FOSI 2024 Annual Conference

Alan Davidson leads NTIA, the President’s principal advisor on telecommunications and information policy. As NTIA Administrator, Alan oversees a federal agency with more than 500 employees working to close the digital divide, manage federal spectrum resources, and build a better Internet.

Alan has spent the last 25 years working at the intersection of Internet technology, public policy, and the law. In his roles in government, public interest groups, and companies, Alan has focused on how society makes choices about the technologies we build.

Before joining NTIA, Alan worked at Mozilla Foundation, a global nonprofit that promotes openness, innovation and participation on the Internet. As Mozilla's Vice President of Global Policy, Trust and Security, he led public policy and privacy teams promoting an open Internet and a healthy web. Alan served in the Obama-Biden Administration as the first Director of Digital Economy at the U.S. Department of Commerce. He started Google’s public policy office in Washington, D.C., and as Director of Public Policy, led government relations and policy in North and South America for seven years until 2012.

Alan has been a long-time leader in the Internet nonprofit community, serving as Director of New America’s Open Technology Institute where he worked to promote equitable broadband access and adoption. As Associate Director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, Alan was an advocate for civil liberties and human rights online in some of the earliest Internet policy debates.

He is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Yale Law School, and is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.

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Julie Inman Grant is Australia’s eSafety Commissioner. In this role, Julie leads the world’s first government regulatory agency committed to keeping its citizens safer online.

The Commissioner’s career began at the US Congress in Washington, DC before joining Microsoft, where Julie spent 17 years in various corporate affairs roles.  At Twitter, she set up the company’s policy and philanthropy programs across Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, before driving Asia–Pacific-wide government relations for Adobe.

As eSafety Commissioner since January 2017, Julie has overseen a significant expansion of eSafety’s regulatory responsibilities under the Online Safety Act and increased staffing levels. She has alsolaunched innovative programs such as the Safety by Design and Women in the Spotlight initiatives. She has also established herself as a nimble and anticipatory regulator, establishing the innovative tech trends horizon scanning program in 2020.  

Julie serves on the Advisory Board of the Technology Policy Design Centre. She served as co-founder and inaugural chair of the Global Online Safety Regulators Network and is a long-serving Board Member of the WePROTECT Global Alliance.   She also serves on the World Economic Forum’s Global Coalition for Digital Safety; represents Australia on the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Harassment and Abuse, and serves on France’s Laboratory for Women’s Rights Online.  

The Commissioner was recently deemed one of the top 150 women in the global cyber profession for the third year running.  

You can find out more about eSafety’s structure and what we do at www.esafety.gov.au.

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Gill is the current Chairperson of the Global Online Safety Regulators Network (GOSRN), while Ofcom holds the Chair seat in 2024. GOSRN is the only network of online safety regulators in the world, working to build regulatory coherence across jurisdictions working to keep their users safe online. Up until very recently, Gill was also Ofcom's Group Director for Online Safety where she led the implementation of one of the UK’s most significant pieces of new tech legislation, the Online Safety Act. Prior to this, Gill was the inaugural Chief Executive of the UK’s Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum (DRCF) where she established the DRCF as a world-leading approach to implementing digital regulation. Since finishing her UK role, Gill has become a Visiting Policy Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, focusing on global developments in online and AI safety.

Gill spent four years as Google UK’s Senior Director of Client Solutions & Analytics, leading teams in data analysis, measurement, user experience, consumer segmentation, having previously led their Market Insights across EMEA.  Gill previously worked at Channel Four and BBC Worldwide in a variety of strategy leadership and technology-driven roles, beginning her career at the Bank of England and Deloitte Consulting.

Gill holds a Master’s degree at the University of Oxford’s Internet Institute and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.  She is a Non-Executive Director and Audit Committee Chair of Informa plc, the British Olympic Association, and Chair of the Board for The Rugby World Cup 2025.

Benoit Loutrel is board member of ARCOM, the French audiovisual and digital media regulator. He leads ARCOM’s involvement in the implementation of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) in France and actively participates in the work of the board of Digital Services, where the EU Commission and the 26 member states’ regulators coordinate together the implementation of the DSA across the EU. Benoit Loutrel has a background in regulatory economics and data sciences. Before being appointed board member of Arcom, he had previous experiences at the World Bank, the French Telecommunication regulator (ARCEP), Google and the French ministry of digital affairs.

