2014 Annual Conference

Mindy McKnight received a BA in History/Humanities from Brigham Young University. Mindy’s husband, Shaun, received an MBA in Int’l Business Management from Thunderbird. They have been married for 16 years, and together they are raising six beautiful children.

With Mindy’s creative genius for braiding, the couple launched the highly-successful CuteGirlsHairstyles.com websie in late 2008 and the subsequent CuteGirlsHairstyles YouTube channel one year later. While her hairstyle tutorials started as a hobby, they have now been viewed over 400 million times in nearly every country worldwide. After spending 15 years establishing corporate operations overseas, Shaun now dedicates his strategic development skills to growing the family business.

Mindy is currently ranked as one of the Top-25 Women on YouTube with over 2,780,000 subscribers, generating 16 million monthly views. The Cute Girls Hairstyles family has received local, national, and global attention through various media outlets including ABCNews’ 20/20, Good Morning America, TODAY, Anderson LIVE, Katie, and The View.

Mindy is also a current digital media contributor to various divisions within Disney.

The oldest of six children, Brooklyn and Bailey are 14-yr old identical twins who represent YouTube’s next generation of young digital influencers. Together they create content for young teen girls, centered on DIY activities, fashion, cooking, and family vlogs.

Along with being a huge part of the CuteGirlsHairstyles’ channel success since 2009, Brooklyn and Bailey are now experiencing their own tremendous growth. Their channel BrooklynAndBailey has over 815,000 subscribers in only 18 months, with an average of 6 million monthly views.

Brittany Wenger is a sophomore at Duke University as an AB Duke Scholar. Her goal is to earn an MD-PhD so she can apply computer science to pediatric oncology. In 2012, Brittany won the grand prize at the Google Science Fair for her project, “Global Neural Network Cloud Service for Breast Cancer.” She also won multiple 1st place awards at Intel’s International Science Fair and earned 8th place at the Intel Science Talent Search as well as being named to Time Magazine’s 30 under 30.

Her Cloud4Cancer application has received international acclaim. In addition to breast cancer diagnostics, Cloud4Cancer has been extended to handle leukemia diagnostics based on genetic expression profiles. Not only can this detect aggressive cancers, but it can also recommend which proteins may be candidates for drug targeting. She has shared her research with many, including multiple TEDx talks, President Obama, and a congressional roundtable.

Mike Rugnetta is a composer, programmer and performer. He lives in Brooklyn and is one third of the live lecture based performance art trio MemeFactory. He writes and hosts the award winning PBS Digital Studios YouTube show Idea Channel and is the creator of Reasonably Sound, a podcast about sound and culture distributed by American Public Media. He is also a board member of Avant Media, an arts organization which produces collaborative new music and performance works in New York City. It is likely he has drank too much coffee today.

Mihir is a sophomore at Fox Chapel Area High School in Pittsburgh, PA. He has long been interested in computer science and robotics, and has created many tools to help students including CiteIt (http://citeit.co) and Classroom (http://useclassroom.com). In addition, he has been participating in science fairs since sixth grade, winning first place each year. In seventh grade, he coauthored a paper published in Brain Pathology. Last year, he was selected as one of thirty national finalists in the Broadcom MASTERS science fair for his project on digitally recreating smells, and ultimately won the first place national award in engineering. He also had the opportunity to meet President Obama, and was recognized by MIT's Lincoln Laboratory, which named a minor planet after him. His latest project involved the creation of a lightweight method of evading moving obstacles for flying robots inspired by the way fruit flies detect and respond to threats, and won the 13-14 Age Category Award and the Google Computer Science Award at the 2014 Google Science Fair.

As president of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), Pat leads the teams responsible for assigning age and content ratings to video games and apps, enforcing marketing guidelines adopted by the video game industry, and operating ESRB Privacy Certified, an FTC-approved COPPA Safe Harbor Privacy seal certification program.

She also serves as founding chairperson of the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC), a non-profit organization that operates a ground-breaking global rating and age classification system for digitally delivered games and apps. Pat is a member of the Board of Directors for the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS), a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of the interactive arts and a former Chair and long-standing Director of the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI).

Prior to joining the ESRB in 2002, Pat spent 18 years at Disney/ABC, with responsibility for the development of a broad range of new media and market initiatives, including the establishment of two video game joint ventures (Creative Wonders; OT Sports) and the management oversight of ABC.com, ABCNews.com, Oscar.com and Oprah.com in her capacity as Senior Vice President, General Manager of the ABC Internet Group.

Brenda Rusnak is an entrepreneur with 35 years of business experience. She is the founder and president of Best Part Productions Inc., which seeks out innovative, creative film projects to invest in and produce.

Prior to her career as a film producer, Brenda acted as the CEO and President for a multi-million dollar healthcare company that she had controlling interest in. In 2009, she sold her business and has since partnered with several experienced and talented financiers, researchers, filmmakers, and field experts to create, produce and distribute compelling content for cinema, television and the internet.

Gboyinde is the Senior Communications Specialist for Montgomery County Public Schools, the largest school system in Maryland. She assists the Director of Public Information and Web Services in managing the daily activities of the Department, including serving as a spokesperson for the school system and developing and implementing strategies to improve internal and external communications.

Gboyinde has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communication and Communication Studies and is pursuing her master’s degree in Public Relations and Corporate Communications at Georgetown University.

Twitter@MCPS

Eric Heath is the Vice President of Privacy, Policy and Data Governance at Yahoo, where he leads the company’s global privacy program as it pursues its mission to deliver timely and relevant content that inspires, informs and delights its users. Yahoo users and their data are Eric’s focus as he helps ensure privacy by design and policy alignment across all aspects of Yahoo’s business, from product development to content personalization to ad targeting.

Susan Fox serves as Vice President, Government Relations of the Walt Disney Company. Ms. Fox represents all of Disney’s operating divisions before the federal government, with a particular focus on the issues that affect Disney’s media interest, including ABC, ESPN, Disney Channel and the ABC Cable Networks, and the ABC Owned Television Stations. Prior to her present position, Ms. Fox served as Senior Legal Advisor to former FCC Chairman William Kennard and as Deputy Chief, Mass Media Bureau and the FCC. In these capacities, she handled all media policy issues before the FCC. She also served as Special Counsel in the FCC’s General Counsel Office, where she advised the General Counsel on constitutional Issues and litigated cases on behalf of the FCC. Prior to the FCC, Ms. Fox was an associate with the law firm Hogan & Hartson. She also served as a law clerk to the Honorable H. Robert Mayer, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Fox is a graduate of Lafayette College, where she received, with magna cum laude distinction, a BA in engineering. She earned her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law where she was Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Law and Politics, and winner of the Stephen Pierre Traynor Moot Court Award. She is married to Jeffrey Markowitz. They live with their four children in Arlington, Virginia.

Dr. Tejinder K. Judge is a User Experience Researcher at Google. She joined Google in 2011 and works on social products such as Google+ and Hangouts. Dr. Judge specializes in the areas of human-computer interaction, domestic computing, social computing, and computer-supported collaboration.

Prior to joining Google, her research focused on the design and evaluation of technology to connect families across distance. She has organized and led multiple conference workshops on this topic at venues such as ACM CHI, CSCW and GROUP. She has also published over thirty scholarly articles and is the editor of the book, Studying and Designing Technology for Domestic Life: Lessons from Home.

Dr. Judge holds a PhD in Computer Science from Virginia Tech and is a prominent figure in the ACM CHI research community.

As Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs, Susan leads Google’s policy and government relations work in North and South America. Prior to joining Google, Susan was a member of Congress, lobbyist and public affairs executive. While in Congress, Susan was elected by her colleagues to Republican Majority Leadership, making her the highest-­ranking woman in the Congress. As a member of the House Budget Committee, she was at the forefront of producing Congress’ first balanced budget in 29 years. She got her start in politics as the Minority Leader of the New York City Council.

Karima Zedan is the Director of Internet Essentials for Comcast Corporation. Internet Essentials offers low-cost Internet service, computer equipment and free digital literacy training to families with at least one child eligible to participate in the National School Lunch Program. It is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive broadband adoption initiative for low-income families.

Anna Payne has worked in the UK civil service for 12 years, and since August 2014 has led the department's work around Child Online Safety. This involves providing the secretariat to the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS); assuring progress against the Prime Minister's commitments for Internet safety, announced in summer 2013; and supporting Ministers in the development of new Government policy in this area.

Anna’s previous positions at the Department for Culture Media and Sport have included conducting research & consultation in support of the previous review of the BBC's Royal Charter; staging national memorial services and providing support to humanitarian assistance to Britons affected in major disasters including the London bombings of 7th July 2005; and overseeing preparation for and delivery of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic sailing events in Dorset, for which Anna was awarded an OBE in 2013. Anna lives in north London with her partner and young daughter.

Jessica Rosenworcel was nominated for a seat on the Federal Communications Commission by President Barack Obama and on May 7, 2012 was confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate. She was sworn into office on May 11, 2012.

Commissioner Rosenworcel brings a decade and a half of public sector and private sector communications law experience to her position at the FCC. This experience has shaped her belief that in the 21st century strong communications markets can foster economic growth and security, enhance digital age opportunity, and enrich our civic life.

