This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
The Decade of Digital Inclusion 2021 program committee, co-chaired by Vint Cerf, the Marconi Society’s Chairman, and Samantha Schartman-Cycyk, the organization’s Executive Director, included a cross-section of visionary leaders in policy, technology, academic, and advocacy.
The gala and symposium took place virtually on Friday, October 22, 2021.
Mohamed-Slim Alouini
Distinguished Professor, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Mohamed-Slim Alouini is a Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He is a Fellow of the IEEE and OSA and he is currently actively working on addressing the uneven global distribution, access to, and use of information and communication technologies in far-flung, low-density populations, low-income, and/or hard-to-reach areas.
Ana Garcia Armada
Professor, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
Ana Garcia Armada is a professor of the Signal Theory and Communications Department at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, where she has served as Head of Signal Theory and Communications Department, Vice-dean of Electrical Engineering, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of International Relations. She has received awards from University Carlos III of Madrid, third place Bell Labs Prize 2014 and outstanding service award from the IEEE ComSoc Signal Processing and Communications Electronics technical committee and the IEEE ComSoc Women in Communications Engineering standing committee.
Jane Coffin
Senior Vice President, Internet Growth, Internet Society
Jane Coffin is responsible for the Internet Society’s Internet Growth project teams, which are focused on Community Networks, Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) & interconnection, peering, community development, and a new critical project on measuring the health of the Internet. Coffin is a longtime leader in Internet and telecommunications policy issues, with experience at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, USAID projects, FCC, and AT&T.
Vint Cerf
Chairman of the Board, Marconi Society
Vinton G. Cerf is vice president and chief Internet evangelist for Google, where he is responsible for identifying new enabling technologies to support the development of the company’s advanced, Internet-based products and services. Widely known as one of the “Fathers of the Internet,” Cerf is the co-designer with Robert Kahn of TCP/IP protocols and the basic architecture of the Internet. For their pioneering work on the Internet, they have achieved national distinction. Cerf was awarded the 1998 Marconi Prize for the technical achievements and ambassadorial leadership which have been major factors in the creation and evolution of the Internet.
Elza Erkip
Institute Professor, NYU Tandon School
Elza Erkip is an Institute Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at New York University Tandon School of Engineering. Her research interests are in information theory, communication theory, and wireless communications. Dr. Erkip is a member of the Science Academy of Turkey and is a Fellow of the IEEE. She was a member of the Board of Governors of the IEEE Information Theory Society 2012–2020, where she was the President in 2018.
Edward Frank
CEO, Brilliant Lime; Vice Chair, Board of Trustees, Carnegie Mellon University
Dr. Edward H. Frank is presently co-founder and CEO of Brilliant Lime, Inc., a very early-stage technology development startup. In 2018, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for his contributions to the development and commercialization of wireless systems. Frank has been a Trustee of Carnegie Mellon University since 2000 and is currently a Vice Chair of its Board of Trustees. He presently is an advisor to several Bay Area Venture capital firms and startups.
Chris Lewis
President and CEO, Public Knowledge
Chris Lewis is the President and CEO at Public Knowledge (PK), where he previously served as Vice President for Government Affairs. Before joining Public Knowledge, Lewis worked in the Federal Communications Commission Office of Legislative Affairs, including as its Deputy Director. He is a former U.S. Senate staffer and an experienced political organizer and advocate in both the nonprofit world and political campaigns from local to the presidential level.
Beth Noveck
Director, The Governance Lab; Chief Innovation Officer, The State of New Jersey; Professor, NYU Tandon School
Beth Simone Noveck directs the Governance Lab (The GovLab) at New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering where she is also a Professor in Technology, Culture, and Society and affiliated faculty at the Center for Urban Science and Progress. She is also a Fellow at NYU’s Institute for Public Knowledge. Noveck served in the White House as the first United States Deputy Chief Technology Officer and director of the White House Open Government Initiative under President Obama.
Milo Medin
Vice President of Access Services, Google
Milo Medin has been part of the Internet development community for more than 25 years. He is currently the vice president of access services at Google, where he oversees a number of projects to improve access to the Internet, primarily focused on expanding the speed, robustness and pervasiveness of wireless networks. Medin sits on the FCC’s Technical Advisory Committee and Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee. Since 2016, he has served on the Defense Innovation Board.
Samantha Schartman-Cycyk
Executive Director, Marconi Society
As Executive Director, Schartman-Cycyk oversees the Marconi Society's mission-driven programs, collaborative partnerships, and network of leaders in communications technology. Prior to joining the Marconi Society, she had deep experience in digital inclusion as Founder and CEO of Connected Insights and Research Director of the Connect Your Community Institute. Schartman-Cycyk has worked with various populations from the elderly to students to extend the benefits of connectivity to them in a way that is meaningful for their lives and to increase awareness of and funding for digital inclusivity.
Angela Siefer
Executive Director, National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA)
Angela Siefer has been working in digital inclusion since 1997. From physically setting up computer labs in underserved areas and managing local digital inclusion programs to consulting for the U.S. Department of Commerce and testifying before Congress, Siefer develops national strategies and solutions from the ground up. In 2015, she helped found the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, a unified voice for home broadband access, public broadband access, personal devices and local technology training and support programs.
Theresa Swinehart
Senior Vice President, Global Domains and Strategy, ICANN
As Senior Vice President of Global Domains and Strategy at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Swinehart oversees a global team responsible for a range of work relating to ICANN’s stakeholders and contracted parties, including policy implementation, review recommendations, and strategic initiatives. Swinehart also serves as co-deputy to ICANN’s President and CEO. She is a leading advocate for an open and secure Internet and an expert in global Internet governance and cooperation.