Conference Speakers

Gene Crick is Executive Director of the TeleCommunity Resource Center (TCRC) a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working to develop community Internet tools and networks, especially in underserved areas. TCRC brought free public Internet access to twenty-five Texas towns and cities. TCRC's national program includes resources and outreach to support local CN builders, plus working to bring online network resources to communities throughout Texas. Described as one of the country's leading experts in community uses of Internet technology, he is advisor to the state's strategic plan for information technology, as well as an architect of Texas Community Network grant programs. Gene is also Executive Director of the Texas Internet Service Providers Association (TISPA), the country's largest regional ISP association, as well as Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network (MAIN), one of the country's oldest and most successful online community networks. Gene works with, and serves on several federal and international boards and commissions, and has won numerous awards for leadership in community networks, including a Presidential Medal in 2001 for Service in the Field of Telecommunications, the Susan B. Hadden Award for Public Service in Telecom, and was named by Texas Monthly as one of Texas's 25 most influential technology leaders. Gene currently serves as the President of the Association for Community Networking and as a member on the CTCNet Advisory Council, Telecommunications Policy Research Conference (TPRC) Program Committee, and Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) Rural Telecommunications Panel.

Richard Cutler has served as the Director of Policy and Research for the TeleCommunity Resource Center since December 2002. His expertise in social applications of IT, such as education and healthcare, Cutler broadens the services that TCRC offers to member organizations. Prior to joining TCRC, Dr. Cutler was the research consultant on an evaluation of the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations' Hate Crime Victim Assistance and Advocacy Initiative. Following receipt of his Doctorate in Communication Technology & Policy from the University of Texas, Richard served two years as a Senior Research Associate in Information Technology for the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute at the Claremont Graduate University in California.  Dr. Cutler's policy studies and research publications include the topics of: Communication technology and rural economic development; Best practices in providing Internet access to disadvantaged populations; and Evaluation of US Dept. of Commerce's NTIA Technology Opportunity Program (TOP) projects that serve Hispanics.

Steve Farabee is the Vice President of Digital Online Services, Time Warner Cable Austin Division. As Vice President of Digital Online Services for Time Warner Cable's Austin Division, Mr. Farabee launched the online operations in Central Texas and is responsible for the ongoing operations of the Road Runner high-speed online service in Austin, Round Rock, San Marcos and surrounding areas served by Time Warner Cable. Farabee introduced innovative marketing and service programs to appeal and fulfill the needs of Austin's high tech. community. Under Mr. Farabee's direction, Time Warner Cable Austin reached the 10,000 Road Runner subscriber milestones faster than any other Division and was the first Division to install 100 customers in one day! Many of Farabee's marketing and service programs have been implemented nationally in other Time Warner Divisions. Road Runner is now the largest Internet service provider in Central Texas. Mr. Farabee recently served as the telecommunications cluster leader for the 2001 Greater Austin@Work Summit and is now an active board member for the Austin Community College Downtown Education Center. Mr. Farabee, is a 19-year veteran of the cable industry holding positions in sales, marketing and operations. Mr. Farabee is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration.

Julie Fesenmaier is an economic geographer with expertise in community and economic development.  Ms. Fesenmaier provides technical support to University of Illinois Extension Educators in the areas of community needs and resource assessment and information technology.  As Director of the Community Survey Program, she has assisted more than 100 communities and organizations to develop and analyze the results of their community surveys as they initiate local strategic planning.  With a research focus related to how emerging technologies will change the face of rural communities, she has directed several projects funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Illinois Board of Higher Education - Higher Education Cooperation Act, and the Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research to explore how rural communities are using communication and information technologies to further their community development initiatives. She has partnered with Illinois community colleges and local leaders from rural communities to use communication and information technologies to enhance their community development initiatives.  Currently, Ms Fesenmaier directs the evaluation of a Community Technology Centers project across Illinois and the Department of Commerce funded St. Louis WizKids initiative (assessing the impact of a wireless network on the creation of a learning environment for students living within an inner city housing development.)  Ms. Fesenmaier is the creator of the online Community Development Toolbox featuring user driven community development tools to help local leaders conduct community surveys, benchmark progress on community development initiatives; assess local telecommunications infrastructure, evaluate community Internet sites, and create tourism strategic plans.  Her work developing these etools has broadened the reach of the Laboratory for Community and Economic Development as she connects with communities well beyond the geographic boundaries of Illinois.  Her contribution to Internet product development has earned her the 1999 College of Agricultural Consumer and Environmental Sciences Innovative Staff Award.

