What motivated you to take on the role of Chairman of the Marconi Society? What do you look forward to most about the position?
My new role as Chairman of the Marconi Society has more to do with the Marconi Society and less to do with me. The Marconi Society is critically important for the Communications and Information Technology world. As Vint Cerf’s term as Chairman was ending, the Marconi Society found itself in need of an individual able and willing to expend the time and energy to continue building support for the continued enhancement of the Society’s mission and its global impact. After much thought and discussion with various Board members, Fellows, Young Scholars, and associates, and commitments of support and engagement, I offered to serve as the Marconi Society’s next Chairman.
My strong belief in the mission – to provide and publicize role models for the next generation by recognizing those who have made significant contributions to making the world a better, more productive, and more enjoyable place to live through the world of telecommunication and information technology – made me want to contribute Board leadership for the Marconi Society in its next stage.
Also, very close to my heart is the Young Scholars program. This program is devoted to recognizing and supporting a cadre of extremely bright and accomplished graduate students or early career individuals from around the world who hold the promise of serving as positive change agents. These individuals have the opportunity to be mentored by Marconi Prize Recipients and to build relationships and traits that should not just enhance their career prospects but also enable them to most effectively contribute to the greater world.
I look at the role of Chair as an opportunity to further the mission and the Marconi Society’s various digital inclusion programs and to guide the Marconi Society into the next era. I am looking forward to working with a passionate, dedicated team including my fellow Board Members, our Marconi Fellows, our Young Scholars, our Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, and our Society at large, to strengthen the Marconi Society and continue to support those who change the world.
Tell us about your background and experience in the field of information technology and how it aligns with the goals of the Marconi Society.
One of the Marconi Society’s goals is to support visionaries in corporate arenas, academia, government service and other arenas as well, as they pertain to the Communications and Technology world. My very diverse corporate, academic and government related background in the information and communications technology and business world allows me to integrate into these arenas, and to work effectively in them to develop relationships, identify good candidates for the Marconi Society, and further the goals of our Society. Most of the first half of my career was spent in large companies starting with IBM with opportunities to help create the IBM PC and roles in both semiconductor technology and software, migrating to Digital Equipment Corp (DEC, now part of HPE) where I became the VP of Software, then to AT&T as a VP overseeing their Computer Business, to NCR as its SVP and CTO when it was split out from AT&T and finally to Motorola ultimately as their EVP and first CTO.
When I retired, I started the second half of my career by joining academia as a Professor of Computer Science and ultimately as the Vice Provost for Research at the Illinois Institute of Technology. While there, I formed a wireless consulting company, Roberson and Associates, where I am still the President and CEO. Along the way, I contributed to the Federal Government through service on the FCC’s Technological Advisory Council (TAC) for over 20 years, including eight as its Chairman. I have also served on the Department of Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee (CSMAC) for nearly 20 years. In addition, I have served on a wide variety of public and private company boards and a large number of charitable boards, often as the Chair of the Board.
This rich and highly varied experience base in the corporate, academic, government, and general board-related areas provides a solid basis for my duties and efforts in my new role as Chairman of the Marconi Society. I’m especially looking forward to continuing to work with the Young Scholars program and enhancing our outreach during my term.
The Paul Baran Young Scholar Award recognizes a diverse group of scientists and engineers. From your time as a member of the Young Scholar Committee, how do you envision working with the next generation of technology leaders to create a more inclusive and equitable digital future?
As one gets older, it’s natural to start thinking about the next generation who will soon take over the world. And as I have matured (gotten old!), a great deal of my energy has been focused on exactly that. Based on this, I have been involved, often at the board level, in several global youth organizations. When I retired from Motorola, my focus on the next generation became a full-time job as a university professor. I have always believed in the importance of guiding today’s youth – tomorrow’s leaders. That role has also been one that I have thoroughly enjoyed and continue to enjoy.
More recently, I have stepped down from board roles in youth organizations and as COVID-19 altered the role, my professorship is now mostly on paper. Now, my focus on the next generation is satisfied through my 12 grandchildren and importantly through the Paul Baran Young Scholar program. Support for our Young Scholars has become an ever-larger focus for me in fulfilling my desire to support the next generation of thought leaders.
As I take on the role of Chairman, I would like to see the organization place a great deal more focus on the Young Scholars. This comes in multiple forms.
- First, we need to re-energize the nomination process. Before COVID-19, we commonly had well over 30 candidates for the recognition (which was too small a cohort to begin with). This cycle, we have less than a dozen. We need to reinvigorate and publicize the process and the awards, to maximize the benefits and support that the Marconi Society offers to Young Scholars. The good news is that there are still very strong candidates being nominated and happily they come from all over the world, but the recognition should be much more highly coveted drawing a much, much larger set of nominations.
- The second, offer a guaranteed mentorship opportunity with a Marconi Fellow. From discussions with both Young Scholars and Marconi Fellows, I know that there is interest on both sides of these mentoring opportunities. The Marconi Society will endeavor to simplify and formalize the process, so that there is a guaranteed mentoring opportunity where Young Scholars review the Fellows and select whom they would like to have as a mentor, and Fellows volunteer to review the Young Scholars to select those they would be willing to mentor. Where there is a match, a guaranteed one-year relationship with monthly check-ins would be established. Where things go after the year would be up to the two individuals. This would be a huge benefit for the Young Scholars, adding significantly to the value of the recognition. It would also be a very fulfilling experience for our Fellows and certainly a significant contribution for those who are able and willing to serve as a mentor.
