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Rick Cimerman
Director of State Telecommunications Policy
NCTA
National Cable & Telecommunications Association
1724 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
202.775.3550
Rick Cimerman is Director of State Telecommunications Policy with National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA).  He has been NCTA's Director of State Telecommunications Policy since 1995.  In this position, he has assisted state cable associations and cable companies as they work with Public Utility Commissions to facilitate local telecommunications competition and has testified nationwide against forced access.  He also has helped cable companies work with the educational community on technology issues.  He is the immediate past president of the National Coalition for Technology and Education in Training (NCTET). Prior to joining NCTA, Mr. Cimerman served as Director of the Telecommunications Division of the Maryland Public Service Commission while Maryland became one of the first states to allow local exchange competition.  Prior to this position, he worked at the Florida Public Service Commission.  Mr. Cimerman received Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Economics from the University of Florida, where he studied public utility economics at the University's Public Utility Research Center (PURC).

Senator Troy Fraser
P.O. Box 12068
Capitol Station
Austin, TX  78711
512.463.0124
Troy Fraser was elected in 1996 to serve Senate District 24, a 21-county region that is located in the geographic center of Texas.   Prior to his election to the Texas Senate, Senator Fraser served three terms in the Texas House of Representatives, from 1988 to 1992. Senator Fraser is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Business and Commerce, which handles the flow of legislation related to insurance, telecommunications, banking, securities and lending issues, and business licensing and regulation.   Senator Fraser also serves as the co-chairman of the Electric Utility Restructuring Legislative Oversight Committee that monitors the state's shift to a deregulated electric industry, and the Property and Casualty Legislative Oversight Committee that monitors implementation of insurance reforms approved by the 78th Legislature. In November 2003, Senator Fraser was appointed to the Select Committee on Water Policy, and he also serves on the following standing Senate committees: State Affairs, Natural Resources and Veterans Affairs & Military Installations.   Born in Abilene, Senator Fraser was raised in the small West Texas of Coahoma.  He attended Angelo State University and the University of Texas at Arlington.

Nicholas P. Miller
Managing Partner
Miller & Van Eaton, P.L.L.C.
1155 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Suite 1000
Washington, D.C.  20036
202.785.0600
202.785.1234
nmiller@millervaneaton.com
Nicholas P. Miller, a founding partner of the Washington, D.C. law firm Miller & Holbrooke, has extensive experience in the law and policy governing cable television and telephone regulation, and in the legislative aspects of communications law.  He served as the U. S. Senate Communications Counsel and as a special consultant to the White House on telephone deregulation issues.  He represents local governments, airports, and national local government associations in cable television and telecommunications matters.  He has worked extensively with international multilateral agencies engaged in telecommunications policy advice to developing countries.  His areas of expertise include the First Amendment, Cable Act of 1984 and 1992, the AT&T divestiture, and the Telecommunications Act of 1996.  Mr. Miller represented the national coalition of education groups in the development of the school and library universal service discount program established by the 1996 Act.  He received his law degree in 1973, and his undergraduate degree in 1966, both from the University of Washington where he was a member of the Washington Law Review. He is admitted to practice in Washington State and the District of Columbia Bar Associations.

Gregg F. Morton
Vice President – Legislation and Chief of Staff
Bellsouth, DC
Washington, D.C.
Gregg F. Morton is Vice-President-Legislation and Chief of Staff of the BellSouth Washington, D.C. office of Governmental Relations.  His responsibilities include BellSouth’s state and federal legislative activities as well as community outreach initiatives and the BellSouth Foundation. Mr. Morton began his BellSouth career in Charleston, South Carolina in 1978.  He held assignments with increasing responsibility from 1982 to 1987 in Atlanta, Georgia, and from 1987 to 1989 in Columbia, South Carolina.  In 1989, Mr. Morton was promoted to Director - Legislative Affairs in BellSouth’s Washington, D.C. office.  He returned to Columbia in 1993 as BellSouth’s Executive Director for Governmental and Public Relations in South Carolina.  In January of 1997, Mr. Morton was promoted to Vice-President Legislative and Regulatory Affairs for South Carolina Operations.   Mr. Morton graduated from Clemson University in 1978 with a BS Degree in Administrative Management. 