Blair Calvert Fitzsimons has diverse experience working with philanthropic organizations and foundations. She has recently completed a project for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop the Texas High School Project, a $130 million public-private partnership with the State of Texas and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. Ms. Fitzsimons has also worked with non-profit and philanthropic organizations to provide strategic planning, program development, and board development. She previously served as Chairman of the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Board, a state agency which awarded approximately $200 million annually to schools, hospitals, and libraries; and has served on numerous boards, including chairman of the Wintergarden Women's Shelter, which serves a five-county area of the Texas-Mexico Border, and chairman of HRM of Texas, which provides conflict resolution and management strategies for natural resource managers and rural communities.

Kristin Gossett is Executive Director of the Austin Idea Network, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Central Texas by mobilizing leaders in the high technology industry. She has directed the organization's strategic partnerships, action projects, fundraising and communication since its inception in 2000.  She brings ten years of experience in directing public relations and fundraising activities for non-profit and corporate clients.  Prior to joining the Idea Network, Kristin served as Director of Development for Junior Achievement of Central Texas where she helped the organization expand its revenue base by more than 150% and its students served by 350% over five years. Previously, she served as Account Executive in the Austin office of DC Communications/Fleishman-Hillard, an international public relations agency.  Other experience includes positions with Study Breaks Magazine and the University of Texas Ex-Students Association.  Kristin serves on the Austin Partners in Education Executive Board, the Central Texas Indicators Project Advisory Board, the Austin Free-Net Collaborative Board, and the Assessment and Planning Committee of the Community Action Network.  Kristin is a board member of the privately held Transaction Systems Inc, a software solutions firm.  She encourages entrepreneurship through volunteering with Junior Achievement and local business incubators.  Kristin is an active member of the Young Women's Alliance, the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association and the Leadership Austin Class of 2001-2002.  Kristin holds a Bachelor of Journalism in Public Relations from the University of Texas at Austin.

Debbie Kiewit is Manager of TaylorCNET, the Taylor Community Network.  Ms. Kiewit received her Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Texas Tech University and immediately went to work for Southwestern Bell in their accelerated Manager’s program.  Her time with Southwestern Bell spanned eight years where she advanced steadily and worked in various departments in Dallas, St. Louis, and Austin.  She resigned from SBC in 1998 to stay home with her children.  Upon resuming her career, Ms. Kiewit went to work for the Taylor Economic Development Corporation as an Administrative Assistant before taking the position of Project Manager for TaylorCNET.  Upon the successful implementation of the TIF grant which created Taylor’s Community Network.  Ms. Kiewit continued on as Manager of the project. 

Sherry Lambert is the Director of the El Paso Area Libraries Consortium where she provides leadership in meeting the goals of the organization, strategic planning, budget development and implementation, grant acquisition and implementation, supervision of contractors, and successful partner and community relations.  While Director, she also oversaw the implementation of the $500,000 TIF community networking grant.  She has served as a public school district administrator for 20 years prior to being the Director of EPAL.  Ms. Lambert has a proven record of success in working with the El Paso community and various organizations to achieve a goal.  She has served as chairperson for Congressman Reyes Educational Advisory Panel and as creator and chairperson for the Border Educational Technology Conference now called International Networking Conference, for the El Paso region.  She holds a B.S. in Education from the University of Texas at El Paso and a M. E. in Supervision, Education form Sul Ross State University. 

