Advisor, a Chartered M&A Professional, a Certified Due Diligence Professional, a Certified Management Consultant, a Certified International Turnaround Manager, a Certified Project Management Professional, a Certified Blockchain Expert and a Certified M&A Specialist.
Stephen Pattison
Vice President of Public Affairs, ARM
Stephen is responsible for ARM’s Public Affairs, including contributions to public policy thinking across the world. His focus is London, Brussels, Washington and, increasingly, China. He was the first person to be appointed to a Public Affairs role at ARM, in 2012. Key issues on which he is working include Internet of Things, Smart Cities, Data Protection, Energy Efficiency, and Security. Stephen also oversees ARM’s Corporate Responsibility Programme.
Prior to joining ARM, Stephen was CEO, International Chamber of Commerce UK, where he represented the interests of a range of companies and focussed on various policy and international trade issues. He also worked for James Dyson as Head, International Business Development, where he introduced new products into new markets as well as accelerating growth in existing markets. He was once a British Diplomat, and worked at the British Embassy in Washington, and on UN issues in London, New York and Geneva.
Stephen has a Masters Degree from Cambridge University, and a Doctorate from Oxford. In 2003-4 he spent a year at Harvard as Fellow in International Affairs at the Weatherhead Center.
Travis Hall
Telecommunications Policy Specialist, NTIA
Dr. Travis Hall is a Telecommunications Policy Specialist for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's Office of Policy and Development, focusing on Surveillance and Consumer Privacy. His portfolio includes IoT, UAS, and Blockchain, and he recently successfully concluded two privacy multi stakeholder processes. He has a PhD from the Department of Media, Culture and Communication from New York University, and his dissertation research focused on the cultural contexts and histories of state identification programs, specifically those that use bodies as the media of identity (biometrics, tattoos). He has acted as a consultant for advocacy groups, academic institutes, and private companies on the technical and policy details of identification and the potential impacts of these technologies on privacy rights. Before joining the Department of Commerce, Travis taught at American University and was a research fellow at the Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society in Berlin, Germany. He received his MA in International Communications and BA in International Relations from American University.
Alejandro Navarrete
Head of Radioelectric Spectrum Unit, IFT Mexico
Since September 2014 Alejandro Navarrete is the Head of the Spectrum Unit at the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) in Mexico.
Under his responsibility relies spectrum planning, regulation and management, including spectrum auctions, for granting commercial concessions for telecommunications and broadcasting services. During 2013 he worked as the Head of the Radio and Television Systems Unit also at IFT and as Deputy Director General of the same unit at the former Federal Telecommunications Commission.
From 2004 to 2012 Mr. Navarrete was the Director General of the Telecommunications Research and Innovation Center (Cinit) of the Telecommunications Industry National Chamber (CANITEC). There he developed strategic planning in regulatory and technical issues associated to cable telecommunications networks.
Before that, Alejandro Navarrete acted as Head of Staff of the Undersecretary of Communications at the Communications and Transportation Secretariat (SCT) and Director of Television Services at the same ministry. In addition, he has more than 28 years of teaching experience at undergraduate level in private universities in Mexico. He is author and coauthor of textbooks in mathematics and technology and has been part of academic, commercial and regulatory consultative councils in Mexico. He participates as speaker in for a related to telecommunications and broadcasting topics in Mexico and abroad.
Alejandro Navarrete has a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Electronic Engineering from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City and a master in science degree in Electrical Engineering with major in Communications and Signal Processing from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in New York, U.S.A.
Juan Carlos Zuniga
Standards, CSO Office, SigFox
Juan Carlos Zuniga is a telecommunications expert with over 20 years of international experience. He leads the networking standardization activities at the CSO office of SIGFOX Corp, a global IoT Network Operator and Service Provider. He also helps as Technical Program Manager (TPM) for the IoT-based Seismic Alert project in Mexico of the SIGFOX Foundation, which is an organization working on humanitarian causes. He is currently co-chair of the IETF Internet Area WG, and an active member of different Privacy, Security and IoT programs at the IAB, ISOC and IEEE.