Susan K. Weinstock
National Coordinator, Economic and Utility Issues
Department of State Affairs
AARP
601 E Street, NW
Washington, D.C.
202.434.3951
sweinstock@aarp.org
Susan  Weinstock is the National Coordinator for Economic and Utility Issues in AARP’s Department of State Affairs.  In this role, Susan leads AARP’s advocacy efforts at the state level on economic and utility issues. Previous to this position, Susan was a Senior Legislative Representative focusing on telecommunications and utility issues.  She also worked in AARP’s Public Policy Institute where she concentrated on analysis of telecommunications and housing issues.  Susan first joined AARP in 1989,  working on legislative correspondence regarding consumer issues, Medicare and health care.  Prior to joining AARP, Susan worked for the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance and the House Subcommittee on Energy, Conservation and Power.  She majored in government at Clark University and has a Masters degree from Marymount University.

Walter White
Vice President of State & Local Government
Verizon Communications
Washington, D.C.
walter.w.white@verizon.com
Mr. White has nearly 20 years of experience in state and local government relations executive.   In his current position as Vice President of State & Local Government for Verizon Communications, he is charged with designing and implementing a proactive and forward thinking program aimed at advancing Verizon’s policy goals before a various national organizations.   He works in conjunction with Verizon senior executives on critical organizational initiatives, including the development of strategy and following through as the State and Local Government lead in a number of strategic areas related to Verizon’s public policy campaigns.  He coordinates the planning and development of “short-term” strategies for achieving intergovernmental policy campaign activities within Verizon’s footprint states throughout the northeast and mid-Atlantic states and works to advance the company’s policy agenda, image and profitability by positively influencing Governors and other state and local stakeholders.
Mr. White maintains a high profile among various national organizations including Republican and Democratic Governors Associations, Republican and Democrat Lt. Governors Associations, US Conference of Mayors, American Legislative Exchange Council, National Conference of State
Legislatures, County Executives of America and National Association of Counties.  

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Municipal Wifi: Government as a Communications Provider – Is It a Proper Role?

Michael Balhoff
Managing Partner
Balhoff & Rowe, LLC
1213 Shady Creek Road
Marriottsville, MD 21104
Fax: 410-489-5235
balhoff@balhoffrowe.com
Michael J. Balhoff, CFA, is managing partner at Balhoff & Rowe, LLC. Previously, Mr. Balhoff for 16 years headed the Telecommunications Equity Research Group at Legg Mason and covered equities of incumbent local exchange carriers.  Prior to joining Legg Mason in 1989, Mr. Balhoff held posts as a graduate and undergraduate professor.  A Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the Baltimore Security Analysts Society, Mr. Balhoff has been named on six occasions as a Wall Street Journal All-Star Analyst for his recommendations in the telecommunications industry.  His coverage of telecommunications, and especially rural telecommunications, was named by Institutional Investor as the top telecommunications boutique in the country in 2003.  He has a doctorate in Canon Law and four master's degrees, including an M.B.A., with a concentration in finance, from the University of Maryland. 

Representative Todd Baxter
Room EXT E2.802
State Capitol
Austin, TX  78768
512-463-0631
Representative Todd Baxter was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2003.  He serves on the committees on Regulated Industries, Culture, Recreation and Tourism, and Local and Consent Calendars.  He also has been appointed to the Edwards Aquifer Legislative Oversight Committee, the Electric Utility Restructuring Legislative Oversight Committee, and is a member of the Capitol Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO).  Prior to being elected to public office, Representative Baxter worked in the state legislative process for five sessions in both the public and private sector.  He is a former Chief Clerk of the House Committee on County Affairs, a former Chief Clerk of the House Joint Interim Committee on Regional Issues, and a member of the Texas Open Records Steering Committee.  He also served as General Counsel for Senator Jeff Wentworth, and the Senate Interim Committee on Public Information.  He is an attorney with the law firm of Minter, Joseph and Thornhill, P.C., where he practices Real Estate, Water and Environmental Law.   Representative Baxter received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin and his J.D. from South Texas College of Law.