Mr. Kirkbak founded Filip Technologies in 2010 after his young son, Filip, briefly went missing in a shopping mall. Prior to founding Filip, Kirkbak founded Black Moose, a Scandinavian-based branding agency. Kirkbak has nearly two decades of experience in marketing, design and trend analytics. He has also held a management position with Telenor Telehuset, where he played a key role in launching the company’s first Internet division. Additionally, Kirkbak was a part of Norwegian startup EUnet, one of Europe’s leading providers of Internet services, which was sold to KPNQwest. For several years, Kirkbak has led many lectures and presentations on trends and consumer behavior. Kirkbak earned a degree in market economics from Næringsakademiet in Norway.

Jules Cohen is a Director in the LCA group at Microsoft. He joined Microsoft in 1998 in the company’s online division.

In his current role, Cohen works to develop online privacy policies and solutions. In 2008 he served as a Microsoft representative on the Internet Safety Technical Task Force (ISTTF), a group of companies, non-profit organizations and academics looking to develop effective tools and technologies to create a safer environment on the Internet for youth.

Juniper is Senior Policy Counsel at Google, where she helps set global policy strategy for both Search and Child Safety. She joined Google in 2012, to lead content policy development for the social vertical, setting policy guidelines for issues like harassment and hate speech, and working on scalable solutions to policy enforcement.

Prior to Google, Juniper practiced law in the public sector. She began her legal career at the American Civil Liberties Union, where she practiced civil rights and civil liberties law, specializing in the representation of public school students who had been subjected to discrimination, first amendment violations or other infringements of their rights. She then went to work for the Santa Clara County Counsel Social Justice and Impact Litigation project, where she co-litigated major consumer rights cases, including a successful action against the lead paint industry and several cases against the pharmaceutical industry. In that role, Juniper was part of the core litigation team challenging Proposition 8, California’s ban on same-sex marriage. She also developed and helped pass several local ordinances, on issues ranging from childhood obesity prevention to immigrants' rights.

Juniper holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Brown and a J.D. from NYU, both magna cum laude. She is a certified mediator in New York and California. Before becoming a lawyer, Juniper was a teacher in Oakland, CA.

During law school, she mentored a juvenile offender, taught legal skills in a women’s prison and a juvenile center, and worked on a documentary project about public basketball courts, which was published in part in the New York Times.

Kristin joined DQC in 2013 to advocate for the use of data to improve student achievement at national and federal levels. She leads the Federal Policy team in their development and implementation of advocacy among national partners and within congress and the administration.

Prior to joining DQC Kristin spent 10 years working in public service and education. Most recently she served as the director of intergovernmental affairs at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS), where she developed the first database tracking the spending of the federal Charter Schools Programs for correlation to the development of public charter schools and the outcomes of their students. Prior to working with NAPCS she served in various roles in District of Columbia government, most notably deputy chief of staff to the state superintendent of education.

Kristin received her bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut, where she double-majored in politics and communications, and she earned a master’s in public administration from American University in Washington, DC.

Twitter@KristinYochum

Former West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise is president of the Alliance for Excellent Education (the Alliance), a nonprofit organization that has become a national leader for reforming the nation’s high schools so that all students graduate from high school prepared to succeed in college and a career. Led by Gov. Wise since 2005, the Alliance has become a respected advocate for the Common Core State Standards, deeper learning, digital learning, adolescent literacy, and other key education policy issues.

After serving a combined twenty-four years as governor, member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and state legislator, Gov. Wise has become a sought-after speaker and advisor on education issues as well as an advisor to the U.S. Department of Education, White House, and key policymakers in the U.S. Congress. In 2011, Gov. Wise was named to the NonProfit Times’s “Power & Influence Top 50,” an annual listing of the fifty most influential executives in the nonprofit sector.

Gov. Wise earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and a juris doctorate degree from Tulane University School of Law. He has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He and his wife Sandy live in Washington, DC, and have two grown children.

Twitter@bobwise48

Twitter@all4ed

Monica’s career spans two decades of 3-dimensional consumer marketing that has allowed hundreds of clients to create strong brand connections with key demographics. For the last 15 years she has focused on consumer technology and is passionate about creating tech savvy communities – empowering families to make good decisions about their use of technology. Monica was previously PTA President at her daughter’s elementary school and is an active advocate of parents embracing technology by understanding both its benefits and risks. Twitter@theonlinemom

Dan Tynan has been writing about technology since Mark Zuckerberg was in diapers. A former Contributing Editor for Family Circle magazine, Tynan's work has appeared in more than 75 publications, including Parade, Popular Science, Consumers Digest, Men's Health, and Playboy.com.

He maintains that he is not really a geek, despite what his wife and children may tell you.

Dr. Nicol Turner Lee writes at the intersection of technology, race, and social justice. She is a senior fellow and director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution, and the founder of the AI Equity Lab. A tech policy expert and storyteller, her work has appeared in the Washington Post and New York Times, and on NBC, CNBC, NPR, and the PBS NewsHour. She has served as an adviser on technology policy issues for government agencies, including the National Academies of Sciences and the Federal Communications Commission. She received a PhD from Northwestern University, and resides in Alexandria, Virginia.

Jim Tobias has more than thirty-five years experience in accessible and usable technology in both public and private sectors. He has focused on how technologies are designed and used in education, employment, communication, transportation, commerce, and civic participation, for seniors and people with disabilities.

With a Master’s Degree in Industrial Design, he began his career at Berkeley’s Center for Independent Living, then led initiatives at Bell Labs and Bellcore on enhanced usability and accessibility. Inclusive Technologies is his technology analysis consulting firm specializing in accessible information and communication technologies. Clients have included AOL, the California Secretary of State’s Office, the California State University system, Cisco Systems, HP, IBM, Microsoft, National Science Foundation, Panasonic, Qualcomm, and Verizon. He works on the Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure project in several capacities, and leads the communications team for Raising the Floor, an international consortium on advanced usability. He is the Technical Director of the US Department of Labor’s Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology.

He has served on several advisory committees, including co-Chairing the Access Board’s committee on updating accessibility requirements in Sections 255 and 508. Jim co-directed the accessibility element of California’s review of voting technologies in 2007-2008, and led the user testing component.

His favorite projects have been: an innovative telecommunications relay service with integrated speech technologies, a network-based talking productivity toolkit, and “AT Boogie”, an award-winning music video about assistive technology.

Twitter@inclutech

Twitter@RaisingTheFloor

ANTONIO TIJERINO is president and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, a national nonprofit focused on education, workforce, social impact, and culture through innovative leadership.  HHF is acknowledged as a creative, agile, impact-focused org which has been recognized by The White House, US Congress, Fortune 500 companies, other nonprofits, and the Government of Mexico presented Tijerino with the Ohtli Award,the highest honor outside of Mexico. Tijerino also serves as executive producer of the Hispanic Heritage Awards at the Kennedy Center broadcast on PBS Stations.  

Tijerino has made tech one of HHF’s priorities through programs such as Code as a Second Language (CSL) which has introduced and taught up to 100,000 underrepresented youths to coding, built a sustainable pipeline of Latinx tech talent developed through their education and into careers and in leadership. On the policy side, through his TechEdquity effort, Tijerino been a has a strong advocate of addressing the inequity in access to tech in education and the workforce which earned him the MMTC’s Digital Hero Award.  Tijerino also co-founded the LOFT (Latinos On Fast Track) Leadership Institute which provides leadership training for 300 graduating high school seniors across 10 different sectors inlcuding Tech, Public Policy, Social Justice, Healthcare, among others.

Prior to HHF, Tijerino was an executive at Fannie Mae Foundation, Nike, Burson Marsteller, and Cohn & Wolfe which provide a comms lense to the orgs’ process.  

Tijerino is an influencer on LinkedIn and is a spokesperson on important issues of education, immigration, equity, access to tech and broadband, Latinx, and youth leadership, among others.  

serves on various national and local boards and has been honored with various awards for his impact during his 20 years heading HHF.  He graduated from the University of Maryland and was honored with a Doctorate of Humane Letters from The Chicago School.  Tijerino is also a Salinas Fellow at the Aspen Institute.

Associate Professor Amanda Third (PhD) is Principal Research Fellow in Digital Social and Cultural Research in the Institute for Culture and Society at the University of Western Sydney, Australia and Research Program Leader for the Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre. Prof. Third’s research focuses on the socio-cultural dimensions of young people’s technology use, with particular emphases on the intergenerational dynamics shaping technology practice, and vulnerable young people’s technological engagements. SInce 2010, Prof.

Third has led Research Program 2: ‘Connected and Creative’, of the Young and Well CRC (youngandwellcrc.org.au).

The Young and Well CRC unites young people with researchers, practitioners, innovators and policy-makers from over 75 partner organisations across the not-for-profit, academic, government and corporate sectors to explore the role of technology in young people’s lives, and how technology can be used to improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people aged 12 to 25. The research program Prof. Third leads investigates how to better connect vulnerable young people with their communities by enhancing and leveraging their technology practices and their creative engagements. She is also Chief Investigator on an Australian Research Council Industry Linkage project entitled “Young People, Technology and Wellbeing Research Facility” that examines cross-sector knowledge brokering practices. She has been a member of the Australian-based ‘Technology and Wellbeing Cross-Sector Roundtable’ since 2008 and, in 2009, she was awarded the Murdoch University Medal for Early Career Research Achievement.