Greg Laudeman develops and delivers information technology-enabled economic development solutions as member of the Georgia Tech Economic Development Institute. Greg recently completed a Master of Science Degree in Public Policy, with concentrations in Information Technology Policy and Economic Development Policy at Georgia Tech. Prior to attending Tech he worked for BellSouth Business Systems (BBS) as a liaison between the CIO and end-users, and as a Systems Designer, developing telecommunication solutions for major customers. Greg has also worked as a Technical Consultant for MCI, and as a Telecommunication and Wide-Area Network Specialist for Intelligent Systems and Networking in Chattanooga. He has a Master of Arts degree in Information and Telecommunications Systems from Michigan State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Electronic Media from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. With additional professional experience in electronic media, graphic arts, computer support and training, and as an entrepreneur, Greg is uniquely qualified to link technology and community economic development. Paralleling his professional experience Greg has worked as an organizer, facilitator, and member of various voluntary groups focused on bicycle advocacy, amateur athletics, and community networking. He serves communities all over Georgia, but concentrates his efforts in north Georgia, and resides in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with his wife, Lynn, and daughter, Annabelle Jean.

Jon Lebkowsky is CEO of Polycot, an Austin, Texas company focusing on computer networks and software tools for effective collaboration and communication. He's worked as a project manager, technology director, and online community developer, but he's also known for his writing (mostly about technoculture) and various high-visibility Internet projects over the last decade-plus. He was cofounder and CEO of one of one of the first virtual corporations, FringeWare, Inc.  He's hosted several conferences on the WELL, worked as a writer and host at Howard Rheingold's Electric Minds, and and moderated chat events at HotWired. In 1997 he joined Whole Foods Market to help coordinate the development of their Internet, intranet, and e-commerce initiatives. He's written for publications such as Wired Magazine, Mondo 2000, 21C, Whole Earth Review, Fringe Ware Review, and the Austin Chronicle. His popular weblog is at http://www.weblogsky.com.  Jon is President of EFF-Austin, a member of the Austin Free-Net Board of Directors and the steering committee for the Austin Clean Energy Initiative, and member of the steering committee for the annual South by Southwest Interactive conference. He is currently leading a research project on the economic impact of wireless telecommunications for IC², an Austin think tank associated with the University of Texas.

Adina Levin has over 13 years of experience in strategic marketing and product planning in a variety of emerging high-tech markets.  At Vignette Corporation, a leading provider of Internet content management software, Levin served as Senior Director of Corporate Strategy, a role that included product strategy and planning, marketing strategy and operations, and management consulting in the areas of mergers, acquisitions, and distribution.  Prior to Vignette, Levin was co-founder and partner in Fastwater LLP, a research and consulting firm focusing on ebusiness marketing and metrics.  Prior to Fastwater, Levin served as senior consultant in the Document Software Strategies group at CAP Ventures, where she specialized in emerging Internet collaboration and publishing. At CAP Ventures, Levin also managed a major multi-client study on the Future of Paper analyzing the ways that electronic media will transform the ways that business and individuals use paper and print.  Before joining CAP Ventures, Levin tracked the markets for traditional and digital publishing for seven years at BIS Strategic Decisions where she designed, managed, and authored numerous market research studies.

Richard Lowenberg is an artist, environmental designer and tele-social activist.  He has been Executive Director of the Davis Community Network (www.dcn.org) and the Yolo Area Regional Network since 1996.   Supported entirely by local institutional partners and an ISP for the past four years, DCN, developed with early support from CalTrans, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Army Corps of Engineers, USGS National Spatial Data Infrastructure Program, California Smart Communities Project, Great Valley Center and its core local partners.   Richard has served as Board Officer for the Association for Community Networking, and has actively participated in the Global Community Networking Partnership since 2000.   He served on the National Research Council: Computer Science and Telecommunications Board's 'First Mile' Broadband Committee, publishing "Broadband: Bringing Home the Bits" in early 2002.  Richard was a founding Director of the Telluride Institute and its InfoZone Program, in Telluride, CO, from 1984 to 1996.  Telluride became a pioneering example of rural community internetworking, showcasing a wireless community WAN by 1995.   He served on the Board of the Colorado Advanced Technology Institute's Rural Telecommunications Project; was web author of the "Rural Telecommunication Investment Guide", funded by the US DOC-EDA (1995); and worked on the 1996 NTIA-TIIAP funded "Maps for People" project.  Richard has been a speaker, writer and consultant on 'Tele-Community Development', 'Networked Economics' and 'Information Ecology' issues in the US, Europe, Latin America and Japan.   His media, performance and installation art works have received prestigious grants and awards and have been exhibited and published internationally over more than thirty years.