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Henry Adams is Director of Trust & Safety (strategy, partnerships & policy) at Resolver, a Kroll business. He has spent the past decade working across domains to mitigate risk in high-harm settings. Henry is a former Head of Intelligence with a background in counter terrorism, national policing operations and crisis negotiation. At Resolver, he initially led global intelligence operations with a focus on rapid response services, before overseeing product development and advanced network analysis capabilities. Today, Henry leads Resolver's strategy and engagement with wider industry, as a passionate advocate for the protection of children online; and a proponent of the power in taking proactive intelligence-led approaches to online safety.

Pratishtha Arora is a well-known champion in India for female equality and the protection of children while they are online, in addition to her roles as CEO and co-founder of Social Media Matters. She comes from a diverse academic background and is regarded as an authority on the subject of gender studies.

She has acquired a skill set that enables her to construct frameworks and classes that are customized to the particular requirements of a broad variety of communities, and she also has experience in administering sensitization training. Together, these two aspects of her background have allowed her to develop this ability.

Pratishtha has also led national initiatives on subjects such as online safety and cybercrime, which demonstrates her commitment to cultivating a digital environment that is both safer and more welcoming to people of all different kinds of backgrounds. In the course of her career, she has led more than 100 training meetings with various law enforcement personnel as well as more than 500 workshops all across India. This comprises law enforcement personnel from the National Police Academy, the Karnataka Police Academy, the Delhi Police Department, the Lucknow Police Department, the NOIDA Police Department, and other police divisions. Additionally, she has advocated for women's help centres and cyber crime cells within the Delhi police department, in addition to compiling a catalogue of cyber crime cells located throughout India.

As part of her professional background, she has also compiled and developed workshop documents for use by law enforcement officials in the delivery of training sessions. Additionally, she advocated for Indian interests while serving as a committee member for a major technology company.

Pratishtha Arora's substantial experience in gender studies, along with her dedication to nurturing a digital environment that is both safer and more accepting to people of all backgrounds, positions her as a valuable asset in the development industry. In general, this is the case because Pratishtha Arora is dedicated to fostering a digital environment that is both safer and more welcoming to people of all backgrounds. This is particularly true in the areas of preventing crimes committed online, maintaining one's digital health, and ensuring online safety.

Some of her work featured in news and other agencies:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/for-delhi-s-rape-victims-cops-can-be-first-to-respo nd-but-last-to-understand/story-bEOPfXBJQhQEMykfup7HdM.html

https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/4-years-after-nirbhaya-delhi-rapes-tri ple-police-reforms-fail-116081200772_1.html

https://www.socialnews.xyz/2016/08/12/4-years-after-nirbhaya-delhi-rapes-triple-police-reform s-fail/

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Patricia Cartes Andrés started working in the technology industry in 2006 when she joined Google's Webspam team. After building an expertise in site integrity, she joined Facebook as one of the founding members of the company’s User Operations in EMEA to combat harassment, child sexual exploitation, human rights violations and other types of harmful content. In 2013 she started working at Twitter where she led the company’s global safety outreach efforts creating Twitter’s Trust & Safety Council and engaging with civil society, academia, policy-makers and regulators. More recently, she built safety teams at Postmates by Uber and VSCO. She currently heads up Trust & Safety at Cantina, a social AI platform.

Dinu Antonescu, a high school student from New Jersey and first-generation Romanian-American, believes the proper way to solve global challenges is through proper education and legislation. A key aspect of Dinu's work is with Snap Inc.'s Council for Digital Wellbeing, where he is developing a curriculum to promote digital hygiene, wellbeing, and open-mindedness among middle schoolers.

Beyond his involvement with Snap, Dinu is the founder of AccessibilityAtlas, an international resource that maps disability-friendly locations. Its newest initiative, College Campus Accessibility, partners with universities and students to assess and improve the accessibility of campuses for individuals with disabilities.