Twitter@ics_uws

Adam Thierer is a technology policy analyst who specializes in innovation, entrepreneurialism, and internet and free-speech issues, with a focus on the public policy concerns surrounding emerging technologies. Thierer has authored or edited ten books, and served on multiple online safety task forces, including the Online Safety and Technology Working Group during the Obama administration. He is currently serving as a Commissioner on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce "Commission on Artificial Intelligence Competitiveness, Inclusion, and Innovation." He previously worked as a fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, the Cato Institute, and the Heritage Foundation.

Catherine Teitelbaum is the Head of Family Trust for Amazon Kids, where she directs initiatives that empower families to confidently navigate the digital world. Catherine is a former educator and industry veteran with over two  decades of experience in Trust & Safety and privacy. She previously led Trust & Safety at Twitch, Amazon’s live-streaming service, and Yahoo, where she oversaw the award-winning Yahooligans and Yahoo! Education products as well as global policy initiatives.

Jane Tallim is Co-Executive Director of MediaSmarts, Canada’s centre for digital and media literacy. A former secondary teacher and internationally recognized expert in issues relating to media and youth, Jane has been involved in MediaSmarts’ ongoing research on Young Canadians in a Wired World since 2000 and has developed award-winning resources to help young people become thoughtful and engaged media consumers.

Jane is passionate about ensuring that today’s youth have the skills they need to live, learn and thrive in a digital world. A strong advocate for child and youth mental health, Jane has mentored a youth-based network for de-stigmatizing mental illness, sits on the Executive Team for PREVNet, Canada’s authority on research and resources for bullying prevention, and Chairs the board of directors for an Ottawa-based eating disorder support centre.

Twitter@mediasmarts

Elliot leads the discovery and development of innovative technology solutions. He’s an expert and leader in the application of lean-startup and agile methodologies to build meaningful products.

Prior to working at AOL, Elliot was the Acting VP of Technology at the Alexandria-based technology start up Curb (formerly Taxi Magic). He is a speaker and attendee at local meet-ups and conferences. Elliot earned his B.S. in Industrial Engineering (honors) at Pennsylvania State University. He is also ordained as an Interfaith Minister.

Scott Surovell was elected as the State Delegate for the 44th District in November 2009 and was sworn in on January 6, 2010. He current serves on the Science and Technology Committee, the Counties, Cities, and Towns Committee, and the Militia, Police & Public Safety Committee.

In 2013, Scott was appointed by the Minority Leader to be the Political Director & Campaign Chairman for the House Democratic Caucus.

In 2014, Scott was appointed by the Speaker of the House to the Broadband Advisory Council.

Twitter@ssurovell

Tim Sparapani, Principal at SPQR Strategies, PLLC, is a legislative, legal and strategic consultant who helps companies understand and respond to the pressures created for businesses, consumers and governments by emerging technologies. Tim’s specialties are privacy, cybersecurity, technology and constitutional law. Tim’s clients are a diverse mix of industry leading companies, dynamic technology startups, and thought leading advocacy organizations.

Tim is a frequent public speaker on topics related to emerging technologies. He has testified before Congress five times and given more than 500 TV, radio and print interviews. Tim writes frequently for Forbes and other publications on these topics.

Tim’s SPQR Strategies clients have asked him to undertake important, ongoing responsibilities. For example, Tim served for 3 years as the Vice President, Policy, Law & Government Affairs for the Application Developers Alliance, a trade association serving more than 30,000 application “app” developers and 200 member companies. Tim has also served as General Counsel for several app company and tech startups. He advises other start-up tech companies on a range of policy matters including cybersecurity, patent reform, online safety and security.

Tim was the first Director of Public Policy at Facebook. Tim was responsible for developing and implementing the company’s interaction with the federal, state, local and foreign governments and with opinion and policy makers. He managed these roles as the company grew from 150 million to more than 900 million active users and from 350 employees to more than 3,000. Prior to joining Facebook, Tim was Senior Legislative Counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, where he helped advance the constitutional principle of the right to privacy, representing the ACLU before Congress, the Executive Branch and the media. For the more than four years preceding his time at the ACLU, Tim served as an associate at the law firm of Dickstein Shapiro where he helped clients navigate interconnecting constitutional, statutory, political and policy challenges. Tim holds a bachelor’s degree with honors from Georgetown University and a J.D. from the law school at the University of Michigan.

Clara Sommarin – a Swedish national - works as a Child Protection Specialist at UNICEF Headquarters in New York, where she is responsible for providing technical support and guidance to UNICEF field offices and partners on effective programmes to address violence, sexual abuse and exploitation, including child online protection/protection in relation to ICTs.

Clara has over 15 years of experience within the field of child rights and protection. Prior to joining UNICEF Headquarters in 2009, she worked in the Child Protection Section at the UNICEF Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Panama from 2001-2008. Before joining UNICEF, Clara worked at Save the Children Sweden where she coordinated child rights projects and supported NGO reporting to the Committee on the Rights of the Child. She holds degrees in Humanitarian Assistance and Political Science, with specialization in international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

Dresden is a digital content creator for AboutOne, a Philadelphia tech startup, and a writer for the Disney owned Babble.com. Her posts specialize in entertainment, pop culture and parenting. She started her first blog in the late 90's to document life in Hollywood on set as a director's assistant. She later established CreatingMotherhood.com as a place to chronicle her journey to motherhood as a single woman. Nine years later the site is still going strong with essays on parenting and health as well as campaigns for social good.

Dresden's story as a single parent has been featured on Oprah, Self Magazine, and Parenting Magazine. Posts from CreatingMotherhood have been syndicated on Huffington Post, The Good Men Project, and BlogHer. She has been selected as a BlogHer Voice of the Year twice.

Just after finishing high school, Max spotted an ad for Cyber-Seniors and was intrigued. Having a keen interest and skill for technology Max, decided to get involved and became one of the lead Mentors in the program.

While in high school, Max developed a concept for a reversible shoe called ‘MaxReverse’. He was invited to pitch his idea on ‘Dragon’s Den’ (the Canadian version of Shark’s Tank’), where he was given the green light to proceed to the next step. Since then, Max has created several prototypes of his shoe and is currently working with an entrepreneur in Barceloma, Spain to get the ‘MaxReverse’ into production.

He works as an assistant painter and co-administrator for a company he and his Dad created called ‘Decorating with a Difference’ . His job responsibilities include building the company’s website and developing and executing a marketing and advertisement plan.

In his spare time Max is also working on a new app that will help organize and run our digital lives called ‘Innerspace’.

DJ Saul is the CMO & Managing Director of ISL (recently named an AdAge 2014 Small Agency of The Year). One of the company’s first employees, DJ is now responsible for ISL’s marketing, DC operations, partnerships and business development as well as the company’s ongoing R&D and constant experimentation.

DJ advises companies and early stage ventures on everything from digital to experiential marketing strategy, to branding and partnership development, and has been described as “an invaluable pillar of support for the region’s aspiring entrepreneurs.” In short, he brands, markets, and creates experiences that launch companies, sell products, and connects people and organizations with what they need to succeed.

He also speaks and writes regularly on building meaningful relationships, brand strategy, emerging tech and marketing trends, and entrepreneurship. He teaches much more about marketing strategy in his courses on Brand Positioning & Product/Company Naming.

Kim Sanchez is an online trust and safety advocate with a passion for helping families understand the benefits of technology. With more than 20 years’ experience in the technology industry, she has focused on leading global strategic marketing, communications and public affairs projects.

Most recently Sanchez was director of online safety and accessibility at Microsoft Corporation, where she led educational campaigns to help consumers and public officials understand their role in creating a safer, more trusted Internet.

Sanchez is the former chairman of the board for the Family Online Safety Institute, and is a regular speaker at international online safety conferences. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Washington.

Bence Ságvári is a research fellow at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre for Social Research and at International Business School (IBS) Budapest, Hungary. Currently he is a visiting professor at the Indiana University Bloomington where he teaches sociology. He is the national coordinator for EU Kids Online and European Social Survey (ESS) in Hungary.

EU Kids Online is a European research project on cultural, contextual and risk issues in children’s safe use of the Internet and new media. The project has generated a substantial body of new data derived from various research methodologies.

Bence has more than 10 years of research experience in both quantitative and qualitative research. His primary interests are technology, children and young people, how digital technologies shape people’s behavior and attitudes.

Bence has a PhD in Sociology from ELTE University, Budapest, Hungary.

Terrell McSweeny was sworn in as a Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission on April 28, 2014, to a term that expires on September 25, 2017.

Prior to joining the Commission, McSweeny served as Chief Counsel for Competition Policy and Intergovernmental Relations for the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division. She joined the Antitrust Division after serving as Deputy Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President from January 2009 until February 2012, advising President Obama and Vice President Biden on policy in a variety of areas, including health care, innovation, intellectual property, energy, education, women’s rights, criminal justice and domestic violence.