Richard MacKinnon is the founder of the Austin Wireless City Project, a volunteer organization charged with improving the quality and availability of public free wifi in Austin. The Project's rapidly network of hotspots is community-owned and -managed and has a thriving population of nearly 1500 Austinites and visitors. MacKinnon is also CEO of Less Networks, a provider of free software and services to wireless user groups and community network organizations. He's a past president of EFF-Austin, former board member of the ACLU of Texas, and founding chair of the ACLU of Texas CyberLiberties Project. He lives in Austin, Texas.

Brewster McCracken was elected to Austin City Council Place 5 in the 2003 election.  Council Member McCracken is a lawyer and community volunteer with extensive public policy experience in environmental and economic issues.  Brewster established a mentor program at Johnston High School, and he also served as a mentor at Fulmore Middle School and volunteered in Austin schools through the CHOICES program. He has served as a member of the United Way Safety & Security Committee, as a board member of the Austin Public Library Foundation and as a deacon in his church. In addition to his volunteer work, Brewster writes fiction; the Austin Writers’ League selected his novel as a finalist in its manuscript competition.  Brewster practices law with the Austin-based firm DuBois, Bryant, Campbell & Schwartz, LLP. Prior to joining DuBois Bryant, he worked as an assistant district attorney with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. Brewster was appointed to the faculty of the University of Texas School Of Law as a Specialist during the 2000-2001 school year. As a volunteer mock trial coach, he led the law school’s mock trial teams to a state championship in 1999 and state finalist finish in 2000 in the statewide competition between all Texas law schools.  Brewster holds a masters degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs, and he is an honors graduate of the University of Texas School of Law and Princeton University. Brewster attended Princeton on a full scholarship through the U.S. Army and served as an officer in the Army Reserve from 1988 to 1996.  After graduating from Princeton in 1988, Brewster worked as a Legislative Assistant on environmental issues for U.S. Congressman Porter Goss, the Floridian who first achieved national prominence in the early 1970’s for implementing the Sanibel Comprehensive Land Use Plan. (The Sanibel Plan was one of the nation’s first environmentally-oriented urban land use plans and is still a model for local governments.) While he lived in D.C., Brewster volunteered for two years as an English as a Second Language teacher to Latin American immigrants.  Brewster is married to Mindy Montford McCracken, who serves as a felony prosecutor with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office.

Wayne McDilda is currently the Enterprise Solutions Architect for GeoPartnerships, Incorporated, an Austin based consulting company. He was the creator of the first state government website in 1993 and in 1994 was awarded the Grace Hopper Memorial Scholarship by the Federation of Government Information Processing Councils. Mr. McDilda has over 20 years of programming, analysis, design and system management related to the use of computers and networks in state government and the private sector. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Park College in Parkville, Missouri. His interests include electronic commerce, security, directory services and open source software. In the last 7 years he has specialized in strategic technology research, optimizing use of public networks, advancing the use of appropriate advanced technology within institutions, and evangelizing cross-organizational use of computers, networks and data through standards. For over 2 years he hosted a radio show, "Inside the Internet", and he frequently gives presentations on technology and the Internet. He currently serves as volunteer administrator of the Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network (MAIN). When he is not pushing bits around, he can be found playing saxophone in the Austin Symphonic Band.