Outside of school and work, Dinu enjoys skiing, tennis, and spending time with family.

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.

* Denotes member of FOSI Board

Tami Bhaumik is the Vice President of Civility and Partnerships at Roblox where she spearheads the platform's digital civility initiative and works to foster a global community of internet safety leaders to ensure good digital citizenship on Roblox. To establish a healthy and safe community, Tami is focused on providing kids, teens, parents, and caregivers with skills needed to create positive online experiences, in partnership with the world’s leading safety and industry organizations. At Roblox, she empowers platform users to self-govern and create a confident, resilient online community with the knowledge and tools to create positive experiences for themselves and others in the metaverse.

David S. Bickham, Ph.D. is the Director of Research at the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. His work explores the intersection between adolescent’s media use and their mental health. Using multiple methods including national surveys and Ecological Momentary Assessment, Dr. Bickham examines how specific aspects of online platforms and the relationships formed there can support or undermine young people’s wellbeing. Working alongside clinicians from the Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders (CIMAID), Dr. Bickham has lead efforts to better understand the individual and contextual factors that predispose adolescents to experiencing problematic interactive media use.  Dr. Bickham has authored numerous research articles and book chapters, has worked with many tech companies to help shape their design to enhance the mental health of their users, and has testified to federal and state lawmakers about topics related to media and health.

Ash Brandin, EdS (they/them) has been a public school educator for over a decade. In that time they found innovative ways of using student interests- including video games- to increase engagement and make learning more fun and effective. Since February 2021, their Instagram page- TheGamerEducator- has helped hundreds of thousands of families make screen time beneficial for the whole family. Ash believes screens should be part of our lives, not the center of our lives, and helps caregivers navigate the world of tech using consistent, loving boundaries. In their free time, Ash loves to hike, bake, play video games, and spend time with their family.

Mindy is the General Manager for Google’s kids and family initiative. Mindy and her team work to create safe and enriching experiences for children, teens and their families globally. Responsible for creating Googlewide strategic agendas, Mindy has also been instrumental in launching many products such as Google Accounts for kids under 13, Family Link, the Teacher Approved program on Google Play, and Android’s first kid directed product, Google Kids Space.  

Prior to Google, Mindy worked at Netflix and Sesame Street, most recently as Director of Content and Innovation Research. Mindy holds a BA in Psychology and a MA in Applied Developmental and Educational psychology from New York University.

Chris leads the Futures Practice at Kantar in North America, helping clients make sense of emerging trends and consumer behaviors to identify innovation opportunities and feel more confident about their strategic decisions.Chris has an MBA from The Johns Hopkins University, and a BA in History from Gettysburg College.

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Dr. Linda Charmaraman is a senior research scientist at the Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW) at Wellesley College and received her PhD in Human Development and Education from University of California Berkeley. She is director of the Youth, Media, & Wellbeing Research Lab. Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Children & Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, among others. Linda’s research interests include social media and adolescent health, digital citizenship, methodologies to target hard-to-reach populations, and how social identities (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, political) affect wellbeing. She has been surveying a cohort of over 1000 middle school students into their high school years and beyond since before the pandemic, focused on adolescent social tech use, health, wellbeing, and civic engagement. Media mentions include New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Good Morning America, USA Today, ABC News, NBC News, Discover Magazine, The Conversation, and others. In 2023, Dr. Charmaraman provided written testimony for the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing regarding Protecting Our Children Online. She was also a proud member of the task force for the 2023 American Psychological Association’s health advisory on social media use in adolescence. She is featured in a PBS Learning online toolkit series on adolescent social media use, sponsored by the New York State Education Department. Together with a youth advisory board, she co-organizes free Digital Wellbeing workshops for middle school girls from underserved backgrounds across the nation each summer (wcwonline.org/summerworkshops).

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).