Jonas Neihardt
Vice-President, Federal Government Affairs
Qualcomm, Inc
2001 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Suite 650
Washington, D.C. 20006
jonasn@qualcomm.com
 Jonas Neihardt is Vice President for Federal Government Affairs for QUALCOMM, Incorporated.  In this capacity, Mr. Neihardt manages QUALCOMM’s public policy agenda and its relationship with the Federal Executive Branch and the U.S. Congress.  QUALCOMM Incorporated is a leading edge wireless communications company specializing in the design, development, and manufacturing of advanced communications systems, technologies, and products.   Prior to joining QUALCOMM, Mr. Neihardt was Director of Congressional Affairs at the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association in Washington, D.C., a trade association representing operators of wireless telecommunications systems worldwide.  Prior to that, Mr. Neihardt served at the White House Office of Management and Budget as the program examiner for the federal telecommunications agencies.  In this capacity Mr. Neihardt provided budgetary and policy oversight for the federal telecommunications agencies during the Bush and Clinton administrations (1989-1996).   Mr. Neihardt holds a B.A. and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the University of Michigan and an M.B.A from the George Washington University.

Representative W. Curtis Thomas
326 Irvis Office Building
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2020
717-787-9471
Fax: 717-787-7297
Representative Thomas has been a Member of the Pennsylvania House since 1989.  His current Standing Committee Assignments include Commerce, Environmental Resources and Energy, and Intergovernmental Affairs.  He chairs the Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee on Information Technology.  Representative Thomas currently is Vice Chair of the NCSL Communications, Technology and Interstate Commerce Committee.  He received his B.S. in Education from Temple University and J.D. from Antioch School of Law.  

Steven Titch
Senior Fellow for Information Technology and Telecom Policy
Heartland Institute
19 South LaSalle Street, Suite 903
Chicago, IL 60603
312-377-4000
Mr. Titch is Senior Fellow for Information Technology and Telecom Policy at the Heartland Institute.  He is managing editor of InfoTech & Telecom News (IT&T News), formerly IT Update.   He currently works as a private consultant and has done strategic market and technology research, analysis, and advocacy for such clients as Jane’s Information Group, The GSM Association, and Probe Research.  Mr. Titch has managed media projects for clients such as Qwest Communications International and Paradyne Networks, Siemens, and Marconi.  His articles have appeared in Total Telecom, America’s Network and Telephony. Between 2000 and 2002, he also published an online newsletter and Web site, TitchOnline.com.  Prior to launching his consulting business in 1999, Mr. Titch was director of editorial projects for Data Communications magazine, where he directed content development for supplemental publications and special projects.  He also has held the positions of editorial director of Telephony, editor of Global Telephony magazine, Midwest bureau chief of Communications Week, associate editor-communications at Electronic News, and founding editor of Cellular Business (now Wireless Review).  Mr.Titch graduated cum laude from Syracuse University with a dual degree in journalism and English.

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Technology and Privacy:  Update on RFID

Delegate Joe T. May
PO Box 406
Richmond, VA 23218
Phone: 804-698-1033
del_may@house.state.va.us

Steven A.N. Shafer
Senior Researcher
Microsoft Corporation
Redmond, Washington
Dr. Steven A. N. Shafer is a Senior Researcher at Microsoft Corporation working in the area of ubiquitous computing. Dr. Shafer was a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon until 1995.  He founded the Calibrated Imaging Laboratory, working on the modeling of color, highlights, texture, lens and camera optics. He also worked on robot driving in the NAVLAB robot truck project. Dr. Shafer was a founder and later Chair of the Robotics Doctoral Program at Carnegie Mellon, and helped establish the Human-Computer Interaction Institute.  Dr. Shafer joined Microsoft in 1995, where he started the EasyLiving project to develop an architecture for building intelligent environments. His current work is in location awareness and RFID. He is past Chair of the Institute for Electronics and Electrical Engineering (IEEE) PAMI TC -- the primary scientific organization for computer vision – and he is an Associate Editor for the IEEE Pervasive Computing magazine.  He also serves on the Program Committees of numerous recent conferences in pervasive and ubiquitous computing. Dr. Shafer is one of the Microsoft representatives at EPCglobal, an international RFID standards organization, and is a co-author of the Microsoft RFID Privacy whitepaper.  He received his BA from the University of Florida in 1976, and his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon in 1983.