Juan Carlos is highly skilled in positioning technology to drive standards, develop business and ensure market adoption. He is experienced in leading technology development and standardization activities in the areas of IoT, Data Privacy, NFV/SDN, 5G and Wi-Fi. He has contributed and held leadership roles in different standards fora, such as IETF, IEEE 802, ETSI, 3GPP and W3C. Juan Carlos has served as Guest Editor of IEEE Communications Magazine, and he is inventor of more than 50 granted USPTO/EPO patents and 70 published applications.
Before joining Sigfox, Juan Carlos was leading the networking standardization activities at InterDigital. Previously, he worked with Harris Communications Canada, Nortel Networks UK, and Kb/Tel Mexico. Juan Carlos received his engineering degree from the UNAM, Mexico, and his MSc from the Imperial College London, UK.
Frank Patry
CIO, Omnispace
Frank Patry is CIO at Omnispace, a satellite startup focusing on IoT and Mobility applications. Omnispace is developing a global satellite system that will provide direct connectivity to IoT devices located anywhere in the world.
Before joining Omnispace, he was the Chief Solutions Architect at OneWeb satellites where he participated in the development of the Commercial Distribution Models, System Concept of Operations and System Architecture. Prior to working at OneWeb, Mr. Patry was the CIO at NextNav. NextNav is a terrestrial based location-based services platform focused on providing indoor position information. Mr. Patry’s experience includes roles at Sirus/XM and Terrestar Networks.
Frank holds a BS in Computer Science from the University of Maryland.
Shane Tews
Visiting Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
Shane Tews is a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where she works primarily on cyber security and Internet governance issues. She is also president of Logan Circle Strategies, where she focuses on information and communication technology and cyber security policy issues.
She is currently vice chair of the board of directors of the Internet Education Foundation and co-chair of the Internet Governance Forum USA.
Previously, Ms. Tews managed Internet security and digital commerce issues as vice president of global policy for Verisign Inc. She began her career in the George H. W. Bush White House as a deputy associate director in the Office of Cabinet Affairs, and later moved to Capitol Hill as a legislative director for a member of Congress.
Peter Brown
Directorate General for Innovation & Technological Support, European Parliament
Peter returned this year to his career as a civil servant of the European Parliament, after ten years in the private sector, of which seven years were in the USA. He was recently appointed editor of a new ISO Standard looking at the governance implications of the use of artificial intelligence.
As a consultant, he advised several Fortune 100 companies and many national governments and international organisations on technology strategy and governance and led ISO standardization work in the field of governance of information technologies.
In the USA, he served as President of the “Identity Ecosystem Steering Group”, established to deliver US President Obama’s National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) and during 10 years as a Directors of the global open standards consortium, OASIS, where he has also previously been President and Board Chair.
A recognised and respected polymath, his experience and knowledge span a wide array of political, societal, cultural, entrepreneurial, scientific, and technological interests, including: policy-making; the governance of information technologies; semantics and interaction design; AI; privacy, identity management and trust; cloud computing, IoT, and cybersecurity; and music.
KC Love
VP Data, Measure
KC Love is the VP of Data Engineering at Measure, implementing the latest drone technologies and delivering actionable data to clients. KC brings a deep understanding of the geospatial industry and how clients across industries can apply data collected by drones to make better business decisions. Before joining Measure, KC worked for Quantum Spatial where he collaborated with clients, pilot teams, and software developers to deliver aerial imagery to enterprise clients throughout the US. Additionally, throughout his career, KC has worked with academic research groups, state and federal government agencies, commercial enterprises, and NGOs to provide geospatial expertise.