Blair Durkee is the Associate Director of Gaming at GLAAD. She has a M.S. in Computer Science from Clemson University, where she started her career in LGBTQ advocacy. Joining GLAAD as a consultant in 2018, she was instrumental in the creation of the Outstanding Video Game category at the GLAAD Media Awards, the formation of GLAAD's Gaming Advisory Council, and the expansion of GLAAD's consulting work on LGBTQ-inclusive titles like Xbox's "Tell Me Why," the first major studio game to feature a playable transgender protagonist. Blair is a transgender woman based in South Carolina, and as a lifelong tech-enthusiast and gamer, she is passionate about harnessing the power of video games to create a better world for LGBTQ people.

Nikki has the privilege of shaping play-filled futures at the LEGO Group as a Senior Manager of Government and Public Affairs for the Americas. In this role she leads digital policy related to responsible digital engagement with children as well as brand protection.  Prior to joining the LEGO Group, Nikki lead domestic policy and advocacy work at Thorn, a tech company on a mission to end online child sexual exploitation and abuse.  With over 15 years of experience in government relations and advocacy, both domestically and internationally, her expertise lies in driving strategic policy transformations and fostering meaningful stakeholder relations. Outside of work, Nikki loves spending time with her favorite people, her husband and their two daughters, preferably outdoors.

Liz is a seasoned policy expert with almost 20 years of experience in the fields of law and gender-based violence. She recently joined Uber as the Senior Public Policy Manager for Women's & Personal Safety. Prior to Uber, Liz was a Global Issue Policy Manager at TikTok, where she developed content policies for exploitation and abuse and authored TikTok's Community Guidelines.

Before joining the tech industry, Liz had a 17-year career as an attorney in New York City government. She spent 11 years at the NYC Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, where she oversaw the Office's strategic direction, developed innovative prevention and intervention programs, and drafted critical legislation to enhance support for survivors, including laws related to paid safe leave and image-based sexual abuse. Before the Mayor's Office, Liz investigated and prosecuted gender-based violence and child abuse incidents at the Queens County District Attorney's Office and litigated child protection proceedings at the NYC Administration for Children's Services.

Viraj Doshi is the Platform Safety Lead at Snap Inc., focusing on the safety and digital well-being of the Snapchat community. His work involves engaging with external audiences, advising on internal safety-related products and policies, and raising awareness of online risks through programs and initiatives. Prior to Snap, he worked at Meta leading proactive efforts on youth well-being and content moderation including the global outreach efforts for Meta’s oversight board. Before joining the tech industry, Viraj worked at a consultancy out of Washington D.C. and Mumbai, helping international political and advocacy organizations, as well as companies, develop grassroots and digital campaigns. After graduating from Washington University in St. Louis, he spent a year on a Fulbright grant in Colombia researching the impact of education methodologies on civic participation.

Vera Eidelman is a staff attorney with the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, where she works on the rights to free speech and privacy in the digital age. She focuses on the free speech rights of protesters and young people, both on and offline. She has litigated cases in defense of young people's free speech rights, including before the Supreme Court; challenged restrictions on everyone's right to speak and access information online; and pushed back against efforts to protect kids from purportedly harmful materials, whether in the form of online age verification or book bans.

Dr Amanda Ferguson is a Senior Resarch Associate in the Digital Mental Health Group at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge. She is also a Clinical Psychologist (Supervised Practice) at the Mood Disorders Treatment and Research Clinic at St Joseph's Hospital Hamilton. Dr Ferguson studies whether and how technology use impacts trajectories of mental health in young people, using longitudinal, experimental, and qualitative methodologies. Her recent work investigates how changes to the uncertainty of social information in online spaces (e.g., social media) impacts the development of beliefs about the self and others.

Kerry Gallagher, JD is an innovative teacher, school administrator, lawyer, TEDx speaker, keynote speaker, education consultant, downhill skier, hiker, mom, and wife. She has 23 years of experience as a professional educator. Kerry currently serves as Assistant Principal for Teaching and Learning and classroom teacher at St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers, Massachusetts; and Director of Education at ConnectSafely, an internet safety non-profit in Palo Alto, California. Kerry is co-author of several ConnectSafely award-winning guidebooks for parents and teachers on topics that include social media, data privacy, education technology, copyright, and more. Accolades for her work include awards from the Family Online Safety Institute, St. Anselm College, MassCUE, SmartBrief, and Tech&Learning. She’s been recognized as a FutureReady Schools Instructional Coach, ASCD Emerging Leader, Adobe Education Leader, PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovator, and EdSurge Columnist. Her passions include digital wellness, innovative professional learning, and effective integration of curriculum, pedagogy, and technology. She is on social media @KerryHawk02.

