Dr. John Cioffi is a 35-year veteran of the DSL industry and sports numerous prestigious awards for his contributions to technology and industry, including the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, which was presented to him in 2023 by President Biden. Prior to founding ASSIA in 2003, he served as founder, CTO, and vice president of engineering at Amati before its acquisition by Texas Instruments. Dr. Cioffi held a tenured endowed professorship at Stanford University in the Department of Electrical Engineering from 1985 to 2009, where he is now an active Professor Emeritus with limited ongoing research efforts in broadband access. He has published more than 400 papers and holds more than 100 patents. Dr. Cioffi is a member of the United States National Academy of Engineering and an International Fellow of the United Kingdom Royal Society of Engineering. In 2013, Dr. Cioffi was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame. His accolades also include the Economist Computing and Telecommunications Award (2010), the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal (2010), the IEEE Kobayashi Award (2001), and the Marconi Society’s Marconi Prize (2006).

Cioffi has served on the boards of directors of more than 10 public and private companies. He currently serves on the boards of Alto Beam, Tinoq, and on the Marconi Society Board of Trustees. Dr. Cioffi holds a BSEE from the University of Illinois and a PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford University.

Roberto Gallardo is the Vice President for Engagement and an Associate Professor in the Agricultural Economics Department. He holds an electronics engineering undergraduate degree, a master’s in economic development, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration. Gallardo has worked with rural communities over the past decade conducting local & regional community economic development, including use of technology for development.

He has authored more than 100 articles including peer-reviewed and news-related regarding rural trends, socioeconomic analysis, industrial clusters, the digital divide, and leveraging broadband applications for community economic development. He is also the author of the book “Responsive Countryside: The Digital Age & Rural Communities,” which highlights a 21st century community development model that helps rural communities transition to, plan for, and prosper in the digital age. Dr. Gallardo is a TEDx speaker and his work has been featured in a WIRED magazine article, a MIC.com documentary, and a RFDTV documentary.

As the executive director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), Angela Siefer leads the digital equity movement. Since earning her master’s in sociology from the University of Toledo in 1997, she has been working in the field we now call “digital inclusion.” Starting with setting up computer labs in underserved areas and managing local digital inclusion programs, Angela’s first-hand knowledge led her to consulting for the US Department of Commerce and testifying before Congress. In 2015, Angela saw that the growing field needed its own place to build best practices and community, so she helped found NDIA, which advances digital equity by supporting community programs and equipping policymakers to act.

Angela also serves on the Board of Directors of the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition. Government Technology Magazine named Angela one of their Top 25 Doers, Dreams, and Drivers of 2019, and in 2021, the UCC Media Justice Ministry awarded her the Parker Award. Google.org named Angela one of the seven global Leaders to Watch 2023.

Angela works tirelessly to connect and uplift the digital inclusion community to address the pressing needs for affordable internet access, devices, and digital skills training for all. Through relationship building, high-profile speaking engagements, and interviews with news outlets, including the Washington Post, Forbes, and NPR, Angela has been key in building awareness and advocating for billions of dollars to move the digital equity movement forward.

Paula Reinman specializes in technology for good, working with social impact organizations around the world who are using technology to solve critical issues. She helps organizations create new programs and services and new paths forward by deeply understanding their markets and their unique contributions.

Paula works with organizations who are creating a more just and prosperous world. Her clients include the Marconi Society, dedicated to building more digitally equitable communities; the Enterprise Center, uniting people, organizations, and technology to build a better Chattanooga; CENIC, California’s research and education network connecting the state’s schools, libraries, and research centers to the world, and more.

Paula has led strategy and marketing organizations for corporations including Microsoft, Juniper Networks, and AT&T, as well as successful startups. While in the corporate world, Paula led the Juniper Networks Foundation to create a strategy of providing micro loans to women in emerging markets and created a statewide collation to provide Internet access to all K-12s, community colleges, and libraries in California

She is a board member of MPGL Entertainment, a nonprofit dedicated to creating a new generation of upstanders, and volunteers for key candidates and campaigns.

Paula has an MBA from the University of Michigan and BA from the University of California at Berkeley. When she is not helping clients change the world, you will find her trying new recipes (some of which should not be repeated), exploring the Bay Area, or on her yoga mat trying to be mindful.