More than 125 applications received for IGF Ambassadors Programme
[Washington, D.C. and Geneva, Switzerland] — The Internet Society today announced that it will sponsor 12 new Ambassadors to attend the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Baku, Azerbaijan, 6-9 November 2012. Five returning Ambassadors were also chosen to attend the IGF meetings.
The IGF brings various stakeholder groups together to discuss public policy issues related to Internet governance. The IGF Ambassadors Programme enables a new generation of Internet leaders to participate in IGF meetings and to add their unique experiences to the discussions. Each first-time Ambassador is paired with a mentor to help them prepare and to serve as a contact during the meeting. Following IGF, the Ambassadors return to their own communities to apply the experiences and information into their education and work.
First-time Internet Society Ambassadors to the IGF:
Ulkar Bayramova (Azerbaijan) is currently a PhD student and working as senior expert at the International Relations office of the Azerbaijan University of Languages. Ms. Bayramova is an active member of the Azerbaijan Internet Society Chapter formation group and is also director of an Internet Society Community Grant.
Nabil Benamar (Morocco) works as a Professor of Computer Science at the Moulay Ismail University. He holds a Master’s degree in Computer Networks and a PhD in Computer Science from the Moulay Ismail University. Dr. Benamar has extensive experience in IPv6, DNS, security and privacy, open source culture, and networking.
Natalia Enciso (Paraguay) is an Attorney-at-Law and a Professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Asunción (UAA). Her work is concentrated in the areas of online trust and identity, e-Commerce, e-Government, data protection, and mediation. Ms. Enciso is especially interested in human rights and exploring how proposed legislations such as SOPA, PIPA, and CISPA relate to censorship and freedom of expression.
Emilar Gandhi (South Africa) is based in Pretoria where she is Resource Mobilization Coordinator with the Association for Progressive Communications. She is responsible for developing her organization's strategic priorities in the ICT policy field across the African continent. Mrs. Gandhi has a BSc in Information Science (Hons) and is currently working on her MSc in Information and Knowledge Management. She is keenly interested in Security, Openness and Privacy, as well as IG4D.
Jorge Gonzalez (Venezuela) works at UCLA University in Venezuela in the Networking Department. Mr. Gonzalez believes there are various technology-related issues that require attention in the developing countries, including teaching Internet governance, making the Internet a safer place for children, and operationalizing cyber security.
Faisal Hasan (Bangladesh) is an associate professor of Computer Science at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. He received a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Otago, New Zealand, and has been active as the President of the Internet Society Bangladesh Dhaka chapter. Dr. Hasan’s areas of interest include TCP congestion control, distributed protocols, and systems.
Samuel Morgan (Jamaica) is a Technical Coordinator – Mobile Money for Advanced Integrated Systems in Jamaica. He has a BSc in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of the West Indies, and a LLB from the University of London. Mr. Morgan specializes in mobile commerce, Internet technologies, human rights, software engineering, and social media. His particular interests at the IGF are Security, Openness and Privacy, and Internet Governance for Development (IG4D).
Roxana Radu (Romania) is a PhD candidate in International Relations/Political Science at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. Previously, she worked as a Programme Coordinator and Researcher with the Center for Media and Communication Studies (CMCS) at the Central European University. Ms. Radu is interested in new media regulation, social uses of new technologies, and civil society empowerment.
Rolando Rodriguez (Venezuela) is a Field Engineer with Advantech Wireless, where he specializes in IPv4, IPv6, satellite communication, switching and routing, and network monitoring. His interests include multilingualism (specifically the use of native Latin languages on the Internet), human rights and freedom of expression, e-Inclusion, and IG4D.
Encel Sanchez (Venezuela) is a student at the University of the Andes – Mérida, Venezuela, studying systems engineering. His areas of competency are web development, social media, security and privacy, and open source. The IGF topics that are of primary interest to him include access and diversity, and security and privacy.
Kris Seeburn (Mauritius) is a Lecturer and Programme Director of the Master in Computer Security and Forensics at the University of Technology, Mauritius. Mr. Seeburn is an evangelist of good Internet practices and is actively involved in the development of telecom and Internet policies. He is the Chair of the Internet Society Mauritius Chapter, a Board Member of AFRINIC, and a Member of the ISO 27000 / 38000 Technical Committee.
Cintra Sooknanan (Trinidad & Tobago) is an Attorney-at-Law. She holds a BSc in Computing and a LLB from the University of London, and a LLM from Staffordshire University. Ms. Sooknanan has a long involvement with ICT non-profits and has served as the Director of the Trinidad & Tobago Computer Society. She is the Chair of the Internet Society Trinidad & Tobago Chapter and on several ICANN working groups related to community support in the new gTLD program.
Returning Internet Society Ambassadors to the IGF are:
Luca Belli (Italy) is a PhD student in Public Law at Sorbonne University, Paris. Mr. Belli’s research interests include Internet governance and Internet regulation, global administrative law, freedom of speech, and data protection.
Fatima Cambronero (Argentina) graduated from Universidad Nacional de Cordoba and received a Diploma in Law and Technology from the Universidad Blas Pascal. She is a lawyer involved in Internet governance issues and personal data protection, privacy, and intellectual property rights. She is also an alumnus of DiploFoundation’s Internet Governance Capacity Building Programme and the ICANN Fellowship Programme.
Tracy Hackshaw (Trinidad & Tobago) is Chief Solution Architect and Lead of the Solution Architect Office for the Government of Trinidad & Tobago’s National ICT Company (iGovTT). Mr. Hackshaw is involved in an advisory capacity to the Government of Trinidad & Tobago’s representation to the ICANN Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC).
Paul Muchene (Kenya) is a software entrepreneur and a network engineer at the iHub in Nairobi. He also runs a web startup in Nairobi building websites and web applications and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Nairobi. His interests encompass Domain Name System (DNS), DNS Security, and IPv6.
Sorina Teleanu (Romania) is a civil servant working on ICT legislation in the Romanian Parliament and doing a fellowship at the IGF Secretariat in Geneva. Her main interests include management of Internet critical resources, e-government, privacy, and data protection and freedom of expression.
“The IGF Ambassadors Programme demonstrates the Internet Society’s continued commitment to cultivating the next generation of Internet leaders,” said Toral Cowieson, Senior Director of Internet Leadership for the Internet Society. “We had a tremendous response to the IGF Ambassadors Programme this year with more than 125 applications from around the globe. The 12 new and five returning Ambassadors are each uniquely qualified to participate in the upcoming IGF sessions and workshops, providing their own local and regional perspectives on Internet governance.”
More information about the Internet Society’s IGF Ambassadors Programme is available at www.internetsociety.org/igfambassadors.
About the Internet Society
The Internet Society is the trusted independent source for Internet information and thought leadership from around the world. With its principled vision and substantial technological foundation, the Internet Society promotes open dialogue on Internet policy, technology, and future development among users, companies, governments, and other organizations. Working with its members and Chapters around the world, the Internet Society enables the continued evolution and growth of the Internet for everyone. For more information, visit www.internetsociety.org.
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