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Audace Garnett has extensive experience in facilitation, providing technical assistance nationally and internationally, and supporting crime victims and domestic violence survivors. She began her career in 2004 at a non-profit organization named Barrier Free Living where she provided advocacy to survivors with disabilities. Audace has also worked at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office where she served as the Teen Services Coordinator in the Victim Services Unit. After six years at the district attorney’s office, she then went on to work at a Teen Dating Violence prevention and intervention program named Day One NY where she trained adult professionals around the intersection of teen dating violence and domestic minor sex trafficking. She is currently a Technology Safety Project Manager with Safety Net at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) where she focuses specifically on the intersection between domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and technology.

Kamilah Grit is 14 years old and enjoys creating fun TikToks with her parents on their TikTok @mrandmrsgrit.

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Amanda Goharian is the Senior Research Manager at Thorn, where she leads the organization's youth-centered research portfolio. Her work focuses on the intersection of technology and online child sexual abuse, with a particular emphasis on emerging risk areas. With expertise in self-generated CSAM and online grooming pathways, her work at Thorn has been instrumental in understanding how young people experience and disclose harmful online interactions. Her research has been published in the Journal of Adolescence, Journal of Online Trust & Safety, and the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Before joining Thorn, Amanda served as a technology research consultant for the U.S. federal government.

Dr. Kishonna L Gray is a Professor of Racial Justice and Technology in the School of Information at the University of Michigan. She is also a Faculty Associate at the Berkman-Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.  Professor Gray previously served as a Martin Luther King Jr. Scholar and Visiting Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Comparative Media Studies and the Women & Gender Studies Program and a Faculty Visitor at the Social Media Collective at Microsoft Research (Cambridge).

She is the author of Intersectional Tech: Black Users in Digital Gaming, Race, Gender, & Deviance in Xbox Live, and is the co-editor of two volumes on culture and gaming: Feminism in Play and Woke Gaming.

Justin Hendrix is CEO and Editor of Tech Policy Press, a new nonprofit media venture concerned with the intersection of technology and democracy. Previously, he was Executive Director of NYC Media Lab. He spent over a decade at The Economist in roles including Vice President, Business Development & Innovation. He is an associate research scientist and adjunct professor at NYU Tandon School of Engineering.

Laura Higgins is Senior Director of Community Safety and Civility at Roblox & Visiting Senior Fellow in Digital Safeguarding at University of Suffolk. With years of experience building safeguarding, online safety and civility programs, Laura speaks on digital safety topics across the globe & regularly appears in the media sharing her expertise with industry, regulators, parents and kids.

Austin Jenkins covers tech policy for Pluribus News, a two-year-old digital news site focused on emerging policy trends in states and state legislatures. Previously, Austin spent nearly two decades covering the Washington State legislature and state politics for the Northwest News Network, a regional consortium of NPR stations. Austin earned his B.A. in government from Connecticut College and his Master in Communication from the Communication Leadership program at the University of Washington.

Vaishnavi is the founder and principal of Vyanams Strategies (VYS), helping companies, civil society, and governments build healthier online communities for young people. VYS leverages extensive experience at leading technology companies to develop tactical product and policy solutions for child safety and privacy. These range from product guidance, content policies, operations workflows, trust & safety strategies, and organizational design.

An expert in online child safety, privacy, and age-appropriate design, Vaishnavi has held significant roles in the tech industry. She was the global head of youth policy at Meta, supporting age-appropriate content and product policies across Instagram, Facebook, VR, and messaging services. She previously led Twitter’s video content policies, was their first head of safety policy in APAC, and served as Google’s child safety policy lead for APAC. Vaishnavi is a recognized commentator on child safety and privacy, featured in BBC, NPR, CNN, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Rolling Stone.

Learn more about VYS’s work at www.vyanams.com, and subscribe to our monthly newsletter for insights on building healthier digital experiences for young people at https://quire.substack.com.