McSweeny’s government service also includes her work as Senator Joe Biden’s Deputy Chief of Staff and Policy Director in the U.S. Senate, where she managed domestic and economic policy development and legislative initiatives, and as Counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where she worked on issues such as criminal justice, innovation, women's rights, domestic violence, judicial nominations and immigration and civil rights. She also worked as an attorney at O'Melveny & Myers LLP.

McSweeny is a graduate of Harvard University and Georgetown University Law School.

@TMcSweenyFTC
@FTC

Saul specializes in utilizing high-tech, evidence based treatments such as biofeedback and neurofeedback, as well as treating problematic technology overuse and helping families implement developmentally appropriate digital usage plans.

He works in private practice, health care and academic settings, and served as Training Director for Behavioral Medicine at the Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate. He lectures internationally on treating chronic anxiety and medical conditions, and the use of technologies such as Virtual Reality for combat-related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Saul co-authored several patents (two pending) focused on managing problematic technology overuse and supporting online safety. He is licensed to practice in Massachusetts and also Registered and Chartered in the United Kingdom.

Jeffrey Rosen is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Constitution Center, the only institution in America chartered by Congress “to disseminate information about the United States Constitution on a non-partisan basis.” Housed in a Pei-Cobb building across from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, the Center engages millions of citizens as an interactive museum, national town hall, and headquarters for civic education.

Rosen is also a professor at The George Washington University Law School and the legal affairs editor of The New Republic. He is a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, where he explores issues involving the future of technology and the Constitution. He has recorded a lecture series for the Teaching Company’s Great Courses on Privacy, Property, and Free Speech: Law and the Constitution in the 21st Century. Since 2000, he has served as a moderator at The Aspen Institute, where he conducts seminars and panels on technology and the Constitution, privacy, and free speech and democracy.

He is a highly regarded journalist whose essays and commentaries have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, on National Public Radio, and in The New Yorker, where he has been a staff writer. The Chicago Tribune named him one of the 10 best magazine journalists in America and a reviewer for the Los Angeles Times called him "the nation's most widely read and influential legal commentator.” He received the 2012 Golden Pen Award from the Legal Writing Institute for his “extraordinary contribution to the cause of better legal writing.”

Rosen is the author of several books including The Supreme Court: The Personalities and Rivalries that Defined America; The Most Democratic Branch: How the Courts Serve America; The Naked Crowd: Reclaiming Security and Freedom in an Anxious Age; and The Unwanted Gaze: The Destruction of Privacy in America. His most recent book, as co-editor, is Constitution 3.0: Freedom and Technological Change. Books about Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis and President William Howard Taft are forthcoming.

Rosen is a graduate of Harvard College; Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar; and Yale Law School.

Twitter@RosenJeffrey

Dr. Rich is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics, at Harvard Medical and practices Adolescent Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Rich is also the Founding Director of the first evidence-based medical program addressing physical, mental, and social health issues associated with digital technology, the Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders​ (CIMAID). As The Mediatrician®, Dr. Rich offers research-based, balanced, and practical answers to parents’, teachers’, and clinicians’ questions about children’s media use and the positive and negative implications for their health and development. Understanding the power of screens to engage, connect, and change us all, he is bringing together pediatricians and software engineers, educators and designers, psychologists, and screenwriters in the Digital Wellness Lab to synergize in researching, responding to, and innovating a digital environment in which we can raise healthy, smart, productive, and kind children.

Dr. Rich came to medicine after a 12-year career as a filmmaker, including apprenticing to Akira Kurosawa as assistant director on Kagemusha. His experience and expertise in medicine and media synergize in his health research and clinical work. Dr. Rich earned his B.A. in English and Film from Pomona College, his M.D. from Harvard Medical School, and his M.P.H. from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Among his many awards are the Society for Adolescent Health and Media (SAHM) New Investigator Award (1978) and the Iris Litt Visiting Professorship in Adolescent Health Research (2017) and the American Academy of Pediatrics Holroyd-Sherry (2005) and Adele Dellenbaugh Hoffman (2017) Awards. See here for recent press

Longer bio and CV can be found here: https://digitalwellnesslab.org/team/michael-rich/​​

Erin Reilly is Creative Director & Research Fellow for Annenberg Innovation Lab at USC's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and Executive Director of Blackstone LaunchPad @USC. In her role, she oversees all aspects of lab programming, product design and mentoring students in developing applications and business ideas using digital media and how it impacts society. Her research focuses on new media literacies, transmedia play and learning, social entrepreneurialism, audience engagement and the future of media and entertainment.

Having received multiple awards, such as Cable in a Classroom’s Leaders in Learning, Erin is a recognized expert in the development of processes and resources for educators and students and conducts field research to collect data and help shape the field of digital media and learning. Erin has successfully designed and implemented the Annenberg Innovation Lab’s CRUNCH Student Design Challenge. This incubator supports student teams to learn new skills, meet industry leaders, and learn about what it takes to design new products, and in the past four years, two of the winning teams have gone on to accelerators and launch their startups. Erin has also developed the lab’s Think & Do ideation session to engage the wider community in re-envisioning the media and entertainment industry. This ideation process was a finalist in the MIX prize awarded through Harvard Business Review and McKinsey.

Reilly is a graduate of Emerson College and has her Master of Fine Arts degree from Maine Media Workshops + College. She is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the Vice President board member of NAMLE (National Association for Media Literacy Educators) and serves on advisory boards, such as PBS Emmy-award winning Sci Girls and National Assessment of Educational Progress where she is helping to develop the first technology and engineering literacy assessment. Erin consults with private and public companies in the areas of mobile, creative strategy and transmedia projects.

Kathy has responsibility for the development and implementation of AT&T’s strategic international, federal and state public policy initiatives for Privacy Policy and Online Safety. Kathy focuses on privacy policy for consumers across AT&T lines of business including wireless, Internet, and video services. Kathy has participated on panels for various industry groups including the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), and the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). She has worked extensively on issues concerning children such as Cyberbullying, Sexting, Distracted Driving and the FTC’s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

Ms. Poplin has over thirty-five years of telecommunications experience. Prior to joining AT&T, Ms. Poplin served in various leadership roles within Southern Bell, South Central Bell, BellSouth Telecommunications and Cingular Wireless. Ms. Poplin received her B.A. from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

Gene Policinski is chief operating officer of the Newseum Institute, which includes the Religious Freedom Center, the First Amendment Center, and NewseumED.

One of the founding editors of USA Today, he oversees all programs of the Newseum Institute and also is a longtime proponent of diversity in journalism as an essential element of a free press. A veteran multimedia journalist, he also writes, lectures and is interviewed regularly on First Amendment issues. In 1996, he began working at the Freedom Forum, the foundation that is the principal founder of the Newseum and Newseum Institute. He hosts a variety of online audio and video programs produced by the Newseum Institute, including the “Journalism/Works” podcast, and is co-author of the bi-monthly, nationally distributed commentary “Inside the First Amendment.”

Joi Podgorny is the head of Metaverse Mod Squad’s professional services department, which provides blue chip brands with managed teams of Mods to engage online audiences via moderation, customer service and social media. An expert in digital engagement and a long-time champion for online privacy and safety, she also leads the company’s consulting efforts around online chat and help desk toolset implementations.

She has spent the last 15 years working in all facets of the digital world, from development and production to more recently, overseeing international support, moderation and community teams. Her initiatives have included work for National Geographic Animal Jam, Moshi Monsters, Chuggington, Highlights for Children and many others. She holds degrees in mathematics and women’s studies from Arizona State University and a master’s degree in social science from the University of Chicago.

David Pierce has been with the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) in Washington, DC since November 1990. Currently serving as Vice President, Public Affairs, his primary responsibilities include creating, implementing and coordinating industry-wide public affairs efforts, communications strategies and messaging.

Previously at NCTA he served as Director, Research and Policy Analysis where he directed quantitative and qualitative research projects relating to the cable television industry and its public policy efforts.

In addition to his current position, Mr. Pierce also serves as Executive Director of the Cable Hope Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity established by the cable industry after Hurricane Katrina to aid relief and rebuilding efforts in the wake of natural disasters.

Before joining the NCTA, Mr. Pierce was with National Economic Research Associates (NERA), a consulting firm specializing in microeconomic analysis, in their New York, NY and Washington, DC offices. While at NERA, he provided economic analysis and expert testimony for use in antitrust litigation and worked extensively on issues surrounding competition and privatization in the telecommunications sector domestically and abroad. Mr. Pierce also served in the office of the Director-General at the International Telecommunications and Satellite Organization (INTELSAT).

Mr. Pierce holds a B.A. in Economics and an M.A. in Public Policy.

Michael Phillips is the Director of Technology Strategy Integration at AARP and is dedicated to supporting AARP’s important social mission through technology. Michael has led internal and external technology initiatives at AARP for over 15 years, including technology industry partnerships, community programs, IT strategy, and championing innovation. Prior to AARP, Michael managed large-scale telephony projects for France Telecom and SATO Travel. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Auburn University and Change Leadership Certification from Cornell University. He is passionate about empowering adults with emerging technology such as virtual reality, digital health tools and education programs so everyone can take full advantage of these amazing times and advocating for all generations within the technology industry.

