Ambassadors & Mentors - ICANN61

Lilian Ivette de Luque Bruges (Global Indigenous Ambassador) is originally from Riohacha, La Guajira, Colombia. She is a social communicator - Journalist of the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University in the city of Bogotá D.C, specialist in management of information and communication technologies.

Lillian belongs to the Wayuu ethnic group (descendants of the Arawak linguistic family) that inhabit the peninsula of La Guajira on the north coast of Colombia, which are the most numerous indigenous group in the country. The group is divided into castes; Lillian's caste is the Epieyu that lives in the areas of Taguaya and Panchomana called rancherías, and that belongs to the municipality of Manaure in La Guajira.

Their language is the Wayuunaiki, and their family system is inherited through the maternal line, a traditional authority governs and their lawyer to solve the problems is called Palabrero.

For 9 years Lillian has worked for the welfare and for improving and raising the level and quality of life of the Wayuu indigenous through technology. They have trained them in digital literacy and skills training for the use of ICT in productive environments. Provision of computers and internet to rural schools, we have taken the internet to remote areas and we have several Internet access centers. At this moment, they face a genocide of indigenous Wayuu children under 5 years old who die of hunger due to causes associated with the malnutrition. By teaching them to use the Internet, social networks, emails and digital government programs, they have contributed not only to make this sad situation visible, but to save lives. Another important point is to promote electronic commerce of Wayuu crafts that contribute to the development and economy of this community, they have encouraged the creation of micro businesses through web pages and various social networks to market their products which are reaching all the world.

For Lillian it was cause for pride and satisfaction to have been chosen as GIA, as she feels it was a recognition of so many years of hard work to improve the quality of life of the Wayuu indigenous through technology. She believes this presents an opportunity to make known to the attendees to ICANN61 her people, our culture and our difficulties. Share experiences and acquire knowledge that will allow me to advance more and more in my work with my Wayuu people.

Mi nombre es Lilian Ivette De Luque Bruges, soy originaria de Riohacha, La Guajira, Colombia. Soy Comunicadora Social – Periodista de la Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano de la ciudad de Bogotá D.C, especialista en gerencia de tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones.

Pertenezco a la etnia Wayuu (descendientes de la familia lingüística Arawak) nosotros habitamos la península de La Guajira en la costa norte de Colombia y somos el grupo indígena más numeroso del País. Nos dividimos en castas, mi casta es la Epieyu que habita en las rancherías Taguaya y Panchomana, zona del corregimiento de El Pájaro municipio de Manaure en La Guajira.

Nuestro idioma es el wayuunaiki, nuestro sistema familiar se hereda por la línea materna, nos gobierna en cada ranchería una autoridad tradicional y nuestro abogado para resolver los problemas se le llama palabrero.

Durante 9 años he trabajado por el bienestar y  por mejorar y elevar  el nivel y  la calidad de vida de los indígenas Wayuu a través de la tecnología. Los hemos capacitado en alfabetización digital y formación de competencias para el uso de las TIC en entornos productivos. Dotación de computadoras e internet a escuelas rurales, hemos llevado internet a áreas remotas y contamos con varios centros de acceso a internet., en este momento afrontamos prácticamente un genocidio de niños indígenas Wayuu menores de 5 años que mueren de hambre por causas asociadas a la desnutrición, al enseñarles a usar el internet , las redes sociales, correos electrónicos y los programas de  gobierno digital, hemos contribuido no solo a visibilizar esta lamentable situación sino a salvar vidas. Otro punto importante es la de  promover el comercio electrónico de artesanías wayuu que contribuyan al desarrollo y la economía de esta comunidad, hemos incentivado la creación de micro empresas a través de páginas web y en diversas redes sociales para comercializar sus productos los cuales están llegando a todo el mundo.

Para mí fue motivo de orgullo y satisfacción haber sido escogido como GIA, sentí que era un reconocimiento a tantos años de arduo trabajo para mejorar la calidad de vida de los indígenas wayuu a través de la tecnología, es la oportunidad para dar a conocer a los asistentes a ICANN61 nuestro pueblo, nuestra cultura y nuestras dificultades. Compartir experiencias y adquirir conocimientos que me permitan avanzar cada vez más en mi trabajo con mi pueblo wayuu.

Chyloe Healy (Global Indigenous Ambassador) is from the Kainai First Nation in Southern Alberta, Canada and resides in Calgary, Alberta. Her nation has the largest land mass within Canada and is part of the Blackfoot Confederacy. Chloe graduated from Mount Royal University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in General Science with a minor in Biology. Currently, she works for the Alberta First Nations Information Governance Centre as a data analyst. The Centre has a clear mandate to use research and information collected from Alberta First Nation communities in manners that will truly benefit the health and well-being of First Nations. It strives to partner with entities that seek mutually beneficial relationships with First Nations through processes that respect First Nation jurisdiction over research and data and to own, protect, and control how their information is collected, used and disclosed. Her role as an analyst is to work closely with First Nations communities to aid in the organization, interpretation, and dissemination of data collected. I also promote and aid First Nations communities to create safe ethical space with institutions pertaining to their data, where communities have greater control over who has access to their data for research purposes. Part of her role is to work with First Nation people to promote data sovereignty and advocate for sustainable and transformative research. Lastly, Chloe works diligently to promote and help First Nation communities to strengthen their capacity for better data management.