Pranav Karthikeyan is a high schooler from New Jersey. Pranav has been fighting misinformation and raising awareness about media literacy since 5th grade. As a student leader of the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) and Media Power Youth, he is passionate about empowering and engaging youth voices to create safe digital spaces and make digital experiences productive and positive for everyone. He also enjoys school, soccer, meeting new people, and listening to their stories.

Ms. Kennedy is currently the DHS Know2Protect Campaign Director where she leads all lines of effort for this national public awareness campaign. In this role, Ms. Kennedy oversees campaign brand development, partnership activations, media efforts, strategic communications, to include the FY24 campaign launch, and stakeholder engagement. During her tenure, Ms. Kennedy has been instrumental in leading the overhaul of HSI’s Project iGuardian initiative which under her guidance has become the official in-person educational arm of the Know2Protect campaign.

Prior to this assignment, Ms. Kennedy was the strategic communications advisor at the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking, overseeing the Center’s brand development, communications and stakeholder engagement strategy and special outreach initiatives.

Dr. Jennifer Kotler Clarke is a social/developmental scientist with expertise in child and adolescent engagement with and learning from media and technology. She currently leads the Kids and Family UX research and content strategy teams at Google. She and her team are dedicated to using research insights and applying learning science to help craft safe, delightful, and enriching digital experiences for youth and those who care for them. Prior to her role at Google, Jen served as the Vice President of Content Research & Evaluation at Sesame Workshop. She led a team of researchers who, along with product work, spearheaded studies designed to illuminate issues important for children’s positive development. Jen received her Ph.D. in Child Development and Family Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.

Frances Kraft (she/her) serves as the Program Director of Research & Practice for the Foundation for Social Connection (F4SC). In her role, she works closely with the Scientific Leadership Council and manages efforts to drive adoption of innovative evidence-based models across local, state, and national settings.

Frances comes to F4SC from Weave: The Social Fabric Project at The Aspen Institute, where she led the development and execution of a portfolio of engagement activities, tools, and resources to support the growth of trust and social connection for in-person and online communities. Before joining Weave, she spent a decade in education, first as a classroom teacher, and later as the founder of a non-profit coalition of families, students, and teachers prioritizing relationship-based programs and advocacy to achieve equitable access, experiences, and outcomes children.

A passion to connect people to change systems came after discovering the power of community organizing. A graduate of the University of Florida, Frances first worked in communications in the financial services industry until she became aware of the disparities in outcomes for students by race and income. She returned to graduate school to earn a master’s in teaching from Chicago’s Dominican University. She left the classroom to earn a master’s in education policy from Harvard University and is currently completing a doctorate degree at the University of Pennsylvania, where her research focuses on the effects of relational dialogue on civic empathy and its connection to building social trust, solidarity, and a more inclusive democracy.

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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.

Delegate Michelle Maldonado is a former tech lawyer and business leader who founded the Virginia General Assembly's Technology & Innovation Caucus. She leads on AI/new and emerging tech issues in the House of Delegates focusing on AI, privacy, and blockchain. Delegate Maldonado also serves on the Joint Commission on Technology & Science, NCSL's Taskforce on Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity & Privacy, and the Multistate AI Working Policy Group (MAP-WG) comprised of state legislators from across the country. She is a graduate of Barnard College and has been recognized as a "2024 Impact Maker" by Virginia Business Magazine.

Maya A. McKenzie, Esq. is Senior Counsel of Tech Policy at The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) – the voice and advocate of the video game industry – where she leads video game console makers and publishers in the development of legislative and regulatory policy on emerging issues in technology including privacy, e-commerce, and trust & safety.  

Prior to joining ESA, Maya was an associate at DLA Piper LLP and Paul Hastings LLP and  where she focused on privacy and cybersecurity. Maya graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Alabama State University and earned her Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

Dr. Megan Moreno is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  She is the Principal Investigator of the Social Media and Adolescent Health Research Team (SMAHRT); their research focuses on the intersection of technology and adolescent health and strives to incorporate youth into their projects and processes. SMAHRT maintains two youth advisory boards and has led a summer research program for adolescents for the past decade. Dr. Moreno has authored over 200 research articles as well as written and edited several textbooks. Dr. Moreno currently serves as the Co-Medical Director for the AAP’s Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health.