Sokwoo Rhee
Associate Director of Cyber-Physical Systems Innovation, NIST
Dr. Sokwoo Rhee is Associate Director of Cyber-Physical Systems Innovation at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). He is currently leading the Global City Teams Challenge (GCTC) which aims to create a replicable and scalable model for collaborative incubation and deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) solutions to improve the quality of life in smart cities around the world. He previously served as a Presidential Innovation Fellow on CPS, a program by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. During his fellowship, he co-led the SmartAmerica Challenge, which brought together IoT technologies and CPS across the nation to demonstrate how they can provide concrete examples of the socio-economic benefits. Prior to joining US government, he was Co-founder and CTO of Millennial Net, Inc., which was one of the first to successfully commercialize low-power wireless mesh/sensor network and Internet of Things technology from academia. His work and achievements have been recognized through awards including MIT Technology Review’s Top Innovators under 35 and Red Herring’s Top 5 Innovators. He holds more than a dozen US and International patents and numerous publications on wireless networks, biomedical sensors and embedded systems. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Bruce Gustafson
President and CEO, Developers Alliance
Bruce is the President and CEO of the Developers Alliance, the leading advocate for the global developer workforce and the companies that depend on them. Bruce is also the founder of the Loquitur Group, a DC consulting firm, and the former VP and head of the DC Policy office of Ericsson, a global information and communications technology company, focusing on IPR, privacy, IoT, spectrum, cybersecurity and the impact of technology and the digital economy. He has previously held senior leadership positions in marketing and communications at both Ericsson and Nortel, as well as senior roles in strategy and product management across wireless, optical and enterprise communication product portfolios.
Bruce holds a JD from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, an MBA from the University of Calgary in Canada, and a BS in Engineering from the University of Manitoba, also in Canada. He is a certified privacy professional CIPP/US.
Bruce is based in the Alliance’s Washington DC headquarters.
Lynn Goldstein
Senior Strategist, Information Accountability
Lynn A. Goldstein is a Senior Strategist for the Information Accountability Foundation, a global information policy think tank, and the Founder of GDPRsimple, a SAAS tool for small and medium size businesses to implement the GDPR, and Indicium LLC, a privacy and data protection consulting firm. From 2013 to 2015 Lynn was the Chief Data Officer for the Center for Urban Science + Progress at New York University. Prior to joining NYU, Lynn was the Chief Privacy Officer and Privacy General Counsel for JPMorgan Chase from 2004 to 2013 and was the Chief Privacy Officer for Bank One from 2003 to 2004. From 2001 to 2004, Lynn was General Counsel for Bank One’s credit card company, and from 1983 to 2001, she was Head of Litigation for Bank One, First Chicago NBD and First Chicago. Prior to joining JPMorgan Chase and predecessor entities, Lynn was in private practice and clerked for a federal judge. Lynn is a lawyer and a Certified Information Privacy Professional and a frequent speaker on privacy and data ethics topics. Lynn is a member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee.
David Friedman
Vice President, Advocacy, Consumer Reports
An experienced leader, engineer, and longtime consumer advocate, David Friedman joined Consumer Reports in 2017. In his role as VP, Advocacy, he leads our organization’s efforts to secure consumer safeguards, improved corporate practices, and innovative solutions to realize a fairer, safer, and healthier marketplace.
David previously served as CR’s Director, Cars and Product Policy and Analysis, where he led our public policy and analytical efforts to ensure that consumers’ interests are protected and that safer, more sustainable vehicles and other products are available in the marketplace.
David is a respected leader and innovator whose work has helped improve the lives of consumers. He served as both Deputy and Acting Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), where he led the agency’s mission to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce the economic costs of road traffic crashes. He also served at the Department of Energy as Deputy and Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, where he led the organization’s efforts to accelerate the ongoing transition to clean energy.
Prior to his senior leadership positions at NHTSA and the Department of Energy, David worked for 12 years at the Union of Concerned Scientists in several capacities, including senior engineer, research director, and deputy director of its clean vehicles program. Before joining UCS, he worked for the University of California, Davis, in the Fuel Cell Vehicle Modeling Program.
David earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, and is a Ph.D. candidate in Transportation Technology and Policy at the University of California, Davis.
Harry Lightsey
Executive Director, Emerging Technologies Policy, General Motors
Harry Lightsey was appointed Executive Director – Emerging Technologies Policy in the Global Public Policy organization in September 2016. Harry joined GM in March of 2012 as Director, Federal Affairs - OnStar, Infotainment and Strategy Development. Subsequently, Harry also led the Federal Affairs team. He retired from AT&T in 2009 after serving as President of Southeast Region and as its Senior Vice President of Legislative and External Affairs. Harry also served as State President South Carolina of BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc.
Harry’s career in the telecom industry spanned over 26 years, including holding a variety of positions in the external affairs and legal organizations at BellSouth. He began his telecommunications career in 1982 when he joined Southwestern Bell.
He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. He was named co-chair of the Economic Development Transition Task Force by South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges. He was a founding member of the board of City Year-Columbia, a youth service organization, and has participated in numerous other charitable organizations.
In 2002, he received the Order of the Palmetto, the South Carolina’s highest recognition for his achievements in leading the ground breaking effort to establish leading research and development programs in higher education. He has also served on the Princeton National Alumni Executive Board and on the Board of Trustees of the College of Charleston.
He received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University in 1978, majoring in Japanese Studies. He graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1981.
Colleen Ekas
AVP IoT Product Management & Channel Enablement, AT&T
Colleen Ekas AVP Product Management and Channel Enablement – Internet of Things, AT&T
She has responsibility for the Internet of Things (IoT) product portfolio for the public sector, Drones, IoT for FirstNet, Healthcare and Professional Services. In addition she has responsibility for AT&T’s channel enablement framework and plan for IoT. Colleen and her team drive the strategy and execution for connectivity, platforms, professional services and end-to-end solutions IoT solutions for the federal, state and local government.
Colleen holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and an MBA with concentrations in Marketing Strategy and Operations Management from DePaul University in Chicago, IL.
Michael Knott
Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting
Michael Knott is a Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting and is based in London. Mr. Knott leads the Telecom, Media and Technology (TMT) practice in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). He is an experienced telecom, media and technology advisor with 20 years of experience in transaction advisory, strategy and business consulting, performance improvement and business transformation.
Mr. Knott has experience serving as a transaction advisor on a wide range of aspects, including advising buyers and sellers in mergers and acquisitions; providing due diligence on behalf of corporates; financing sources and private equity investors; investigating financial synergies of merger transactions; preparing corporate strategies for acquisitions; identifying target companies and post-merger integration programme management.
Mr. Knott has extensive experience providing strategic consulting, corporate and business development, business planning, financial planning, and sales and marketing consulting services for various TMT clients across the EMEA. Clients include Vodafone, Telefonica, Orange, BT, Telenor, Swisscom, Eircom, MTN, Cable & Wireless, Telkom SA, Zain, Qtel, Viatel, QinetiQ, BBC, CBFW and Yota.
In addition, Mr. Knott has led a number of performance improvement and strategic transformation engagements. Clients include CME, Telefonica, BT, NTL, Dunn & Bradstreet, Logica, Orange, OTE and Eircom.
Prior to joining FTI Consulting, Mr. Knott held leadership roles at Booz & Company, including UK TMT partner lead and leadership roles at Accenture, including partner lead of Europe, Africa, Middle East and Latin America TMT strategy group.
Mr. Knott holds an M.B.A. from London Business School, a M.A. in economics from the University of Western Ontario and a B.A. with honours in economics from Queen’s University.
Danielle DuMerer
CIO & Commissioner of the Department of Innovation & Technology , City of Chicago
Danielle is CIO and Commissioner of the Department of Innovation and Technology. Most recently Danielle was the City’s Chief Technology Officer, leading efforts to leverage data and technology to make government more effective, efficient, and innovative.