Lynette Owens is the Founder and Global Director of Trend Micro’s Internet Safety for Kids and Families program with the mission of helping kids around the world become great digital citizens. Founded in 2008, the program has now reached over 2.5 million students, parents and teachers in 20 countries.

With over 25 years of experience in the technology industry, Lynette regularly speaks, blogs and works with communities and school districts around the world. She has helped build a global force of hundreds of employee volunteers and a network of collaborations with NGOs, technology companies, schools, government and law enforcement organizations to make online safety, digital citizenship, and media literacy education a priority for every child.

Lynette holds a B.S. from Boston College and an M.B.A from the University of California at Berkeley. She is a board member of the National Association of Media Literacy Education, and serves on the advisory boards of INHOPE and U.S. Safer Internet Day. She is a mother of two, wife of one, tireless pro-youth, pro-tech advocate and believer that the impact of technology on society is completely in our hands.

Twitter: @lynettetowens

Web: internetsafety.trendmicro.com

Ryan Orbuch is the Founder of Basil Ltd. as well as Co-Creator and Lead Designer of the best-selling application Finish for iPhone, which received an Apple Design Award in 2013. The award recognizes apps that raise the bar in design, technology and innovation.

Inspired by the rampant stress and procrastination during his sophomore year finals week, Ryan designed Finish as a unique and streamlined task manager. Known as "the to-do list for procrastinators," Finish prioritizes tasks based on short, mid and long-term timeframes. Finish has been covered on TechCrunch, Forbes, CNET, The Huffington Post, and more. Additionally, Ryan has been featured nationally on Bloomberg TV and Fox News as an expert on teens and technology.

Ryan was the first high school student hired at Techstars Boulder, one of the world's top startup accelerators. Techstars provides to selected startups seed funding and intensive mentorship from accomplished entrepreneurs.

Ryan is also deeply passionate about education reform. Within that vast landscape, Ryan is particularly interested in designing technology and leveraging network effects to enable human behavior to hit unprecedented scale. While Finish is an initial project to understand how to influence teenage motivation via software mechanics, Ryan is actively investigating how student inspiration and motivation can be harnessed and directly enhanced in ways never before possible.

Twitter@orbuch

Nuala O’Connor is president and CEO of the Center for Democracy & Technology, a global nonprofit committed to the advancement of digital human rights and civil liberties, including privacy, freedom of expression, and human agency. O’Connor has served in a number of presidentially appointed positions, including as the first statutorily mandated chief privacy officer in U.S. federal government when she served at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. O’Connor has held senior corporate leadership positions on privacy, data, and customer trust at Amazon, General Electric, and DoubleClick. She has practiced at several global law firms including Sidley Austin and Venable. She is an advocate for the use of data and internet-enabled technologies to improve equity and amplify marginalized voices.

January 1st, 2024, Rebecca Newton retired after a 30 years professional career in the Online Child Safety industry. Her career began at AOL in 1994, building communities and managing a massive volunteer program. Among her professional stops, Rebecca found a focus in child safety, leading such efforts for Sulake (the company behind Habbo Hotels and Disney’s Virtual Magic Kingdom), Mind Candy (Moshi Monsters), and most recently SuperAwesome, a provider of tools for safer, responsible digital engagement with young people, who was acquired by Epic Games.

A program manager for community in 1997, a community director in 2001, a chief community and safety officer in 2007: Rebecca has held all of the titles. Along the way, she has paved a path for the online community and safety profession, pushing us higher in corporate environments and creating valuable resources. During the past 30 years, Rebecca has worked with the FTC, Parliament (UK), UKCCIS (7 years), NSPCC task forces, and serves on several boards including PrivacyCheq, PCANC (Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina) and most recently as Parent Advisor to The Parents' Network (Archewell Foundation).

After obtaining his Computer Systems Engineering degree from Tecnologico de Monterrey, Alejandro Nagy completed his master and doctorate in psychoanalysis at the Institute of the Psychoanalytical Society of Mexico (SPM) where he also serves as training analyst and professor. He is an international certified psychoanalyst and has specialized in online clinical therapy. He has held various positions at the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA) currently being the Chair of the Social Media Task Force. Former member of the Executive Board of the Federation of Psychoanalytic Societies of Latin America (FEPAL) and professor of the Public Image Consultants School at Mexico.

As the Director of the Youth Helpline at Alianza por la Seguridad en Internet (ASI), Alejandro has given conferences at mayor events in Mexico fostering a culture of online safety, prevention, detection and treatment of youths and adults who have developed pathological use of Internet such as cyber bullying, compulsive online video gaming and gambling, virtual exhibitionism, among others. He is an active explorer and promoter for the research of the psychological impact of the information and communication technologies on human behavior, cognition and emotions using the psychoanalytical perspective.

As a senior policy counsel for the Open Technology Institute at New America Foundation, Sarah Morris leads the policy team's strategic efforts on issues related broadband access and adoption, online consumer protections, and preserving the open Internet.

Her work on network neutrality has been widely quoted in a number of national publications, and she has appeared as an expert on radio and television outlets. She is a regular contributor for The Hill, and frequently writes for a variety of other national outlets.

Prior to joining New America Foundation, Ms. Morris was a Google Policy Fellow with the public interest law firm Media Access Project, where she assisted with research and drafting of FCC comments on a wide range of key communications issues. She earned a B.A. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a J.D. and LL.M. in Space, Cyber and Telecommunications Law from Nebraska Law, completing her thesis on privacy and security concerns related to Smart Grid technology. She currently serves on the Alumni Council for the LL.M. program.

As Global Policy Director Emma brings a global perspective and expertise to the broad spectrum of Internet privacy and safety issues. With particular focus on the United States, Europe, Oceania and parts of the Middle East she is able to interpret domestic actions and place them in an international context.

Emma is a qualified barrister in England & Wales and has been admitted to the New York Bar. She graduated from Norwich Law School in 2007 with a degree in Law with French Law & Language, as well as obtaining a diplôme Universitaire d'études juridiques françaises from the Université de Strasbourg. Emma completed the Bar Vocational Course at BPP Law school in 2008 before passing the New York bar in 2009. She has considerable experience gained from working for a large international law firm as well as from legal internships in both England and the United States.

As the Assistant Director of Content for PBS KIDS Digital, Aaron constructs and manages the innovative content strategy for PBS KIDS, including overseeing the development of several PBS KIDS’ digital experiences from ideation to launch.

A graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Aaron holds an Ed.M. in Technology, Innovation and Education. Aaron joined PBS in 2012 and works with the PBS KIDS digital team, where he manages the development of a variety of award-winning websites, games, apps and digital storybooks. Prior to joining PBS, Aaron worked as a Research Assistant at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, MA, focusing on computational literacy, agency, and structure, through the lens of Scratch; a visual programming language designed for children ages 8-14.

Simon is a chartered psychologist who specializes in digital, online and game behaviour. He is an academic (having lectured in London, UK, for the past 20 years) is an associate of Anglia Ruskin College, Cambridge and partner of the psychological insight consultancy Innovationbubble.eu.

Simon has researched online and gaming behaviour and has advised and worked with, amongst others, the London Science Museum, The Wellcome Trust, UKIE, and the British Government. Simon is particularly interested in family dynamics, emotions, personality and cognitive development in terms of internet and gaming engagement. He regularly speaks at conferences, designs and manages research projects and runs insight workshop relating to his specialist knowledge.

Erin McNeill is founder and president of Media Literacy Now, a national grassroots organization seeking state-by-state policy change to ensure that all children learn comprehensive media literacy skills.

The effort began with a bill in Massachusetts that would prioritize media literacy in education. Since then the movement has expanded to two more states where legislation is currently moving – New York and New Jersey – and partnerships and chapters announced in four additional states as the initiative moves south and west across the country.

Erin worked as a journalist in San Francisco and in Washington DC - where she covered economic and environmental policy - and writes frequently about the influences of media messages on children and our society.

Twitter@erinmcnll

Twitter@MediaLitNow

Larry Magid, EdD,  is CEO of ConnectSafely.org and a veteran technology journalist. He writes a weekly column for the San Jose Mercury News and is the host of the twice-weekly ConnectSafely Report for CBS News Radio and a frequent quest on national and local TV and radio programs in the US and UK.  He served for 20 years as the on-air technology analyst for CBS News and host of the popular CBS show, Eye on Tech

He’s been a contributor to the New York Times and was, for 20 years, a syndicated columnist for the Los Angeles Times with columns appearing in the Washington Post and numerous other papers around the world and has appeared on Good Morning America, the Today Show and CBS This Morning.

He has written several books including the best-selling Little PC Book and Larry Magid’s Guide to the New Digital Highways and has written or co-written numerous online safety guides.

Larry served on the Obama Administration’s Online Technology Working Group and the Harvard Law School Berkman Center’s Internet Safety Technology Task Force and the board of directors of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and advisory boards of PBS Kids, Internet Congressional Caucus and Family Online Safety Institute as well as safety advisory councils for Meta, Google, Snapchat, Twitter, Comcast and Roblox. He has a doctor of education degree from the University of Massachusetts and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley.