Ben Mueller, MS is an Assistant Director for the Center for Rural Health Professions University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford and an Extension Specialist, Community Development, for the University of Illinois Extension.   He shares curriculum development and teaching responsibilities for the Center’s Rural Health Preceptorship and the Quentin N. Burdick Rural Interdisciplinary Training grant and directs community activities for these programs.  Ben has written curricula and taught short courses and workshops on conflict resolution, community networks, organization leadership, and other topics related to community leadership development for the Peace Corps Fellows Programs at Illinois State University and Western Illinois University, the Rural Medical Education Program of the School of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Rockford, the Illinois Department of Public Health, Center for Rural Health and for numerous community, state-wide and national conferences.  His current research projects include the impact of communication and information technologies on rural communities, and sense of community and the impact of Hispanic newcomers on rural communities.  He is the creator and director of New Horizons (Nuevos Horizontes) a Spanish language outreach education program designed for Hispanic immigrants to the U.S. and distributed to over 100 radio stations and organizations across the U.S. and Latin America.  New Horizons debuted on the Sirius Satellite Radio network in the Fall of 2003.  New Horizon’s website: www.nuevoshorizontes.org is an innovative Spanish language website with an extensive, searchable archive of audio Spanish language materials.

Anne Neville is a Project Coordinator with CTCNet, primarily working to implement "Connections for Tomorrow", a cash grant and technical assistance program for community technology programs. Prior to her work at CTCNet, Anne opened and directed a PC and MAC lab in San Diego's North Park neighborhood. Anne currently serves as the Chair of the San Diego Community Technology Coalition (SDCTC), a volunteer organizations working with over 150 organizations and individuals interested in Community Technology. Additionally, she is a member of the Steering Committee and Working Group for the California Community Technology Policy Group (CCTPG) and is an alternate to the CA Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee.

Frank Odasz, M.A., President and CEO, Lone Eagle Consulting, Dillon, Montana
Born in Cody, Wyoming, in 1952, Frank Odasz has been a carpenter, oil field roughneck, dude ranch manager, college professor and is now a "Lone Eagle" - that is, an independent instructional entrepreneur living on a ranch eight miles southwest of Dillon, Montana. Modeling western individualism by pioneering the electronic frontier, Frank is living proof the Internet can be used to allow rural citizens to retain their cherished rural lifestyle. Lone Eagle Consulting champions the cause of creating more rural Lone Eagles able to live and work anywhere they choose.  In 1982 Frank attended the University of Wyoming to learn the benefits that computers and telecommunications could bring to rural citizens. As one of the early pioneers of both online learning and community networking, he founded the Big Sky Telegraph network in 1988. This was one of the first online systems to offer online courses for rural educators in over one hundred one-room schoolhouses in Montana. He directed this program until 1998.  Frank served on the founding boards for both the Consortium for School Networking and the Association for Community Networking. Frank has been a very popular presenter providing rural community workshops for the Kellogg "Managing Information in Rural America" project, workshops for educators for the International Thinkquest Competition, CTCnet national conferences, AFCN-cosponsored community networking conferences, and has advised on grant applications for the Hewlett Packard Digital Village initiative, as well as U.S. Dept. of Ed. Office of Migrant Education technology projects. In 2002, he created Rural Ecommerce and Telework Strategies as a non-credit first online course specifically for rural learners. Currently over 40 rural adults, and 20 Athabascan High School youth are enrolled in the Rural Ecommerce course. Frank has been the keynote speaker for the Rural Workforce national conference three years in a row and for many other Ecommerce conferences including the National Native American Employment and Training conference, 2003. Additional Ecommerce presentations are listed at http://lone-eagles.com/new.htm.  Frank has been teaching rural citizens and teachers consecutively since 1988. Among the other online courses he has created are Classroom Collaboration on the Internet; Mentoring Online; How to Create and Teach an Online Class; Making the Best Use of Internet for K-12 Instruction; and Designing Online Curriculum for K-12 Instruction. Frank teaches online graduate courses for Alaska Pacific University, Seattle Pacific University and the non-credit Ecommerce course for Idaho State University.  Specializing in fast-track Internet training for rural, remote, and indigenous learners for the last 20 years, Frank has traveled over half a million miles presenting at national and international conferences on online learning, community networking, and rural Ecommerce. Frank has diverse experience working with Alaskan villages and rural communities. Frank's work has been recognized for excellence by four congressional reports, the White House, and dozens of books and publications.