Senator S. Joseph Simitian
State Capitol Room 4082
Sacramento, California 95814
916-445-6747
State Senator Joe Simitian was elected to the California State Senate in November 2004, to represent the 11th Senate District, which includes all or part of 13 cities in San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties.  His public service over the years also includes a variety of elected and volunteer positions at the local, state, and international level.  Senator Simitian has previously served as a member of the California State Assembly, as a Santa Clara County Supervisor, Mayor of Palo Alto, and President of the Palo Alto School Board.  During the course of his wide-ranging career he has helped oversee elections in Bosnia and El Salvador, has been named one of the Scientific American 50 Leaders in Science and Technology by Scientific American magazine, and earlier this year made a television guest appearance on the “Dr. Phil” show.  Senator Joe Simitian is an attorney, businessman and city planner.  He received his B.A. from the Colorado College, a Master of Arts in International Policy Studies from Stanford University, and a Master of City Planning and a Juris Doctor law degree from the University of California at Berkeley.  He is a member of the California State Bar and the American Planning Association, and holds an AICP certification from the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Lee Tien
Senior Staff Attorney
Privacy, Free Expression & Freedom of Information
Electronic Frontier Foundation
454 Shotwell Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-436-9333 x102   
lee@eff.org
Lee Tien is a Senior Staff Attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, specializing in free speech law, including intersections with intellectual property law and privacy law. Before joining EFF, Mr. Tien  was a sole practitioner specializing in Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation. Mr. Tien has published articles on children's sexuality and information technology, anonymity, surveillance, and the First Amendment status of publishing computer software. He received his undergraduate degree in psychology from Stanford University, where he was very active in journalism at the Stanford Daily. After working as a news reporter at the Tacoma News Tribune for a year, Mr. Tien went to law school at Boalt Hall, University of California at Berkeley. Lee also did graduate work in the Program in Jurisprudence and Social Policy at UC-Berkeley.

Richard J. Varn, President
RJV Consulting
620 42nd St
Des Moines, IA 50312-2732
Phone:  515- 255-3650
rjmvarn@msn.com
Richard J. Varn is President and founder of RJV Consulting.  His firm, founded in 1988, serves public and private sector clients and specializes in information technology, business strategy, innovation, and public policy consulting.  He is a Senior Fellow with the Center for Digital Government, a Technology Policy Advisor to the National Retail Federation, and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Educational Testing Service.  He is currently engaged as the Chief Technology Officer for the Business Gateway, a federal initiative to implement enterprise e-forms solutions and streamline regulatory processes.  Mr. Varn’s first career was in public service.  He began in 1981 as a state legislative staff person.  He went on to win elected office and served as a State Representative for four years and as a State Senator for eight years. During that time, he was twice elected Majority Whip, created and chaired the first Communications and Information Policy Committee, and chaired the Education Appropriations, Human Services Appropriations, and Judiciary Committees.  He was the first Iowa legislator to install and use a computer in the Iowa legislative chambers.  He left the legislature in 1994 to teach and be Director of Telecommunications and IT Production Services at the University of Northern Iowa. There he led a successful reorganization of the technology departments and created numerous innovative e-learning programs.  He returned to state government in 1999 to create the state’s first Information Technology Department, and he served as its first Director and as the state's first CIO.  Mr. Varn returned to full-time consulting in 2003. Mr. Varn has received numerous awards and recognitions for his public service.  He was named twice to the Federal 100, he received the National Association of State Chief Information Officers Outstanding Achievement Award in the Field of Information Technology for Iowa's Return on Investment Program, and he received the Award for Outstanding Support for Distance Learning from the Iowa Distance Learning Association. His degrees and academic honors include membership in Phi Beta Kappa and numerous other honor societies, a B. A. with honors in Political Science, and a Juris Doctorate, with distinction, from the University of Iowa.

