Conference Speakers

Patti Clifford is Director of Operations for Texas Telecom, the country's leading consulting organization for community networks and technology.  In 2000 she directed technology network planning for more than 30 Texas  communities with a total budget of approximately 15 million dollars.   Clifford is also Associate Director of the national TeleCommunity  Resource Center and Director of the famed "Internet Roadshow" community  technology educational programs.  A twenty-year technology industry professional, she was a senior administrator with Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC),  worked five years with the Texas legislature and remains an active college technology teacher. She serves as coordinator of the 2001 TeleCommunity Bandwidth Conference, 2001 National Community Network Conference,  and Texas coordinator of the 2002 Community Technology Center Conference. 

Dr. Andrew Cohill is an information architect and has been the Director of the Blacksburg Electronic Village since it's start in 1993. Blacksburg has been widely hailed as the most wired community in the world, with more than 87% of the residents online by late 1999 , and more than half of those users have broadband access--the highest per capita use in the world.  The Blacksburg Electronic Village is a model for the development of community networks around the country, and much of Cohill's efforts are related to teaching others how to create sustainable community technology projects. He is co-chair of the Governor's Task Force on eCommunities for Virginia. Cohill is on the Board of Directors of the Association For Community Networks, and was recently reelected President of that organization for 2001-2002. He has published numerous papers, articles, and book chapters, and has spoken widely on networked information systems, the Internet, and software systems design. He is an author and co-editor of "Community Networks: Lessons Learned from Blacksburg, Virginia", now in its second edition. He is in wide national and international demand as a speaker and consultant on community use of technology because of his effectiveness in speaking clearly and simply about complex  technology issues, and his shrewd insights on the future of communities. Cohill is an expert on the planning and design of community networks, and has worked with more than 100 communities around the world. He is the co-founder of the Knowledge Democracy Center.

Gene Crick is Executive Director of the TeleCommunity Resource Center (TCRC) working to develop community Internet tools and networks, especially in underserved areas. This 501c3 nonprofit brought free public Internet access to twenty-five Texas towns and cities. Now, TCRC's 1999-2000 national program includes resources and outreach to support local CN builders, plus working with a multi-million dollar grant project designed to bring online network resources to communities throughout Texas.  Mr. Crick is also Executive Director of the Texas Internet Service Providers Association, the country's largest regional ISP association, and of the Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network (MAIN), one of the country's oldest and most successful online community networks and of the  Electronic Frontiers - Texas, and winner of the 1998 Susan B. Hadden award for public service in the field of telecommunications.  He works with and serves on federal and international boards and commissions and has won numerous awards for leadership in community networks.

Charlie Gowder has a BS Electrical Engineering from Oklahoma State University, an MS Instrumental Sciences - Graduate Institute of Technology, University of Arkansas with 26 years service with Southwestern Bell, 2 Years Yelm Telephone, Washington, 5 years Valley Telephone Cooperative General Manager since 1997.  His primary experience is Telephone Service Operations management

Ms. G facilitated two groundbreaking sessions of free "Linux Fundamentals" classes for the Austin community, working with local Community Technology & Training Centers (www.catf-austin.org/cttc/) and Linux User Groups. Ms. G has worked in the fields of education and public service for most of her life - when not exploring the world, educating herself, or raising a son. While she has used computers for years, she has only recently begun to aspire to true Geekdom (i.e. Linux at home). She is currently working for a textbook publisher, pursuing a Masters in Computer Science, and continuing projects with local Linux enthusiasts.

Gary Grogan has over 30 years of professional experience in public services.  Prior to joining KPMG’s Public Services Practice, Gary served in various capacities in the Texas Public School Sytem. He served as the Superintendent of schools in Wharton and Childress.  He also served as the Director of Programs at the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Board (TIFB) where he lead the agency in education and technology grant program development and evaluation.

