Evan Leibovitch, Sunish Gupta

Glenn McKnight

I have been involved with At-Large since the end of 2006 when I was appointed to the ALAC by the Nominating Committee to represent North America. With the exception of 2 years, I have served in this capacity since that time. I was also the ALAC Liaison to the GNSO for 2006-1014 and I served on the ALAC Leadership team for four of those years.

I those various capacities, I helped bring the ALAC to the position that is in today, a respected part of ICANN and, finally, having a voice that is listened to (if not always acted on). I take some pride in being the person who figured out how the ALAC could actually initiate GNSO Policy Action, and have seen that process through two PDPs; it is through such actions and more recent ones on new gTLD Public Interest Commitments that At-Large can show its true worth to ICANN.

When I became Chair last year, I recognized that my overall goal was to continue to increase the credibility of ALAC and At-Large. This would involve:

-          Improving the quality of ALAC statements so that when we spoke, people would know that we had something important to say;

-          Strengthening the overall At-Large organization from ALSes and individual members up through the RALOs so that they were the true power behind the ALAC.

Although many of us have been more than a little distracted by the IANA transition and accountability efforts, I believe that we are making headway on these goals, and I am optimistic that we will move forward quickly.

We have just had budget approval for several measures (activities at upcoming ICANN meetings) that will measurable improve the ability of the ALAC and regional leaders to work effectively together and to more than double the amount of face-to-face time that we spend on substantive policy and organizational matters.

All told, I am looking forward to continue to serve the ALAC and At-Large and bring them to a new level of maturity, just as my two predecessors as Chair have done. They both served as Chair for 3-4 years and then continued for another year to provide a smooth transition. This seems to be the optimal combination factoring in the rather steep learning curve for the Chair, stability, and new blood to re-invigorate the organization.

As an ALAC member selected by NARALO, I hope that I will have the opportunity to serve the ALAC and At-Large in the coming years, just as my predecessors have done, and to do all I can to help NARALO attain its full potential.