Universal Service – POTS? Cell? VOIP? Broadband?

Rick Cimerman
Director of State Telecommunications Policy
NCTA
National Cable & Telecommunications Association
1724 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
202-775-3550
Rick Cimerman is Director of State Telecommunications Policy with National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA).  He has been NCTA's Director of State Telecommunications Policy since 1995.  In this position, he has assisted state cable associations and cable companies as they work with Public Utility Commissions to facilitate local telecommunications competition and has testified nationwide against forced access.  He also has helped cable companies work with the educational community on technology issues.  He is the immediate past president of the National Coalition for Technology and Education in Training (NCTET). Prior to joining NCTA, Mr. Cimerman served as Director of the Telecommunications Division of the Maryland Public Service Commission while Maryland became one of the first states to allow local exchange competition.  Prior to this position, he worked at the Florida Public Service Commission.  Mr. Cimerman received Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Economics from the University of Florida, where he studied public utility economics at the University's Public Utility Research Center (PURC).

James J. Dahmen
General Manager
Columbus Telephone Company
224 South Kansas Avenue
Columus, KS  66725
620-429-3132
Mr. Dahmen joined the Columbus Telephone Company as a manager on April 1, 1985.  Previous to accepting this position, he was with Mid-America, Inc., as their executive vice president, responsible for identifying marketing economic opportunities for business and industry for a  ten-county area in Southeast Kansas.  He is a former certified industrial developer and is utilizing this expertise in assisting the community of Columbus as they strive to expand their economic base.  Mr. Dahmen attended St. Mary’s College and the Industrial Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma.  

Representative Doug Gatewood
State Capitol Building, Room 302-S
Topeka, KS  66612-8605
785-296-7686
Representative Gatewood was first elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 1998.  He serves on the Agriculture Committee, Appropriations Committee and Joint Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice.  He is the former mayor of Columbus, Kansas.  He is a member of the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation Board of Directors, Chamber of Commerce, and the Lions Club. Representative Gatewood holds a technical degree from Pittsburgh State University.

Carl Giesy
Chief Policy Counsel
MCI
Washington, D.C.
Carl.D.Giesy@mci.com
Carl Giesy is Chief Policy Counsel in MCI’s Policy and Planning Group.  In that role, Mr. Giesy’s responsibilities include identifying technical, market, and regulatory trends and working to shape MCI’s public policy in light of such trends.   Mr. Giesy’s recent efforts have focused on state retail deregulation, universal service, and broadband deployment issues. Mr. Giesy has been with MCI since 1991, beginning as a Senior Attorney, litigating regulatory matters in MCI’s northeast region.  Beginning in 1994, Mr. Giesy served as coordinator and later director of MCI’s competition policy in the Northern Region, helping implement the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 in many states.   From 1998 until 2003, Mr. Giesy was regional director for Law and Public Policy in the mid-Atlantic region, responsible for overseeing regulatory and government affairs matters for the MCI in the seven-state region.  During that time, Mr. Giesy was also responsible for overseeing MCI’s efforts nationally to implement the FCC’s Triennial Review Order in the states.  Prior to joining MCI, Mr. Giesy was an assistant attorney general in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, working in its Regulated Industries Division.

Brian Staihr
Senior Regulatory Economist
Sprint Corporation
6200 Sprint Parkway
Overland Park, KS  66204
about:blankBrian.K.Staihr@mail.sprint.com
Dr. Brian K. Staihr serves as Senior Regulatory Economist for Sprint Corporation.  In that capacity he is involved with the creation of regulatory and legislative policy for all divisions of Sprint, as well as the coordination of policy across business units.  His field of specialization is industrial organization, including regulation.  Dr. Staihr has testified before Congress and numerous state utility commissions on telecommunications issues and has worked extensively with the FCC’s staff on issues such as universal service and local competition.  He also has served as Senior Economist for the Center for the Study of Rural America at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.  In that capacity he conducted research on rural telecommunications issues including the deployment of advanced services and the effects of deregulation.  In addition, Dr. Staihr assisted the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in conducting research on international comparisons of rural telecommunications deployment.  Dr. Staihr also serves as Adjunct Professor of Economics at Avila University in Kansas City, Missouri.  He holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Missouri and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis. 