During her tenure at the City, she directed many of the City’s digital transformation initiatives, established the City’s internationally-recognized open data program, and led digital inclusion efforts to expand access to technology resources and digital skills training.
Before joining the City of Chicago, Danielle developed K-12 educational technology products at the McGraw-Hill Companies. She also worked in the Library and Archives field, serving a variety of educational and non-profit organizations to promote equitable access to and preservation of information resources.
Danielle holds a Master of Library Science from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Rhetoric from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
She lives in Chicago with her husband and daughter.
Moderators
Robert D. Aktinson
President, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
As founder and president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), recognized as the world’s top think tank for science and technology policy, Robert D. Atkinson leads a prolific team of policy analysts and fellows that is successfully shaping the debate and setting the agenda on a host of critical issues at the intersection of technological innovation and public policy.
He is an internationally recognized scholar and a widely published author whom The New Republic has named one of the “three most important thinkers about innovation,” Washingtonian Magazine has called a “tech titan,” Government Technology Magazine has judged to be one of the 25 top “doers, dreamers and drivers of information technology,” and the Wharton Business School has awarded him the “Wharton Infosys Business Transformation Award.”
A sought-after speaker and valued adviser to policymakers around the world, Atkinson’s books include Big is Beautiful: Debunking the Mythology of Small Business (MIT Press, 2018); Innovation Economics: The Race for Global Advantage (Yale, 2012), and The Past And Future Of America’s Economy: Long Waves Of Innovation That Power Cycles Of Growth (Edward Elgar, 2005). He also has conducted groundbreaking research projects and authored hundreds of articles and reports on technology and innovation-related topics ranging from tax policy to advanced manufacturing, productivity, and global competitiveness.
President Clinton appointed Atkinson to the Commission on Workers, Communities, and Economic Change in the New Economy; the Bush administration appointed him chair of the congressionally created National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission; and the Obama administration appointed him to the National Innovation and Competitiveness Strategy Advisory Board. He also has served as co-chair of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s China-U.S. Innovation Policy Experts Group; as a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship; and on the U.S. State Department’s Advisory Committee on International Communications and Information.
Atkinson is a member of the Markle Foundation Task Force on National Security in the Information Age and serves on the boards or advisory councils of the Internet Education Foundation, the NetChoice Coalition, the University of Oregon’s Institute for Policy Research and Innovation, and the State Science and Technology Institute. Additionally, Atkinson is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Electronic Government and the Journal of Internet Policy; a member of the Global Innovation Forum Brain Trust; a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution; a fellow at the Columbia University Institute of Tele-Information; and a fellow of Glocom, a Tokyo-based research institute.
David Stephenson
Principal, Stephenson Strategies
W. David Stephenson is an internationally-recognized Internet of Things thought leader, strategist, theorist and writer, and long-time futurist.
He particularly focuses on:
- A paradigm shift to “circular companies,” away from traditional hierarchies and linear processes, to a new model in which everyone — supply chain, manufacturing, product design, marketing, distribution networks, and perhaps even customers — is united in a continuous cycle with shared, real-time IoT data as the hub.
- Smart aging,” using a combination of wearable devices and smart home devices to allow seniors to “age in place” with dignity, improved health, and lower expenses.
He is principal of Stephenson Strategies and Google ranks his blog as the top non-corporate one on the IoT.
He founded the 2,800 member Boston-New England Internet of Things Meetup, and currently heads a crowdsourced/crowdfunded campaign to create a free, citywide IoT data network in Boston.
Dan Caprio
Co-Founder, The Providence Group
Dan Caprio is an internationally recognized expert on privacy and cybersecurity. He has served as the Chief Privacy Officer and Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Commerce Department, a transatlantic subject matter for the European Commission's Internet of Things formal expert group, a Chief of Staff at the Federal Trade Commission and a member of the Department of Homeland Security Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee. In 2002, Dan represented the United States revising the OECD Security Guidelines that formed the basis for the first White House Strategy to Secure Cyberspace.