Mark MacCarthy, Vice President, Public Policy at SIIA, directs SIIA’s public policy initiatives in the areas of intellectual property enforcement, information privacy, cybersecurity, cloud computing and the promotion of educational technology.

Twitter@SIIAEducation

Twitter@Mark_MacCarthy

Michael Kaiser joined the National Cyber Security Alliance in 2008. As NCSA’s chief executive, Mr. Kaiser engages diverse constituencies—business, government, other non-profit organizations—in NCSA’s broad public education and outreach efforts to strengthen the nation’s cyber infrastructure, including leadership of NCSA’s premier outreach and awareness campaign, National Cyber Security Awareness Month. NCSA builds efforts through public private partnerships that address cyber security issues for home users (parents and children), K-12 and higher education, and small business. Mr. Kaiser serves on the Department of Commerce, NTIA Online Safety Technology Working Group and was named one of SC Magazine’s information security luminaries of 2009.

Prior to joining NCSA, Mr. Kaiser spent 25 years in the field of victim’s services and rights at holding senior staff positions at the National Center for Victims of Crime in Washington, D.C. and Safe Horizon in New York City.

Mr. Kaiser has developed training and other programs on the use of technology in crimes such as stalking and identity theft, and worked on programs exploring the use of technology to improve community policing. Along with his wife Laura Fisher Kaiser, he co-authored The Official eBay Guide to Buying, Selling, and Collecting Just About Anything (Simon and Shuster, 1999). He was one of a small group of eBay University instructors and has personally trained more than 8,000 eBay users on expanding their eBay businesses.

Mr. Kaiser has served on several non-profit Boards. He is currently the Chair and a founding Board Member of SPINUSA a national non-profit based in Massachusetts, and has served on the Board of Trustees of the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, and New Destiny Housing Corporation in New York City.

Rey Junco is an associate professor of education and human computer interaction at Iowa State University and a faculty associate at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. Rey applies quantitative methods to analyze the effects of social media on youth psychosocial development, engagement, and learning. His research has focused on discerning better practices for using social technologies to enhance learning outcomes.

Rey has found that technology, specifically social media like Facebook and Twitter, can be used in ways that improve engagement and academic performance. Rey is also interested in examining how social media affect interpersonal relationships, identity development, online discourse, and digital inequalities, and how the use of digital media promotes formal and informal learning.

As part of his ongoing research program, Rey is investigating the ability to use trace data (seemingly irrelevant data collected through natural uses of technology) to provide real-time and unobtrusive prediction of student outcomes. He has recently written about how Minecraft can be used for educational purposes and to support girls' interest in STEM careers. Rey is the author of three books, with the latest Engaging Students Through Social Media: Evidence-Based Practices for Use in Student Affairs focusing on translating interdisciplinary research findings to effective educational practices.

Twitter@reyjunco

Dr. Abigail Judge is a clinical and child forensic psychologist who specializes in psychotherapy with adolescents and the evaluation of children and families involved in the legal system. Dr. Judge is a consultant at the Law & Psychiatry Service at the Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School. She maintains a private practice in Cambridge, MA.

Dr. Judge has published on the clinical and legal implications of “sexting” and the role of mobile communication technologies in child sexual exploitation. She co-edited the book, Adolescent Sexual Behavior in the Digital Age: Considerations for Clinicians, Legal Professionals and Educators, published by Oxford University Press in 2014. Dr. Judge presents and consults widely to a range of professional audiences about a developmental approach to social media use among adolescents. Dr. Judge blogs about social media and adolescents for Psychology Today and may be contacted online at www.abigailjudge.com.

Alex is Deputy CEO at non-profit The Diana Award, which is a legacy to Princess Diana’s belief that young people have the power to change the world, recognising global changemakers and giving them the skills to further their social action. And a Director at BBC Children In Need focusing on their 'We Move' a fund & eventual movement empowering black children and young people.

He is founder of peer-to-peer support programme Anti-Bullying Ambassadors, a network of trained young people dedicated to preventing peer on peer violence and all types of bullying particularly in schools. This is a programme Alex founded when aged 16, after experiencing bullying himself and witnessing the impact this can have on young minds and their mental health. The programme has trained over 45,000 young people across UK, Ireland, Greece, Miami (United States) empowering young people to keep themselves and their peers safe and happy, online and offline, a programme which is in 5,000 schools.

Alex also sits on the global safety advisory boards of several of the major social media companies (Spotify, Meta, TikTok, Twitch, Yubo, Snapchat) advising them on their approach to safety and online harms. He is also a member of Kokoro's advisory board, which runs the 'Future Mental Health Collective', a global network of 90+ funders who include mental health in their investments or philanthropic giving. He’s a regular expert on ITV This Morning, CBBC Newsround and a trusted government advisor.

Before his work at charities, he worked in education for 7 years in various roles from a teaching assistant, learning mentor to Head of House/Year focusing on pastoral, behavioural and social and emotional needs, breaking down barriers to learning.

Alex is a Queen’s Young Leader, Forbes 30 Under 30, a recipient of The Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award and sits on The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Advisory Board, helping spearhead their Sustainable Development Goals ‘Goalkeeper programme.

Alex was named on the Independent on Sunday's Happy List as one of the ‘100 people who make Britain a happier place to live’ and has a keen interest on barriers to children’s happiness and wellbeing.  

Dr. Devorah Heitner is the founder and director of Raising Digital Natives, a resource for parents and schools seeking advice on how help children thrive in a world of digital connectedness. Devorah's TEDx focuses on raising thoughtful kids in the digital age.

An experienced speaker, workshop leader, and consultant, Dr. Heitner serves as a professional development resource for schools wishing to cultivate a culture of responsible digital citizenship and parent engagement. She works directly with parents and families, and is currently writing a handbook for parents, titled, "Raising Your Digital Native." Dr. Heitner has a Ph.D. in Media/Technology and Society from Northwestern University and has published and spoken in the field of media studies for the past ten years. She has worked with excellent public and independent K-12 schools across the United States and has taught at DePaul University, Street Level Youth Media, and Northwestern University. She is delighted to be raising her own digital native, too.

For more info, please see: www.raisingdigitalnatives.com.

Chris Heatherly is the head of Disney Interactive's mobile and social games business, as well as Disney Club Penguin, the #1 virtual world for kids. In this role, he oversees all operations, franchise and retail management for Club Penguin.

Heatherly previously served as general manager & vice president of Toys for Disney Consumer Products (DCP). In this role, he lead the North America toys and electronics line of business and oversaw product innovation and development, dove key lincensee and retailer relationships, and lead a team of marketers and product experts. He joined Disney in 2002 a vice president of Technology & Innovation for DCP. There he launched the company's consumer electronics business.

Jamie Hastings joined CTIA in 2011, and is responsible for advocating on policy issues for the U.S. wireless industry before all levels of state government, including public service commissions, state legislatures, governors and state attorneys general. She also engages numerous third-party organizations on a variety of topics and analyzes state legislation and regulatory proposals to ensure market-driven policies continue to reflect the ever-changing and innovative wireless industry.

Prior to joining CTIA, Hastings spent 11 years at T-Mobile USA, most recently as its vice president of state legislative affairs. She previously worked at Omnipoint Communications, Inc, where she was director and senior counsel in the legal and regulatory affairs department. She has also served as director of government relations and government operations for the County of Westchester.

Hastings graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor of arts in English. She earned a Juris Doctor from Union University Albany Law School and has a certificate from the JFK School of Government at Harvard University

Michael Harris is a contributing editor at Vancouver magazine and Western Living. His writing has been published by Salon, Huffington Post, The Globe & Mail, The National Post, and The Walrus, and has been nominated several times at the Western and National Magazine Awards. He lives with his partner, the artist Kenny Park, in Toronto, Canada.

About “The End of Absence”: Soon enough, nobody will remember life before the Internet. What does this unavoidable fact mean?

For future generations, it won’t mean anything very obvious. They will be so immersed in online life that questions about the Internet’s basic purpose or meaning will vanish.

But those of us who have lived both with and without the crowded connectivity of online life have a rare opportunity. We can still recognize the difference between Before and After. We catch ourselves idly reaching for our phones at the bus stop. Or we notice how, mid-conversation, a fumbling friend dives into the perfect recall of Google.

In The End of Absence, Michael Harris argues that amid all the changes we’re experiencing, the most interesting is the one that future generations will find hardest to grasp. That is the end of absence—the loss of lack. The daydreaming silences in our lives are filled; the burning solitudes are extinguished. There’s no true “free time” when you carry a smartphone. Today’s rarest commodity is the chance to be alone with your own thoughts.

To understand our predicament, and what we should do about it, Harris explores this “loss of lack” in chapters devoted to every corner of our lives, from sex and commerce to memory and attention span. His book is a kind of witness for the “straddle generation”—a burst of empathy for those of us who suspect that our technologies use us as much as we use them.

By placing our situation in a rich historical context, Harris helps us remember which parts of that earlier world we don’t want to lose forever. He urges us to look up—even briefly—from our screens. To remain awake to what came before. To again take pleasure in absence.