Judith Pepper is formerly the Executive Director of La Plaza Telecommunity, one of the first community technology centers and networks in the United States. La Plaza Telecommunity was honored with one of the 1999 AOL Rural Telecommunication Leadership Awards in Innovative Technology for building a wireless Internet system in the northern most mountainous village of Questa, NM. She assisted the La Plaza Board and Members in dissolving the 501c3 agency in 2002. Judith has been deservedly named, by the New Mexico Business Journal, as "...an active and dedicated leader in New Mexico," and was recently honored by Taos Mayor Fred Peralta with a Certificate of Appreciation for building the telecommunications infrastructure in Northern New Mexico. Ms. Pepper, a leading consultant for nonprofit organizations, has over thirty years experience successfully developing both strategic planning and managing complex projects in the nonprofit arenas. Her many years of community involvement, throughout the United States, have demonstrated her ability to work with different communities and in multicultural environments. She is a regular speaker of technology use with community and economic development, including Texas Tech University, Abilene Christian College, Fort Morgan Colorado Community College, Quanah Texas Economic Development, Rural Telecom Conferences held at Aspen Institute, US Department of Commerce Economic Development conference, and many other communities and nonprofit organizations. Pepper has just completed her 3-year term on the Board of the Association for Community Networks. She is now offering consulting expertise in planning, designing, and implementing special projects for nonprofit agencies and community based organizations.

Sally Rawlins Principal of Rawlins & Associates, Communication Consultation, in Sanderson, Terrell County Texas, practices rural economic development.  Her primary interests are to bring advanced technology to rural and frontier Far West Texas, and to do so by building community networks. She and partner, Angela Kennedy were primary initiators of the Terrell County Community Network, Terrell County TeleCommunity. Angela is Operations Co-Director, and Sally is Development Director of the TIF-funded community network, CactusNet, now a year old. Schooling, education, training, and experience added focus to Sally's current interests. She returned home to West Texas after working as a behavioral specialist and liaison among schools, psychiatric hospitals, and public agencies in Atlanta, Georgia. Her first formal study of community networking culminated with summer study under Ivan Illich in Cuernavaca, 1970, and her participation in TCRC conferences, since 1998, and her work with Texas Telecom are highlights of her current experience.

David Robertson, President, STIC.NET, LP, a Texas Based ISP. Robertson was the second employee hired in October 1995. While beginning as Director of Marketing, soon was instrumental in leading the company to the position of dominant ISP in the San Antonio Market (San Antonio Business Journal, 1997,1998).  President of the Texas Internet Service Provider's Association (TISPA). Under Robertson's leadership, the association has become the largest state ISP association in the country. The Federal Communications Commission has attested that TISPA has been more effective in influencing national policy than all other ISP trade associations/groups combined. Taking a direct role in the challenges to the association, Robertson is the primary negotiator to the FCC, U.S. Congress, the house commerce committee, the Public Utilities Commission of Texas. Led the negotiations in Texas with SBC to the most comprehensive telecom agreement to date between ISPs and a RBOC (Regional Bell Operating Company).  Robertson has been in the professional Sales Development and personal training fields for over 19 years. Robertson began marketing of computers in the early '80s, and went on to becoming Vice President of Dale Carnegie Training for the San Antonio / Austin region. 

Chip Rosenthal is an engineer, with experience designing and implementing Internet systems and applications. He currently is an independent consultant in Austin, Texas, operating as Unicom Systems Development <http://www.unicom.com/>. He has been a user and developer of open source software before that term even existed. Chip is a director of EFF-Austin, a local electronic civil liberties organization. He was recently appointed to a seat on the City of Austin Telecommunications Commission. He helped establish the Internet Training Center at the Riverside Drive Library, Austin's oldest continual running free community Internet training program. He is active in the anti-spam community. Earlier this year, he achieved some notoriety defending his domain from a reverse-hijacking lawsuit, and ultimately prevailing.