Alexis Kramer
Senior Legal Editor, Bloomberg Law
Alexis Kramer is a senior legal editor at Bloomberg Law, where she covers internet, technology, and telecom issues. She holds a B.F.A. from Long Island University and a J.D. and M.A. in International Affairs from American University’s Washington College of Law. Follow Alexis on Twitter at @alexis_s_kramer.
Jennifer Richter
Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
Jennifer L. Richter is a partner with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, she is counsel to the CTIA/NASA UAS Working Group, and she represents a number of clients on UAS/drone strategy, development and operation. Jennifer has represented technology and communications companies and investors for more than two decades. She is ranked by Chambers USA as a leading lawyer in telecommunications, and she has been named a Super Lawyer for communications law multiple times. She brings years of in-depth experience in the communications field to her clients in the industry, possessing an insider’s knowledge of the business, gained while serving as vice president and general counsel of a wireless communications company she helped to build and sell to Sprint Corporation. She is recognized for exceptional depth in spectrum matters -- spectrum transactions and wireless regulation – and enabling new technologies that utilize spectrum.
Jennifer was a voting member on the FAA’s Aviation Rulemaking Committee that studied and made recommendations to the FAA Administrator regarding technology to enable remote tracking and identification of UAS. Jennifer is an active participant in NASA’s UTM working groups. She also is a subject matter expert on the FCC’s Technological Advisory Council on UAS and the Department of Homeland Security’s CIPAC that is studying how to protect critical infrastructure from drones. For the CTIA/NASA UAS Working Group, Jennifer is active with members, the FCC and the FAA on spectrum solutions for UAS. The reliability, safety and security of UAS is highly dependent on the reliability, safety and security of the communications links that enable UAS operations, including UAS command/control links, tracking and identification, payload communications, and collision avoidance; it also is essential for managing UAS through a UAS traffic management system (UTM).
Gerry Stegmaier
Partner, Reed Smith
Gerry is a partner in the firm’s IP, Tech & Data Group. He focuses his practice on corporate governance, intellectual property, and Internet issues, especially as they relate to privacy, information security and consumer protection. An experienced and pragmatic litigator, Gerry focuses a significant part of his practice on prelitigation and advisory services relating to business strategy for privacy by design, data protection, intellectual property, and emerging technologies and markets, often acting as outside product counsel to leading innovators and disruptive technology companies.
Gerry is designated as a Certified Information Privacy Professional by the International Association of Privacy Professionals. In recent years, he has helped many automotive, health information technology, data management, advertising and consumer technology companies with information management and protection strategy, including some of the most popular consumer products and services of the past decade.
Ezequiel Dominguez
Head of Europe and Americas, Cullen International
Ezequiel Dominguez is the head of Europe and Americas at Cullen International, a company monitoring and benchmarking regulatory developments in communications markets, including post, telecommunications, media and digital economy. Until end 2015, Ezequiel lead the coverage of the fast-growing telecoms and television sectors in Latin America (now Americas), having co-founded the service in 2010.
He is a lawyer and has spent over 15 years analysing regulatory developments in communications markets at EU level, in the Member States and Americas. Based in Brussels, he travels frequently across Europe and Americas to work with NRAs, ministries, telecoms and television providers, vendors, and international financial institutions on communications regulatory policy and strategy.
Prior to his collaboration with Cullen International, Ezequiel was a senior researcher at Informa Telecoms & Media in London.
He has also worked as an external legal counsel for the National Telecommunications and Post Commission in Greece (EETT) and was a researcher at the E-Government Laboratory, Department of Informatics and Telecommunications of the University of Athens.
Mr Dominguez holds a Diploma in Telecommunications Law from Queen Mary, University of London.
Logistics
When
Thu 4 October, 2018 08.30 to
Fri 5 October, 2018 17.00
EDT
Where
Washington Plaza Hotel
10 Thomas Circle NW
Washington, D.C.
20005
Tel: +1 202-842-1300
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