Daniel Hernandez has been with KPMG’s Public Services Practice since February 1997.  Since joining the firm he has concentrated on the implementation of Performance Series 2.0 and the implementation of a Web Based Document Imaging and Workflow system for TNRCC.  Currently Mr. Hernandez leads the Software Development Team for the TexasOnline project.  He has over 8 years of programming experience and database design.   Mr. Hernandez received a BBA in Computer Information Systems from the University of Texas at Pan American with a minor in Management.  Mr. Hernandez has attended courses in Fast-Track to PowerBuilder and Mastering DataWindows in PowerBuilder.  He has also attended many Java courses such as SQLJ,  Enterprise Java Beans Architecture, and Java Server Pages

Drew Mackie is trained as an architect and planner, and has over the past 25 years, developed games for the creation and analysis of policies and tactics for clients in government, local government and business.  He is a past Chairman of the International Simulation and Gaming Association (ISAGA) and has also worked as a consultant in community involvement throughout the UK.  Working with David Wilcox, he is using games to persuade communities of the benefits of online working. These games are simple but effective card games that demonstrate what the technology can do and get local people to relate that to their own issues and aspirations. The games are used by agencies and communities throughout the UK. He is a member of the "Making the Net Work" group which is both UK and US based.

Brent Mears has 10 years of professional experience in public-sector at the federal, state, and local levels.  Prior to joining KPMG’s Resource Management Practice, Brent served in various capacities at the Texas Comptroller’s Office. He served as the Comptroller’s Federal Legislative Liaison in Washington, D.C., where he was lead analyst for organizational streamlining of federal government departments for the Vice President’s National Performance Review. He also served as lead analyst for Texas state government downsizing and organizational restructuring initiatives through the Texas Comptroller’s Performance Review (TPR). Recommended savings for these two initiatives totaled over $1 billion—of which about $450 million in savings has been enacted to date.  Brent also developed policy papers for TPR regarding management of Texas state agency fleets.   Brent also served as a managed competition and privatization policy analyst as a staff person for the Texas Council on Competitive Government while at the Comptroller’s Office.  In addition, Brent served as a member of the Comptroller’s internal Reengineering Steering Committee

Frank Odasz founded the Big Sky Telegraph Network, 1988-1998, one of the first online community networks to offer online courses. He was a co-founder of the Association for Community Networking (www.afcn.net) and the Consortium for School Networking (http://cosn.org). He was listed as one of the 100 most influential people in the microcomputer industry by Microtimes Magazine in 1990. In 1992, Big Sky Telegraph was included in the National Information Infrastructure White House Agenda report as a rural network model of excellence and similarly featured in four reports by the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment. Living in a remote location south of Dillon, Montana, Frank teaches two online graduate courses for educators (via a high speed, two-way Tachyon satellite dish) for Alaska Pacific University and Seattle Pacific University. Frank frequently presents on rural ecommerce, rural workforce development, community networking and online learning. Frank Odasz has been a carpenter, oil field roughneck, dude ranch manager, college professor and is now a "Lone Eagle," an independent instructional entrepreneur. He received his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of California-Davis, 1974. Frank attended the University of Wyoming to learn the benefits computers and telecommunications could bring to rural citizens and earned his MS in Instructional Technology, 1984. 

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, now a year old go to www. Cactusnet.org). 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.

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.  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).

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. 

Ryan Sullivan joined Austin Free-Net in August 2001 as an Americorps* VISTA member.  He holds a Masters degree in library and information science from the University of Texas and a Bachelors degree in English from the University of Michigan.  His interests include federal information policy and its effects on equitable access to information and telecommunications infrastructure.

Jim Ward is the founder and President of ClickFind, Inc., a Business-to-Business Application Service Provider that offers Internet portals, communications and e-commerce solutions to communities. He founded Real Time Internet Services in 1994, which pioneered the Internet’s first web-enabled database software, iPerForm, in 1995. Real Time was responsible for designing and deploying software technologies that migrated hundreds of communities and several thousand businesses to the Internet. ClickFind is actively involved in medical, insurance, agriculture and international development. ClickFind’s latest venture is the release of 211.com, a community driven, bilingual portal for health and human services information, enrollment and referral.  Mr. Ward holds a M.S. degree in Applied Economics from New Mexico State University and a B.S. in Agribusiness from Sul Ross State University. Mr. Ward is known for his work in designing national and international web-enabled database systems and communication applications for the public and private sectors.

David Wilcox initially worked as a London journalist writing about city planning issues.  He has since spent 20 years as a consultant and trainer in community participation, local partnerships, and community technology. He is the author of several books on these topics, and founder of UK Communities Online and Partnerships Online. He has visited the US regularly over the past six years for conferences and work with his US partner in Making the Net Work, Terry Grunwald. David lives in London.