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Dave Cullinane
First Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer
Washington Mutual
Seattle, Washington
Dave Cullinane is the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for Washington Mutual, Inc. – the largest savings and loan institution in the United States.  He is responsible for developing and sustaining a comprehensive information security program that effectively protects the personal information of millions of Washington Mutual customers.  Prior to joining Washington Mutual, Dave was a Senior Consultant for nCipher, Inc.; the Director of Information Security for Sun Life of Canada's U.S. operations and helped create Digital Equipment Corporation's Security Consulting Practice.  He has more than 20 years of security experience and is Board Certified in Security Management by ASIS International as a Certified Protection Professional (CPP).  He is also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and a former Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP).  Dave is also the International President of the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), the largest not-for-profit association of information security professionals in the world.  Dave is a Charter Member of the Global Council of Chief Security Officers, a group of influential senior cyber-security leaders dedicated to enhancing cyber security.

Helen Giddings
State Representative
Texas
Helen Giddings is a lifelong resident of Dallas County.  She is a community leader, successful entrepreneur, and is currently serving a seventh-term as a member of the Texas State House of Representatives.  Rep. Giddings is Chair of the Business & Industry Committee, a  member of the House Higher Education and House Administration committees in addition to Chairing the Research and Oversight Council.  The founder and President of Multiplex, Inc., she continues to be a strong voice for small business, and has served as the Board Chair of the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce.  Highly respected by her colleagues, Giddings has served as President of the bi-partisan 1600 member, National Foundation of Women Legislators.  She is the first woman of color and the first Texan to be elected to this prestigious position in the group’s sixty-four year history.  Rep. Giddings was named to the Texas Association of Realtors 2001 Legislative Honor Roll and by the Dallas Morning News as a “Rising Star” of the Texas Legislature.

Chris Jay Hoofnagle
Director, EPIC West
Electronic Privacy Information Center
San Francisco, California
Chris is director of EPIC's West Coast office, located in San Francisco, California.  Chris focuses on the privacy implications of commercial collection of personal information.  He has testified before Congress on privacy and Social Security Numbers, identity theft, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and before the Judicial Conference of the U.S. on public records and privacy.  He participated in the Amy Boyer case, where the New Hampshire Supreme Court held that information brokers and private investigators can be liable for the harms caused by selling personal information.  His writings on the First Amendment and privacy have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, the Knight Ridder News Service, and in law journals at Columbia Law School, Notre Dame Law School, and the University of North Carolina School of Law at Chapel Hill.  He is a member of the California, DC, and Maryland Bars.

Steve Kelley
State Senator
Minnesota
Elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1996, Senator Kelley currently chairs the Senate Education Committee and is vice-chair of the Senate Telecommunications, Commerce and Utilities Committee.  He is Vice Chair of the Higher Education Budget Division.  He has served on the Advisory Council on the Roles and Responsibilities of Local Government, the Intergovernmental Information Systems Advisory Council, the Task Force on Electronic Filing of Real Estate Documents and the Telecommunications Services Study Working Group.  From 1997-2000, Senator Kelley chaired the Senate’s Ad Hoc Committee on Information Technology.  Senator Kelley currently serves as chair of NCSL's new Foundation for State Legislatures (FSL) Partnership Project on Identity Security.  From 2001-2003, Senator Kelley chaired NCSL's standing committee that addressed Internet, computers and telecommunications issues, now re-named the Communications, Technology and Interstate Commerce Committee.  Senator Kelley is Of Counsel at Mackall Crounse & Moore PLC, a Minneapolis law firm.  He received his B.A. from Williams College and his J.D. from the Columbia University School of Law.