Jennifer Hanley is the Vice President of Legal and Policy for the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI). Jennifer directs FOSI’s government outreach and policy strategy. Jennifer helps FOSI build relationships with government officials as well as external partnerships and advises leading technology companies on best practices, policy developments, and emerging issues around online safety. Jennifer implements FOSI’s global projects and initiatives and manages the Washington, D.C. staff team. She also leads FOSI’s research work. Jennifer develops policy positions on Internet safety issues including online privacy, mobile safety, cyberbullying, sexting, controversial content, student data privacy, encouraging positive online content for kids, and federal and state legislation and regulations. Jennifer also represents FOSI on panels and in the press.

David A. Gross, former U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy at the U.S. Department of State, is chair of Wiley Rein’s International Telecommunications Practice. One of the world’s foremost experts on international telecommunications, he has addressed the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and led more U.S. delegations to major international telecommunication conferences than anyone in modern history.

At Washington, DC-based Wiley Rein, David Gross draws on his more than 25 years of experience as a global policy maker and corporate executive to assist U.S. companies seeking to enter or expand international businesses, as well as non-U.S. companies and organizations seeking to invest in, monitor and understand the U.S. market. He also advises foreign companies on non-U.S. countries and opportunities and informs clients regarding the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Organization for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD), Asia Pacific Economic Cooperative (APEC) and other international bodies.

During his tenure at the State Department (2001-2009), David Gross had overall responsibility for the formulation and advocacy of international communications policy for the United States. Prior to this position, he served as Washington counsel to AirTouch Communications (now Vodafone), then the world’s largest wireless telecommunications company. He was in private law practice from 1979 to 1993.

David Gross received his J.D. from Columbia Law School and his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Andrea is a telecommunications industry leader, with more than 25 years of varied experience in finance, business development, communications and corporate strategy.

Today, she leads a national team responsible for the execution of a diverse portfolio comprised of TELUS’ external communications, government relations, real estate, travel services, corporate sponsorships, event marketing and our corporate social responsibility strategy. Andrea’s visionary leadership and stellar results have earned her a coveted position on the 2012 WXN Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards, as well as being named a Canada Clean 50 Winner in 2013.

A supporter and ambassador of TELUS’ deeply rooted philosophy – we give where we live – Andrea volunteers extensively in her local community. She is a respected member of the TELUS Calgary Community Board, the Mayor’s Champions of Art Council, Theatre Calgary Board and the Management Advisory Council of the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. Previously, she served on the boards of the Alberta Ballet and the EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts.

Andrea is passionate about leveraging technology to improve the lives of youth and is a driving force and the executive spokesperson for TELUS WISE, an industry-leading educational program on Internet and smartphone 6 that offers access to best-in-class training and resources to keep children safe online. TELUS WISE launched nationally in October 2013, and is being offered free of charge to all Canadian children, parents and concerned adults, as well as community partners.

Andrea earned a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Alberta. She lives in Calgary and shares a love of sports, the outdoors, reading, and movies with her husband and two children

Twitter@andrea_goertz

Twitter@TELUS

Nate Glissmeyer is the Director of Product Management for Kids and Families, Kindle at Amazon. Nate joined Kindle in 2011 to create a team explicitly focused on this segment, which led to the creation of Amazon FreeTime, FreeTime Unlimited, and with our latest generation of devices, the Fire HD Kids Edition tablets.

Nate has spent over 14 years at Amazon, holding a variety of roles including leading software and technology teams and running retail businesses as a Category Leader. Nate has a M.A. in Languages and Literature from the University of Utah.

Brian reports on technology and tech policy at The Washington Post. Before joining the Post, Brian led the tech coverage at National Journal. He was also previously an associate editor at The Atlantic, where he oversaw the international and health sections of the website. Brian also helped launch Atlantic Media's business publication, Quartz.

He has written previously for Foreign Policy Magazine, Talking Points Memo and The American Prospect.

He holds a BA in Political Science from Middlebury College and an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics. His interests include food, technology and politics.

Twitter@washingtonpost

Twitter@b_fung

Robbye Fox is a Certified Parent Educator with the Parent Encouragement Program where she has taught parenting classes for the past 11 years, working primarily with the parents of teens. In addition to PEP’s “Thriving with Teens” class, Robbye teaches workshops on topics that include electronic use, allowances, teen communication and planning for safe teen driving. Robbye is also a freelance writer and editor and the mother of three “emerging adults” ages 23, 21 and 18. You can learn more about PEP at www.PEPparent.org.

Lisa Felton is currently Global Head of Consumer Regulation and Content Standards at Vodafone. Prior to that, she held the position of Global Governance and Strategy Manager and also has 14 years’ experience as a lawyer both within Vodafone and in private practice. Lisa holds an MA from Oxford University in Law and a Masters in International Law of Human Rights.

Rhian Evans Allvin became executive director of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), in Washington, DC, in August 2013. She is responsible for guiding the strategic direction of the organization as well as overseeing the daily operations. With more than 70,000 members and 300 Affiliate components across the United States, NAEYC serves as the leading voice on behalf of young children and early childhood educators. Through its publications, accreditation of programs for young children, accreditation of Associate Degree and higher education programs, public policy, conferences, and research, NAEYC strives to meet the ideal that all young children have access to high-quality early learning experiences and that early childhood educators be able to attain the higher education and professional development that inspire high standards and innovation in every early education setting and classroom.

Before joining NAEYC, Evans Allvin was a guiding force in Arizona’s early childhood movement for more than 15 years. In 2006 she co-wrote the citizen’s ballot initiative that created First Things First (FTF) which set aside Arizona’s tobacco tax monies for children birth to five and created a state agency whose purpose is to ensure all Arizona children start kindergarten prepared to be successful in school and in life. Then-governor Janet Napolitano appointed her to FTF’s state board, where she served for four years before resigning to become the organization’s chief executive officer (CEO). As CEO Evans Allvin represented FTF with state and national constituents and led its coordination with policy makers, state department heads, providers, and community stakeholders. She oversaw FTF’s daily operations, including the distribution of $130 million in annual tobacco revenue.

During her tenure the organization led and participated in a variety of Arizona statewide early childhood systems-building efforts, including panels that adopted the Arizona Model Early Childhood System Framework, the development of First Things First’s 10 School Readiness Indicators, the FTF National Research and Evaluation Advisory Panel, and the development and rollout of Quality First, Arizona’s quality improvement and rating system.

Rhian’s earlier experiences helped her prepare for her role at NAEYC. As a founding partner in the Brecon Group she specialized in public policy, philanthropy, and community engagement. As senior advancement officer at the Arizona Community Foundation, she used her knowledge in community organizing, communications, media relations, fund-raising, and nonprofit management to help donors connect their philanthropic interests with community needs. Additionally she served in leadership roles with Libraries for the Future, a national nonprofit promoting the important role of public libraries in American life, and Children’s Action Alliance, Arizona’s state-based child advocacy organization.

Rhian has authored a number of white papers, articles, policy briefs, and reports on various topics. She coauthored a report on the state of early care and education in Arizona, Building Our Foundation: Assessing Early Care and Education in Arizona, for the Arizona Community Foundation. She has given numerous presentations to diverse local and national audiences.

Rhian holds a bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University and a master’s degree in business administration from Arizona State University. She is married to Paul Allvin, and they live in Falls Church, Virginia, with their three young children.

Mark Eichorn is an Assistant Director in the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection’s Division of Privacy and Identity Protection (DPIP), where he supervises privacy and data security matters. He joined DPIP in 2009 from FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz’s office, where he served as an attorney advisor for Chairman (and previously Commissioner) Leibowitz on consumer protection issues. Upon joining the Commission in 1998, Mark worked for many years as an attorney in the Division of Advertising Practices and served a six-month stint in 2003 as an attorney advisor to FTC Commissioner Thomas Leary. Mark went to law school at the University of Virginia.

Tyler Droll, originally from Duluth, Georgia, co-founded Yik Yak in 2013 with his fraternity brother, Brooks Buffington, shortly after graduating from Furman University. While pursuing his undergraduate degree, he took an app development class and began putting that knowledge into practice.

After first developing a social polling app, the duo decided to try their hand at a new product when they recognized a need for localized, open communications to give everyone on their campus a voice. During this process, Tyler decided to forego medical school in order to work on the app development full time. Today, Yik Yak is now popular on over 600 campuses and communities in the US and globally.

Steve DelBianco is a well-known expert on internet governance, online consumer protection, online privacy, and internet taxation. Steve leads NetChoice in promoting the integrity and availability of the internet, and has become a fixture in internet policy debates in the states, in Washington, and at global internet governance organizations.

Steve has provided expert testimony in 12 Congressional hearings, and is a frequent witness in state legislatures and at legislator conferences.

Most recently, Steve spoke as a panelist at the ABA/FCBA Privacy & Data Security Symposium, Global Technology Leaders Summit, and the FTC’s Workshop about Advertising and Privacy Disclosures in Online and Mobile Media. In addition, Steve is the head of the Business Constituency at ICANN and a board member for the Business Advisory Council of the Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board.

Quoted frequently on technology issues in the media, Steve has appeared on "60 Minutes," and has spoken about new privacy regulations harms in news mediums like BBC Click, MSNBC, MacWorld, National Journal, and POLITICO.

