ICANN At Large Nomination Application

At Large Candidate Page

Kevin Feldman

Email	kevinfeldman@excite.com
Region	North America

PROFESSIONAL
Employer(s)
Vice President Global Technology Charles Schwab Corp. San Francisco, CA
QUALIFICATIONS
Statement addressing the candidates qualifications and experience specifically relevant to (a) ICANN's technical and administrative responsibilities, and (b) your leadership and policy-level roles.
I've spent my career as an IT manager, working mainly in the private sector. Most relevant to the technical aspects of ICANN's work is my experience studying and later working at UCLA, designing and implementing large IP-based networks. We worked with IBM to implement one of the largest locally contained networks, spanning the UCLA campus. During this period, I did graduate-level research in computer science, focusing on network design. From this experience, I gained an understanding in two key areas relevant to ICANN's mission: First, the successful implementation and management of large and complex networks requires careful planning and balancing the competing demands of many different constituencies. I know how to work effectively with others who are drawn from diverse backgrounds, including technical, academic and non-technical communities. Second, I learned to be adaptive with planning. With the rapid changes in technologies, it's inevitable that the assumptions and plans ICANN adopts today will need to be continually reviewed and adjusted. I've spent the past two years studying and writing on a variety of technology policy topics at the JFK School of Government. It was there that ICANN captured my interest and I have closely followed its development and have done research in several policy areas, including access and outreach for underrepresented communities and governance frameworks for organizations. I have a B.A. in Linguistics and Computer Science from UCLA and an M.P.A. from the JFK School of Government at Harvard University.
ICANN RELATED INTERESTS
ICANN-related interests, including: (a) Employment and consulting relationships (b) Ownership or investment interests in any ICANN-related businesses (c) Official positions in any ICANN-related businesses or organizations
I have no ICANN related interests.
BACKGROUND
Background information, personal statement, URL, or other information you would like posted in connection with your name on the ICANN website.
In reviewing the backgrounds of other at large member nominees, it strikes me that few have experience in public policy. It's no surprise that so many engineers and lawyers should be interested in governing ICANN given its mission, but wouldn't there be some value in promoting a diversity of skills on its board? Though I have a technical background, I am not an engineer and have very limited legal training. What I offer instead is the pragmatism of a Fortune 500 manager, along with the training of how to craft good public policy. I believe an important role of At Large Board Members should be to represent those who feel their voices are currently not being heard within ICANN. As a still new organization, ICANN has a unique opportunity to structure itself in such a way that it engenders trust and respect among all constituencies -- users, content providers, and network operators. I will work to promote clear accountability and transparency in all decision making. Though the vast majority of its decisions are likely to be technical in nature, very few technical decisions are truly value-neutral. If elected, I will work hard to ensure that we consider both the technical and social impact of each decision.
OFFICIAL STATUS
Status as an official of a national government or a multinational entity established by treaty or other agreement between national governments, such as an elected official or employee of a government or multinational entity.
None