Public Interest Registry named 4 new members to its Advisory Council

Public Interest Registry (PIR) announced the selection of four new members to its Advisory Council, which is composed of leaders and activists from a broad spectrum of mission-driven organizations around the world.

The Advisory Council helps PIR in its mission to create more and stronger mission-driven organizations by representing the voice of the .ORG Community and serving as an intermediary between end users and PIR on everything from technical to policy to social issues affecting the Internet. The PIR Advisory Council also provides input and recommendations for registry strategies, policies, services, and educational initiatives to meet the needs of the .ORG Community.

“We are thrilled by the global interest in the Public Interest Registry Advisory Council,” said Jon Nevett, President and CEO of Public Interest Registry. “This diverse group of accomplished members will provide valuable advice and perspective to support the broader mission-driven community. We welcome these new members and look forward to working with them to help support mission-driven organizations and leaders.” 

PIR Advisory Council members have expertise in a wide range of subject matter areas including educational, artistic, cultural, human rights, political, religious, and scientific sectors. No two members of the Council are from the same organization, and PIR works toward the selection of a diverse representation of small, medium, and large organizations.

The members are selected by the PIR Board of Directors in accordance with the Advisory Council Charter. These voluntary positions are for annual terms of up to three years. New members must have demonstrated commitment to the responsible, ethical, and effective use of the Internet.

The call for PIR Advisory Council nominations opened on August 6, 2021, and all applications were required to be submitted by October 8, 2021. New members were notified of their selection last week.

Public Interest Registry is proud to welcome the following new members to its Advisory Council:

Pamela Ateka, Kenya (2021-2024)  

Pamela is an international speaker and author who is a long-time advocate for women in civic leadership roles in Kenya. Pamela has over 20 years’ experience working to increase opportunities for displaced Kenyan youth. She is the founder of the Community Focus Group, which informs, connects and mobilizes local communities in Nairobi to help protect human rights and promote sustainable livelihoods. Community Focus Group was a 2019 .ORG Impact Award winner.

Beth Bourgeois, USA (2021-2024)

Beth Bourgeois has over 20 years’ experience doing communications, media relations, and public relations work for mission-driven organizations including the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committees. Beth currently is the media relations officer for Warrior Canine Connection, a U.S.-based non-profit that breeds, trains, and places highly skilled service dogs with wounded service members and veterans.

Lianna Galstyan, Armenia (2021-2024) 

Lianna has been instrumental in leading numerous projects to enhance the Internet and local language content in Armenia. Lianna has worked at Armenia’s country code top-level domain (ccTLD) operator for over 20 years and currently serves as a Vice Chair of the Board. She also is the Board Chair of the Internet Society Armenia Chapter, has served as the UN Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) member for three years, and is the Coordinator of the national IGF. Lianna also participates in ICANN’s At-Large community and has served as the Vice Chair of APRALO for the past four years.

Diane Lebson, USA (2021-2024)

Diane is a published author and noted speaker that has decades of experience in small and large mission-driven organizations. Diane is the founder and CEO of Evergreen Philanthropic Solutions, which works with non-profit organizations around the world to empower people to do good.

In addition to these new members, the following current members will continue their service and round out the Advisory Council at nine members.

Oliver Alais, France (2019-2022)

Oliver has extensive business and education industry experience and currently serves as the project director of the Cybersecurity & Internet Governance at Counterpart International. He is also an advisory board member for the Open Knowledge Foundation.
Nadira Alaraj, Palestine (2019-2022)

Nadira is, among many things, an independent researcher on Internet governance and a committee member of Bethlehem’s Chamber of Commerce. She previously served as the vice chair of the Internet Society’s Palestine Chapter.

David Allnutt, Canada (2019-2022)

David has enjoyed a lengthy career in business, government, higher education, and technology. He is the founder of the Corporate-Higher Education Foundation, a coalition of 75 business and industry Chief Executives, and also serves on the Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Internet Registration Agency.

Jennifer Cordero, USA (2019-2022)

Jennifer is the founder and chief executive officer at MILA Research & Advisory, LLC and a director at the TIAA Institute. She also has an extensive background on U.S.-Latin America economic policy issues, having worked at several prominent banks and think tanks. Additionally, Jennifer was selected for the 2018 ICANN61 Fellowship program.

Joan Kerr, Canada (2022)

Joan is an entrepreneur and sustainable consultant with expertise in sustainable development, community engagement, design thinking, and internet governance. She also serves as an affiliate for ICANN’S North American Regional At-Large Organization.

Public Interest Registry would also like to thank those members of the Advisory Council – Maureen Hilyard, Vineet Kumar, and Stephanie Perrin – whose terms will end in early December 2021. Your service has been most appreciated.

For more information on the Public Interest Registry Advisory Council please visit https://pir.org/about-us/advisory-council/.