Chantele Mack
Manager, Government Relations
Consumer Data Industry Association
Washington, D.C.
Chantele Mack is Manager for Government Relations for the Consumer Data Industry Association, headquartered in Washington, D.C.  CDIA, is the international trade association representing over 500 consumer information companies that provide fraud prevention and risk management products, credit and mortgage reports, tenant and employment screening services, check fraud and verification services, and collection services to hundreds of thousands of customers across the United States and the globe.  Ms. Mack works with CDIA members and state lobbyists to promote the CDIA agenda in all 50 states.  Prior to joining CDIA, Ms. Mack worked with the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), a trade association representing commercial building contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers and related firms, for five years.  Chantele Mack has a bachelor of arts in International Relations and French from Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Rob McKenna
Attorney General
Washington
Rob McKenna is Washington's 17th Attorney General.  As the state's chief legal officer, he directs 460 attorneys and over 600 other employees providing legal services to state agencies, boards and commissions.  General McKenna is committed to providing statewide leadership in the battle against methamphetamine production, identity theft, child predators, domestic violence and counterterrorism activities.  McKenna received his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1988, where he was a member of the Law Review.  He earned a B.A. in Economics and a B.A. in International Studies, both with honors, from the University of Washington.  McKenna was student body president at the U.W. and graduated Phi Beta Kappa.  He has been an attorney for 17 years since beginning his career in 1988 at the Bellevue office of Perkins Coie, one of the nation's top 50 law firms.  In 1995, McKenna was elected to the Metropolitan King County Council.  He was re-elected twice without opposition and was twice rated "Outstanding" by the Municipal League.  A committed community leader, McKenna has raised hundreds of thousands for the Eastside Domestic Violence Program and the Bellevue Schools Foundation.  An Eagle Scout himself, McKenna continues to serve as a board member with the Chief Seattle Council of the Boy Scouts of America and the Bellevue Community College Foundation.

S. Joseph Simitian
State Senator
California
State Senator Joe Simitian was elected to the California State Senate in November 2004, to represent the 11th Senate District, which includes all or part of 13 cities in San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties.  His public service over the years also includes:  Assemblymember, California State Assembly; County Supervisor, Santa Clara County; Mayor, City of Palo Alto; President, Palo Alto School Board; Regional leadership as President of the Santa Clara County School Boards' Association; President of the League of California Cities Peninsula Division and Chairperson of the Santa Clara County Intergovernmental Council (IGC); Representative of the President of the United States, 1994 U.S. Delegation to Observe Elections in El Salvador; Elections Supervisor, 1997 and 1998 Bosnian Elections, Seconded by the U.S. Department of State, serving with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); and Volunteer, International Rescue Committee (IRC), 1999 refugee relief and resettlement efforts in Albania and Kosovo.  Senator Simitian graduated from the Colorado College cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts and received a Master of Arts in International Policy Studies from Stanford University and a Master of City Planning from the University of California, Berkeley.  He enarned his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall).  Senator Joe Simitian is an attorney, businessman and city planner.  He is a member of the California State Bar and the American Planning Association, and holds an AICP certification from the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Donna Stone
State Representative
Delaware
Representative Stone is a life-long resident of Kent County and an alumnus of Dover High School.  A graduate of Northwestern University, she currently works as a real estate broker.  A mother of two, Representative Stone was first elected to the State House in 1994.  The 32^nd District Representative has recently been reelected to her fifth consecutive term in office.  During the recently concluded two-year 141^st General Assembly session, Representative Stone was the prime sponsor of 17 bills that were signed into law.  Many of the measures relied on her detailed knowledge of the banking, insurance and real estate industries.  As the chair of the House Economic Development, Banking & Insurance Committee, Representative Stone is often sought out for her expertise on financial issues.  She is also vice-chair of the House Housing & Community Affairs Committee and a member of the House Revenue & Finance, Business/Corporations/Commerce, Tourism and Veterans Affairs Committees.  The 32^nd Representative District was redrawn as part of the federally mandated reapportionment process that brought changes to each of the General Assembly’s 62 legislative districts.  Following the general election, the district continues to include Rodney Village, Dover Air Force Base, and part of the City of Dover.  It also includes the new areas of Little Creek and Kitts

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Wireless Communications and Governmental Regulation: What is the Proper Balance?