Peggy D. Rudd has served as the Director and Librarian of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission since October 1999.  Prior to her return to her native state of Texas, Peggy served as the Chief of the Bureau of Library Development at the State Library of Florida, from 1994 to 1999.  Between 1988 and 1994, Peggy served as the Assistant Director for Planning, Evaluation, and Research in the Library and Networking Division of the Virginia State Library and Archives.  Prior to that time, Peggy worked for five years with the Northeast Texas Library System, three years with the Central Texas Library System, and five years with the Austin Public Library.  Peggy has a B.A. in English and Political Science from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, and received her M.L.S. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975.  Peggy is passionate about libraries and believes wholeheartedly in their power to enrich and invigorate individuals, institutions, and communities.

Charlie Scott is a member of the Board of Directors and longtime technical advisor to the Austin Free-Net, whose goal is to ensure that underserved communities can access and effectively use the Internet and computer technologies in public spaces throughout Greater Austin. Established as a non-profit organization in 1995, the Austin Free-Net has grown to 40 public computer labs and computer classes available free of charge at public libraries, community centers, and public agencies. In 1994 Charlie co-founded OuterNet, one of Austin's early ISPs and a founding sponsor of the Free-Net.  He is currently an Information Security Analyst for the City of Austin, and is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

Ana Sisnett is Executive Director of Austin Free-Net, a non-profit corporation established in 1995. Austin Free-Net’s mission is to ensure that underserved communities can access and effectively use the Internet and computer technologies in public places throughout Greater Austin. Throughout the '90s, as a co-"Technomama," Ana provided multilingual training about the Internet as a tool for activism to national and international non-governmental organizations working on the UN Human Rights and Women's conferences. Her activism has included community media and cultural productions, anti-oppression workshops, and HIV/AIDS-related initiatives. Most recently, Sisnett and Austin Free-Net were featured on the cover of the Austin Chronicle’s 2003 Best of Austin issue, when AFN was voted  "Best Internet Safety Net and Digital Divide Bridge." Ana is also among community technology leaders in the U.S. given the Education Technology Think Tank (ET3) 2003 Technology to Empower Communities (TEC) Champion Award . In 2000, Texas Monthly Biz cited Sisnett as one “The 25 Most Powerful Texans in High Tech,” and she is the recipient of the City of Austin’s 2001 Susan G. Hadden Telecommunity Award. Sisnett is also the proud “Gran’ma Ana” of the fiery toddler, Ashley Mia.  In early 2003, Ana began her first “blog” (web+ log =”blog,” or online journal) in preparation for “Conceptual Firewalls,” a SXSW panel discussing the viability of blogs as tools for democratic participation.  Since then, she’s been intrigued with the joys, challenges, politics, and hype around social software for personal publishing, open content projects, and related intellectual property issues in the current political and economic climate. Ana reflects on these issues, community technology, and communications as a human rights issue at mamawire.easyjournal.com. AFN’s AmeriCorps*VISTAs and Tech Manager, John Neale, also keep blogs at afnvista.easyjournal.com and afntech.easyjournal.com, respectively. Articles on Austin Free-Net in the “land” of blogs will be published in upcoming issues of Community Technology Review and Nonprofit Quarterly.

Whitney Sklar currently works full-time in the Telecommunications Division of the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA).  There, she facilitates communication between engineers and potential telecommunications system users. She also works very closely within the agency and outside the agency (with Electrical Cooperatives and Transit Authorities) that utilize the LCRA 900Mhz trunked radio system for both communication and safety purposes.  Prior to working for the LCRA, Sklar worked for the Texas Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund (TIF) Board for 5.5 years.  This state agency was charged with disbursing $1.5 billion to public schools, libraries, institutions of higher education, and non-profit healthcare organizations for telecommunications and connectivity.  Sklar was the Research & Information Specialist in the agency who worked closely with the constituents.  She developed the agency’s collateral, worked with the Texas State Legislature in developing statewide plans and reports, produced quarterly newsletters, acted as the media liaison for the agency, produced press releases, and maintained a close working relationship with the 9 member governing Board.  Before working for the state, Sklar worked for Majic 95.5 and KVUE 24 (ABC) in Austin.  Sklar earned a Bachelor of Science in Radio, Television, & Film in Communications from the University of Texas at Austin.  Sklar is currently working on achieving her Masters degree from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. 