Before his work at NetChoice, Steve was founder and president of Financial Dynamics, an IT consulting firm that he led through the evolution of industry trends. Under Steve’s leadership, Financial Dynamics grew to over $20 million in revenues by 1997.

Steve holds degrees in both Engineering and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the Wharton School. He lives in McLean, Virginia with his wife, three children, and two dogs, where he is active in community government.

Caroline Curtin joined Microsoft in 2008 and is a Director within Microsoft’s U.S. Government Affairs team, where she advocates on policy, regulatory and legislative matters related to gaming. Among other issues, she has worked on child safety, child privacy and content issues that affect Microsoft’s gaming platform. In 2009, Caroline helped launch Microsoft’s Get Game Smart Campaign, a national public education campaign created to help educate parents, children and policymakers about the safety and privacy tools provided by Xbox.
Prior to joining Microsoft, Caroline worked at America Online as the Director of Children’s Privacy, Advertising and Safety Policies. A former Federal Trade Commission attorney, Caroline joined the Federal Trade Commission as a staff attorney in the Division of Advertising Practices where she pursued cases of misleading and unfair advertising. She was part of the FTC’s first Internet Privacy Task Force and co-authored, “Privacy Online: A Report to Congress”, a report that recommended Congress develop legislation to place parents in control of the online collection and use of their children’s personal information. Caroline began her legal career as a judicial clerk working for the Honorable Mildred M. Edwards at DC Superior Court.
Caroline graduated from Duke University with honors and received her JD from Georgetown University Law Center. She is the proud mom of Caroline and John Goddard.

Bob Corn-Revere has extensive experience in First Amendment law and communications, media and information technology law. He regularly counsels clients and serves as litigation counsel in communications and Internet-related matters. Bob speaks and writes extensively on First Amendment and communications policy issues.

Bob also successfully petitioned Governor George E. Pataki to grant the first posthumous pardon in New York history, to the late comedian Lenny Bruce in a landmark pro bono case.

Representative clients include: A&E Television Networks, American Association of Advertising Agencies, Association of National Advertisers, American Advertising Federation, CBS Corporation, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, ICM Registry, LodgeNet, Inc., Mark Burnett Productions, Motion Picture Association of America, Texas Entertainment Association, and Viacom.

Twitter@DWTLaw

Ken is Online Safety Director and SMT member with South West Grid for Learning Trust drawing on twenty years as a teacher and school leader and ten years as a BECTA award-winning Education School Improvement Adviser with Plymouth’s ICT Team.

Ken’s broad canvas of experience and engaging presentation style has seen him work with a wide range of educators and agencies including Ofsted; DfE; DCMS and the Home Office. 

He developed and co-wrote the multi award-winning 360 degree safe online safety self-review tool and Online Compass tool. He is co-creator of the BETT award-winning BOOST toolset for children’s settings and part of the team that designed and produced the UKCIS framework “Education for a Connected World”. In his European work, he has been one of the driving forces behind the development of the SEL tools SELMA and ENABLE. His latest work is ProjectEVOLVE, an innovative toolkit to support young people’s online lives.

He has written Online Safety standards with AQDAR for schools in UAE which won the prestigious United Nation WSIS Award 2017.

He is a published author and musician with four daughters and seven grandchildren in sunny Devon.

A writer and youth rights advocate, Anne Collier is founder and executive director of the nonprofit Net Safety Collaborative and has been chronicling developments around youth, technology and wellbeing at NetFamilyNews.org since 1999. She has served on three national task forces on youth and digital safety in the US; spoken on the subject in many countries; advised numerous tech companies and youth-serving NGOs around the world; piloted a social media helpline for schools; contributed to many books, news publications and academic journals; and, with scholars at Stanford University, co-edited a book on youth, social media and mental health published this year by the American Psychiatric Association (https://www.appi.org/Products/Child-and-Adolescent-Psychiatry/Social-Media-and-Youth-Mental-Health).

An-Me Chung is Chief of Partnerships at Mozilla, a public charity best known as the makers of Firefox. Mozilla promotes openness, innovation, and opportunity online; and creates open standards that enable innovation, access, and opportunity for all.

Most recently, Chung was the associate director of education at the MacArthur Foundation where she supported initiatives to improve student learning through the use of digital media. Prior to this, she led the education grantmaking at the Mott Foundation and partnered with the U.S. Department of Education to build the afterschool field. This partnership won the Public Excellence Award and was a semi-finalist for the Kennedy School of Government “Innovations in American Government” award. Chung has served on a number of boards including Grantmakers for Education and Community Foundation of Greater Flint. Chung has a PhD from Yale University and a BS from Washington University in St. Louis.

Born and raised in Toronto, Saffron Cassaday traveled to New York City immediately after completing high school to study acting at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. Upon returning to Toronto, she continued to develop her craft both in front of and behind the camera. Saffron starred in the award-winning web series Pete Winning and the Pirates and co-produced and starred in the Global TV series, In the Key of Z.

Saffron’s directorial debut of the documentary film, Cyber-Seniors has screened in well over 80 cities in North America to audience and critical acclaim. As this film prepares for its digital, DVD and broadcast launch, Saffron is keeping busy researching her next film project, which will document the journey of men and women who were incarcerated before the Internet existed, as they return to a tech-dependent society. She is also slated to star in a feature-length upcoming comedy titled, "Jake Joins A Cult", filming this Fall.

Dan Caprio, Co-founder and Executive Chairman, 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 expert for the European Commission’s Internet of Things formal expert group, a Chief of Staff for a Federal Trade Commission Commissioner and a member of the Department of Homeland Security Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee. In 2002, Dan was a representative for the United States delegation revising the OECD Security Guidelines that formed the basis for the first White House Strategy to Secure Cyberspace.

Carolyn Bunting is General Manager for Internet Matters Limited, an independent, not-for-profit organisation that is dedicated to making the Internet a safer place for parents and their children. Launched in May 2014, Internet Matters provides access to the best and most up to date advice on how parents can help keep their children safe online. Internet Matters has been established with funding from the four biggest Internet Service Providers in the UK, however it aims to work with other major brands to become a cross-industry body. The venture has three objectives, to help parents learn about e-safety, to give them information about setting and using network filters, and to encourage parents to talk to their children about Internet safety.

In addition to her time spent at Internet Matters, Carolyn has a wealth of consumer marketing experience gained in senior marketing positions in both Sky and Vodafone. This experience will be key in trying to reach out to parents to help them learn about the issues, talk about them with their children, and take appropriate action to deal with any internet safety issues. With two young children of her own, she is passionate about ensuring children can enjoy the Internet safely, and that parents are can get quick and easy access to the right tools and advice to help achieve this.

John Bailey serves as the Vice President of Policy and Executive Director of Digital Learning Now. He co-founded Whiteboard Advisors, which provides strategic consulting for investors, philanthropies, and entrepreneurs.

John previously served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy during the Bush administration where he coordinated education and labor policy. John has also worked at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as serving as a top technology and innovation advisor to the Secretary of Commerce. He also served as the nation’s second Director of Educational Technology, where he oversaw more than $1 billion in annual grants and research projects. John has also served as a formal or informal advisor to three Presidential campaigns. Twitter@john_bailey Twitter@excelined

For the past 30 years, Stephen Balkam has had a wide range of leadership roles in the nonprofit sector in both the US and UK. He is currently the Founder and CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), an international, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC. FOSI’s mission is to make the online world safer for kids and their families. FOSI convenes the top thinkers and practitioners in government, industry and the nonprofit sectors to collaborate and innovate and to create a “culture of responsibility” in the online world.

Prior to FOSI, Stephen was the Founder and CEO of the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA) and led a team which developed the world’s leading content labeling system on the web. While with ICRA, Stephen served on the US Child Online Protection Commission (COPA) in 2000 and was named one of the Top 50 UK Movers and Shakers, Internet Magazine, 2001.

In 1994, Stephen was named the first Executive Director of the Recreational Software Advisory Council (RSAC) which created a unique self-labeling system for computer games and then, in 1996, Stephen launched RSACi – a forerunner to the ICRA website labeling system. For his efforts in online safety, Stephen was given the 1998 Carl Bertelsmann Prize in Gutersloh, Germany, for innovation and responsibility in the Information Society and was invited to the first and subsequent White House Internet Summits during the Clinton Administration.

Stephen’s other positions include the Executive Director of the National Stepfamily Association (UK); General Secretary of the Islington Voluntary Action Council; Executive Director of Camden Community Transport as well as management positions at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (London) and Inter-Action. Stephen’s first job was with Burroughs Machines (now Unisys) and he had a spell working for West Nally Ltd – a sports sponsorship PR company.

Stephen received a BA, magna cum laude, in Psychology from University College, Cardiff, Wales in 1977. A native of Washington, DC, Stephen spent many years in the UK and is now has dual citizenship. He writes regularly for the Huffington Post, appears often on TV and has appeared on nationally syndicated TV and radio programs such as MSNBC, CNN, NPR and the BBC and has been interviewed by leading newspapers such as the Washington Post, New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, radio and in the mainstream press. He has given presentations and spoken in 15 countries on 4 continents.