Representative Phil Barnhart
900 Court St. NE H-477
Salem, OR 97301
503- 986-1411
rep.philbarnhart@state.or.us
State Representative Barnhart is in his third term in the Oregon House.  His primary interests are in Education and Human Services funding.  He is a former practicing psychologist, adjunct faculty member at the University of Oregon and past president of Oregon Mental Health Associates.  An attorney, Representative Barnhart received his B.A. and J.D. from the University of Oregon and Ph.D. from the California School of Professional Psychology. 

Janee Biesemeister, Senior Policy Analyst
Consumers Union
1300 Guadalupe, Ste. 100
Austin, TX  78704
512- 477- 4431 ext. 117
brieja@consumer.org
Janee Briesemeister is a Senior Policy Analyst for Consumers Union Southwest.  A nationally recognized advocate on utility and telecommunications,  Ms. Briesemeister has been with Consumers Union for over 16 years.   She currently is the manager for Consumers Union's campaign focused on improving the wireless phone market -- http://www.escapecellhell.org/The campaign is part of Consumers Union's ongoing efforts to address the impacts of deregulation and improve governmental oversight of utility markets on consumers.  The Southwest Office, located in Austin, Texas, is one of three public interest advocacy offices maintained by Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports.   Ms. Briesemeister holds a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin and a M.A. in communications from the University of Texas at Austin.

Charles M. Davidson
501 Blairstone Road, #2524|
Tallahassee, FL  32301
646- 229 - 5283
VoIP 646- 201 - 5259
Fax 877- 471-3990
From 2003-2005, Mr. Davidson served as a Governor Bush appointee to the Florida Public Service Commission, the body that oversees Florida’s telecommunications, electric, gas, and water industries. As regulator, Mr. Davidson focused on policy reforms to encourage innovation, investment, and the delivery of services to consumers without legacy regulation. In 2000, Mr. Davidson joined the Office of Governor Bush, as the Executive Director of Florida's Information Technology Taskforce. In that role, he was responsible for developing forward-looking, technology-driven public policies.  In 2001, Mr. Davidson was recruited by the Florida House of Representatives to launch the State's first Committee on Information Technology. He currently serves as the CEO of ITFlorida a not-for-profit organization that is focused on developing technology-related public policies.  From 1993 to 2000, Mr. Davidson was an attorney resident in the New York Office of Baker & McKenzie and, subsequently, the New York Office of Duane Morris.  Mr. Davidson was responsible for an array of regulatory, commercial, international, and technology matters in the United States and abroad. While in New York, Mr. Davidson served as Special Professor of Law at Hofstra University School of Law.  Mr. Davidson speaks frequently on technology and public policy issues and has testified before Congress on the telecommunications issues. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate, Mr. Davidson holds a Masters of Law in Trade Regulation from New York University. He also holds a Masters in International Business from Columbia University. Mr. Davidson received his baccalaureate and juris doctorate degrees from the University of Florida, where he served as a fellowship instructor at the College of Law.

Sheryl A. Wright
Director of State Government Affairs
Sprint Corporation
6200 Sprint Parkway
Overland, KS  66204
913-315-9104
Sheryl Wright, Director of State Government Affairs for Sprint Corporation, manages all state and local legislative efforts in 32 states.  She also oversees all nationwide legislative trends that have impact on the industry or Sprint.  In addition to her role in legislative matters, she is the Sprint PAC Chairperson responsible for employee PAC fundraising and disbursement of political contributions nationwide.  She has testified in hundreds of regulatory and legislative proceedings over her 25 year tenure in the industry.  She has spoken to NCSL and other legislative associations on issues ranging from rights-of-way to wireless use restrictions.  She served seven years as the Alliance Chairperson for NCSL’s Women’s Legislative Network.  She received a Bachelor of Business Administration with honors from Southwestern College and a Master of Business Administration from Kansas State University. 

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