Paul Smolen has over twenty years of experience in regulatory compliance and infrastructure development. He manages cable television needs assessments, prepares municipal policy reviews and assists with franchise fee audits. He also prepares feasibility studies and business plans for telecommunications networks. In addition, Paul assists utilities and other entities with the implementation of plans regarding electric deregulation.  Since leaving the City of Austin in 1998, Paul has managed projects related to the telecommunications, cable television and electric utility industries. Clients included public and private sector organizations that were responding to their options under new legislation or preparing to exercise their options in the telecommunications and electric markets.  From 1993 to 1998, Paul worked for the City of Austin, Texas. He served as the Regulatory Affairs Officer, where he negotiated licenses and franchises for cable television and telecommunications providers. In addition, his duties involved rights-of-way management, telecommunications tower siting, Internet public service delivery and other economic development initiatives. Paul holds a Masters in Communications and a Masters in Public Affairs from The University of Texas at Austin. Paul founded, and was the first President of, the Texas Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (TATOA) and is a board member of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA). In addition to being a licensed real estate broker, Paul has taught numerous college-level courses.

Stephen Snow is founder and president of Community Consulting, a community-oriented Internet and technology-consulting firm based in Charlotte, NC, and Senior Consultant with Texas Telecom, Inc. He was founder and executive director of Charlotte's Web, a national award winning regional Community Network based in Charlotte. In 1996-97, Charlotte's Web was named the best Community Network in the United States. Mr. Snow background in communication and information technology includes 25 years as a magazine editor and journalist. He has worked as a writer, columnist and editor for The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Independent, Clearwater (Fla.) Sun, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, The Charlotte (N.C.) News and The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer. In 1993, he founded Charlotte's Web and in 1995 left The Observer to run Charlotte's Web full time. He is a regular speaker for and promoter of Community Networking nationally and internationally and is a founder, board member and past president of the U.S. Association For Community Networking. In 1998, The Los Angeles Times listed Snow among "unsung heroes of the Digital Age." In July 1999, he left Charlotte's Web to start Community Consulting, providing community visioning, technology consulting, organizational and community networking development. He has worked with local governments in Charlotte, NC, Columbus, NE, Salt Lake City, Harrisburg, PA; the National Recreation and Parks Association, the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the Benton Foundation, the Bertlesmann Foundation, the Morino Institute, US Commerce Department, the Sonoco (Packaging) Corp., Community Commerce Network (CCNAmerica Inc.), Commercial Insurance Partners of North Carolina and many other communities, corporations, governments and nonprofit organizations. He has a bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences from the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla., and is working toward a master's degree in counseling at UNC Charlotte.

Susan Soy is Manager/Archivist at the Austin History Center, Austin Public Library in Austin, TX.  As the local history collection of the Austin Public Library, the Austin History Center provides the public with information about the history, current events, and activities of Austin and Travis County.  The Center collects and preserves information about local governments businesses, residents, institutions, and neighborhoods so that generations to come will have access to our history.  Susan has been affiliated with MAIN as a volunteer since its inception and has generally been supportive of the community networking community locally.  Her interest in community networking largely centers on getting information to people in the community and, in her role as an archivist, on preserving an accurate image of society for the long term.

Dr. Sharon Strover is a professor in the Radio-TV-Film Department at the University of Texas where she teaches communications and telecommunications courses and also directs the Telecommunications and Information Policy Institute.  Some of her current research projects examine statewide networks and advanced broadband services, the digital divide in Texas, telecommunications infrastructure deployment and economic development in rural regions, and market structure and policy issues for international audio-visual industries. Dr. Strover has worked with the U.S. Federal Communication Commission, The Appalachian Regional Commission, the Office of Technology Assessment, the Rural Policy Institute, the Ford Foundation, the European Union, the Texas Public Utility Commission, Department of Information Resources and Department of Health and Human Services, The Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Board, and the Aspen Institute, among other organizations. She currently chairs the Rural Policy Institute's Telecommunications Panel and is on the steering committee for the Telecommunication Policy Research Conference. She is the former chair of the Mass Communication division for the International Communication Association.