Lama Mohammed is the inaugural Tech Policy Fellow at NYU’s Center for Social Media and Politics (CSMaP). At CSMaP, Lama works to insert the Center's rigorous research into policy conversations around social media, technology, and democracy.Before joining CSMaP, Lama was a Senior Associate at the Glen Echo Group — a Washington, D.C.-based public affairs and relations firm specializing in technology policy. Lama worked on policy and communications for nonprofit organizations operating within the artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and privacy spaces. Before joining the Glen Echo Group full-time, Lama served as the firm's Fellow, building upon her previous cybersecurity policy experience with D.C. government relations firms and the United Nations.In addition to her role at the CSMaP, Lama is an Affiliate at All Tech Is Human, where she has co-authored reports on AI and human rights, building a better tech future, and technology and democracy, as well as a mentor at Girl Security, the only non-profit working to advance girls, young women, and gender minorities into pathways across the national security sector to ensure a more equitable security future for the world. Lama was also a former Senior Fellow and New York Regional Chair at the Internet Law & Policy Foundry, where she managed the organization's social media accounts, designed the graphics, and frequently hosted and moderated Foundry podcast episodes and webinars.As an emerging voice in the technology policy community, Lama has spoken at various conferences and panels, including the 2024 Stanford Trust and Safety Research Conference and the 2023 IAPP Global Privacy Summit, where she highlighted the privacy issues unique to the youth generation. Lama has also facilitated a security training on AI and currently coaches students about starting a career in responsible technology.

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).

Kemi is a 17-year-old social justice activist from Pennsylvania dedicated to enacting change. As the ambassador of the Youth Volunteer Corps of Reading's Stand Together Against Racism (STAR) initiative, she utilizes education and dialogue to address and combat racism. Her efforts have impacted hundreds through projects, events, and workshops. With STAR, she has addressed a wide range of topics, from Allyship, through STAR's Ally Workshop training, to cultural celebration, notably through The Power In Our Differences Campaign—a collaborative effort with an anti-racism student group in South Korea to celebrate diversity globally. She was recently recognized for her work and dedication through The Princeton Prize in Race Relations. She is also on the Born This Way Foundation's advisory board, where she creates stories for Channel Kindness and works with the organization to destigmatize mental health. In everything she does, Kemi strives to inspire others to stand together and be the change they wish to see.

* Denotes member of FOSI Board

Mike Pappas is the CEO/Co-founder of Modulate, which works with studios like Activision, Riot Games, and Rec Room to foster safer and more inclusive online voice chat. Mike’s work at Modulate ranges from developing new partnerships within the industry, monitoring trends and new opportunities for Modulate’s unique technology to have a positive impact, and reinforcing an internal and external culture of passion, respect, and personal growth. Outside of work, his passions include creating themed cocktail lists, long-distance running, and playing Nintendo games.

Cinnamon Rogers is VP, Global Public Policy for Sony Interactive Entertainment PlayStation where she leads the global team responsible for engaging with policymakers around the world. Cinnamon collaborates with government officials, nonprofits and industry to advance policies that support innovation in interactive entertainment and to promote safe online spaces where everyone is welcome to play. She has over 25 years of legislative and regulatory experience working at the federal, state, and global level representing the media, tech, software and telecommunications sectors. Early in her career she worked in the House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, and National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

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Bailey Sanchez is Senior Counsel with the Future of Privacy Forum’s U.S. Legislation Team. Bailey leads the team’s work analyzing legislative proposals that impact children and teens’ online privacy and safety. In her role, Bailey seeks to understand policy trends that impact youth privacy. She regularly writes and speaks about topics such as age assurance and the intersection of privacy law and the First Amendment. Bailey also supports FPF’s research and independent analysis concerning federal, state, and local consumer privacy laws and regulations.