- Lastly, re-launching the Celestini Program to create a more inclusive digital future. Turning to the work of the Young Scholars themselves, a few years ago an ambitious program called the Celestini program was established by the Young Scholars to work on the global challenge of creating a more inclusive and equitable digital future. The goal and vision for the program was to grow the next generation of diverse innovators by enabling them to apply technology to solve critical problems in their own communities. The Celestini Program focused on a partnership model to pair students with expert mentors in the field of advanced communications to provide opportunities for hands-on, experiential learning.
The program was initially focused on Uganda where one of the Young Scholars was from, with the notion of using Uganda as a testbed and ultimately extending the model to many other countries around the world. Unfortunately, the program did require a level of funding that the Marconi Society alone could not support; so, when the Marconi Society was unable to identify additional financial support, the program was curtailed. Much was learned through the effort, and there were students in Uganda who derived significant benefit from the program. Therefore, as other financial needs are met, the re-launch of the Celestini Program may be a very desirable program for the Marconi Society to support and one that the Young Scholar could benefit by leading. As with many good ideas, “all” that is needed is a sustainable financial model to enable the program to proceed forward.
How do you plan to continue the evolution of the Marconi Society’s programs to foster innovation in communication technology?
The Marconi Society is well positioned to serve as a convenor for discussions on a variety of telecommunications and information technology related topics for various groups on a global basis. It is our goal to provide a solid basis of information for discussion and furthering technical objectives and innovation. Given the intellectual power and contributions of our Fellows, the enthusiasm and brilliance of our Young Scholars, and the rich experience base of our Members, we have the potential to provide incredibly impactful contributions to various technology and policy issues, again on a global scale. As we continue to contribute knowledge, experience, and ideas, we will be better able to foster innovation. The prestigious Marconi Prize is designed to recognize those who exemplify innovation in the communications technology arena and to establish them as role models for future generations. As our Fellows become more involved with mentoring programs (as discussed above regarding Young Scholars), that, too, will serve to foster innovation and a brighter future for the world.
How do you plan to engage with the broader community, including industry leaders and policymakers, to raise awareness and drive meaningful change in global communications?
In the coming year, the Marconi Society plans to establish an Executive Level Industry Advisory Board to assist the Marconi Society in meaningful efforts to improve the status of people worldwide. This form of convening provides networking opportunities for many of the current telecom and information technology industry leaders to discuss matters that are currently not being discussed in any other forum. Through our convener role, we are also establishing forums for the discussion of technology and information related policy issues and, in the U.S., discussions on means and best practices for achieving real digital broadband equity and inclusion. The hope is that what is learned in these U.S. conversations will be extensible to other parts of the world.
How do the Marconi Society’s programs support digital equity programs such as the “Internet for All initiative”?
Aside from Celestini, over the last few years, the Marconi Society has undertaken two major programs – the Digital Inclusion Leadership Certificate (DILC) program and the Broadband Mapping Coalition.
The Marconi Society developed the DILC program and is partnering with Arizona State University to deliver and administer the program. This 11-week online certificate program is “designed to prepare participants for effective planning, implementation and evaluation of broadband and digital inclusion programs” [source: https://techdatasociety.asu.edu/content/digital-inclusion-leadership-certificate]. Ultimately, these program participants will be well equipped to support digital inclusion and digital equity throughout the United States.
Another digital equity initiative currently in play is the Broadband Mapping Coalition, led by our own Dustin Loup. This coalition has been working to help develop and communicate the tools and methodologies for understanding the broadband coverage in the U.S.
The goal of the DILC Program and the deliverables developed by the Broadband Mapping Coalition will be valuable not only to the United States, but to other nations as well, as they seek to provide broadband internet connections for their citizens.
The Marconi Society firmly believes that everyone in the world — not just the United States – should have the opportunity to have broadband Internet access. The Marconi Society and leading members of our Fellows body were involved in this initiative well before the current Internet for All program was launched. We therefore take some pride of authorship in the fact that we have been promoting many of the ideas and ideals of the current program for, in some cases, decades. At least as importantly, our Fellows have created many of the underlying technologies that have brought the broadband Internet into existence. Our goal is to both continue to recognize and support those who are making the broadband Internet an affordable and available reality for not just the people of the United States, but the peoples of the world.
Lastly, how can individuals and organizations interested in supporting the Marconi Society and its mission get involved?
Happily, we now have a membership program that enables individuals and companies to formally join the Marconi Society and support its efforts. We are working to make our membership program and benefits more robust, and by joining now, individuals and organizations can have a greater impact on the future of the membership program. Some of the many ways members and friends can get involved with the Marconi Society include:
- Subscribing to the Marconi Signal e-Magazine and encouraging others to do so as well.
- Becoming involved in our Series of State Case Study Virtual Workshops.
- Joining the Broadband Mapping Coalition
- As a member, participating in one of our technical forums, like the upcoming session with three of our distinguished Marconi Prize Winners and respectively the Internet Pioneer, the Cellphone and the Microprocessor: Vint Cerf, Marty Cooper and Federico Faggin, each of which was initially introduced roughly 50 years ago.
- Finally, it should be noted that we are also a charitable organization that exists based on donations from like-minded individuals. Those who would like to philanthropically contribute to our efforts are very much encouraged to do so. Visit the Marconi Society website to learn how to contribute.
