Two years ago, you elected me as ALAC representative and I’m honored to have your trust. Since then, I’ve tried to live up to your expectations and those of end users in North America.  Much of my work on the ALAC these days is diplomatic. I listen a lot to other constituencies but mostly I listen to you. I try to reflect your interests and concerns in online and face to face discussions and impact the direction of ALAC decisions so that they reflect all of us in North America. My peers on the ALAC seem to think I’ve been doing a very good job. Since you elected me, the ALAC has handed me increasingly more demanding responsibilities. At the last ICANN meeting, I was vice chair for policy. Working together with Jonathan Zuck, we implemented several things that made At Large sessions more accessible and policy focused including dispensing with generic session names and adopting more detailed descriptions so participants can more easily find sessions in which they’re interested. We also issued public statements on behalf of At Large in the open forum sessions to communicate to the Board, ICANN, and other SOs and ACs what At Large was concerned with. Another part of my work as vice chair is diplomacy. Our chair, Maureen Hilliard is very busy. As vice chair I found that my breaks between meetings (and increasingly my email box) filled with people wanting to communicate and build relationships with the ALAC and At Large including NPOC, NCUC, GNSO, and all manner of subgroups. This often gives me the opportunity to provide NARALO and the NARALO secretariat with the best information about what is going on in the community.

The ALAC learning curve is steep but I have surmounted it and hit my stride. I am honored to have your trust and confidence. Please vote to re-elect me so that I can continue the work I have started making ALAC more transparent and accessible to NARALO and At Large while representing your interests faithfully and with distinction.

Sincerely,

John Laprise

NARALO

Secretariat

Yrjö Länsipuro