Arana Shapiro is an educator and social entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience developing innovative approaches to learning using games and game design. As Chief Operations and Programs Officer at Games for Change, she oversees programs and partnerships for schools, organizations and families, and supports a growing global community of educators using games in the classroom. Previously, as the Executive Director of the Institute of Play, Arana was part of a team that designed and opened the first school in the world with a game-like learning model, the New York City public school, Quest to Learn. She is a co-author of Quest to Learn: Growing a School for Digital Kids, published by MIT Press. With deep expertise in education and change management as a parent, teacher, school leader, educational technologist, curriculum designer, and nonprofit leader, Arana is a leading voice on education transformation. Her work has been featured in Education Week, EdSurge, Edutopia, The New York Times, The Guardian, NPR, Wired, and Fast Company, and she has spoken about games and learning at SXSW EDU, FETC, ISTE, WISE, and many other events around the globe. Arana received an M.A. in Education from Pepperdine University and a Masters of Education in Leadership for Educational Change from Bank Street College of Education.

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Cori Stott is the Executive Director of the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital, where she leads the Lab’s strategic direction, operational management, programmatic planning and initiatives, and industry collaboration. She is also responsible for fundraising, communications, and team leadership. Since Cori joined the Lab in 2021, the organization has significantly grown in size, research capacity, and influence.

After earning a degree in Psychology from Wellesley College, Cori pursued a career in social science research and youth development, eventually earning a Masters in Education from Harvard University, with a focus on Prevention Science in Adolescence.

While working in a role focused on strategy and governance at the Denver Public Schools, Cori earned an MBA from the University of Colorado and began to shift her professional focus to the development, growth, and management of youth-focused organizations. Prior to joining the Digital Wellness Lab, Cori worked as the Managing Director of Strategy and Operations at Transforming Education, a Boston-based non-profit focused on integrating social-emotional learning into educational systems.

Kara Sundby is a Senior Director in Kantar's Futures practice, where she works with clients to understand and anticipate the shifts impacting their industries--determining the actions and strategies that will ensure they are ready for the future. She has worked on trend, scenarios, and thought leadership projects across sectors. Kara has a Master of International Economic Policy from Columbia University, as well as a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Victoria.

Erica Tate uses TikTok @mrandmrsgrit to share her family's unique perspective on parenting and married life, blending creativity and humor to create relatable family content.

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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.

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.

Arjun Venkataswamy, Principal Product Manager for Alexa Kids, is a former educator and entrepreneur with over a decade of professional experience working at the intersection of technology and education. After starting his career as a high school math teacher for the Chicago Public Schools, Arjun worked as a web app developer and taught prototype software development to MBA students at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. Most recently, Arjun served as CTO for a startup that that taught kids programming and design skills through online project-based learning. At Amazon, Arjun works to make Alexa more safe, educational and delightful for kids.

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Madison Watts (she/her) is a senior at Rockville High School in Maryland. She is committed to student advocacy and leadership, focusing on critical social issues such as mental health, education policy, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Madison’s mental health advocacy started in 2021, and since then, she has become involved in national organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, Common Sense Media, and Mental Health America, consistently using her voice to better the intersection between social media and mental health. Madison is actively engaged on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, where she fosters positivity, spreads uplifting messages, and joins online communities. Madison prioritizes safeguarding mental health in the digital age by advocating for youth and encouraging open conversations with loved ones about online experiences. She is thrilled to engage in conversations surrounding the topic of youth and family safety, such as during the 2024 FOSI Annual Conference, and hopes to explore further opportunities to highlight youth voices. Outside of advocacy, Madison enjoys playing tennis, listening to R&B, and watching horror movies with her friends.

Dr. Emily Weinstein is a psychologist, author, and researcher who has spent over a decade studying teens' experiences with social media. She co-founded the Center for Digital Thriving at Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she and her team create knowledge and resources to help young people thrive in a tech-filled world. Her book with Carrie James, Behind Their Screens: What Teens Are Facing (And Adults Are Missing)  helped catalyze new conversations about digital agency.

Shoshana Weissmann manages R Street’s social media, email marketing and other digital assets. She also works on occupational licensing reform, social media regulatory policy, Section 230, age verfication, and other issues, and has written for various publications, including The Wall Street Journal and USA Today.