First Nation communities within Canada have unique relationships with the federal government, as each community is identified as its own sovereign nation. As being a part of a highly-connected country, many are unaware that First Nation communities are not experiencing the same level of access to the internet and subsequently information. In Chloe's own work, there are noticeable differences and gaps in the quality of data collected within First Nations communities. Therefore she is very interested in the necessity to provide equity for access to information within underserved communities. It has become her personal project to understand how this inequity can be alleviated. Moreover, it has become her passion to find innovative ways to begin to build information governance capacity for First Nation communities within Canada and to learn from other nations on how to overcome information poverty. In addition, being from an oral society one of her interests is the issue of intellectual property as their stories are collectively owned by the community, however access is a transferred right that happens between Elders or Knowledge holders and community members and happens mostly in ceremony. Therefore, as there is a more demand for digitizing everything she wants to know how to respectfully help her people keep the integrity of their stories, while also protecting them. 

“I am very humbled and grateful to be chosen as the Global Indigenous Ambassador. I am so excited to gain insights and network with so many that have similar lived experiences to Canadian First Nations and the obstacles we face overcoming information poverty. Moreover, I am honoured that I can share my Blackfoot worldview on a global platform.”

Geoffrey Blackwell (ICANN61 Mentor) is from Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. He is enrolled in the following tribes: Muscogee (Creek);also of Chickasaw, Choctaw, Omaha descent. He works at AMERIND Risk Management Corporation as Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel. AMERIND is a private Tribal governmental entity risk pool management corporation. As Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel, Mr. Blackwell oversees the Finance, IT, Human Resources, and Communications Departments, as well as AMERIND’s newest entity, AMERIND Critical Infrastructure. It is a department that helps tribal nations acquire broadband services.  Also directs legal affairs and strategic development efforts.  
Mr. Blackwell is regarded as a national expert in tribal economic and corporate development, and tribal communications technologies deployment.  In these areas, he has testified before the United States Congress on six occasions, from both the tribal and federal perspectives.  He worked with hundreds of tribal leaders and councils nationwide.  He participates very actively on national policy development and advocacy on the broadband needs and uses of tribal nations.  

In his career, while twice working at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and in-between, while serving organizations like the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and Native Public Media (NPM), Mr. Blackwell has been involved in virtually every major piece of US FCC federal tribal broadband policy and regulatory development.  This includes the FCC’s seminal 2000 Tribal Policy Statement, broadband subsidy programs, wireless spectrum regulation and buildout incentives, broadcast radio licensing tribal priorities, and tower siting regulations to preserve tribal sacred sites. 

Mr. Blackwell’s current positions include:

• Chair of the Board, NPM

• Co-Chair, Technology & Telecommunications Subcommittee, NCAI

• Co-Chair, Economic, Finance & Community Development Committee, NCAI

• Vice Chair, Board of Advisors, Arizona State University’s American Indian Policy Institute

His work prior to joining AMERIND included:  

• Chief, Office of Native Affairs and Policy, FCC, July 2010-October 2015, Washington DC

• As the Office’s founding Chief, helped the FCC establish ONAP to guide efforts incentivizing deployment of broadband technologies across Indian Country

• Helped craft broadband deployment regulations and internet policies 
  Carried out numerous FCC-Tribal Nation trainings and consultations 
  
  

• Corporate Director, Strategic Relations and Minority Business Development, Chickasaw Nation Industries, Inc. (CNI), (tribal business incubation company), October 2005-July 2010, Washington, DC

• Helped establish diverse tribal companies and ventures using federal programs and private sector partnerships

• Performed legal, financial, due diligence, and operations programs
  
  

• Senior Attorney and FCC Liaison to Tribal Governments, FCC, Washington DC, January 2000-October 2005

• As the first enrolled member to ever work at the FCC, helped establish the early Indian Tribal Telecommunications Initiatives of 2000 and beyond
  
  

• Special Contract Attorney, Litigation Department, Hale and Dorr, LLP, (now Wilmer Hale), Boston, MA, 1996-2000

His former Board service included:

• International Indigenous Commission for Communications Technologies in the Americas (served as Commissioner from the USA)

• FCC’s Federal Advisory Committee on Diversity in the Digital Age

• US National Small Business Association

• US National Federation of Community Broadcasters

• Acoma Business Enterprises of the Pueblo of Acoma  

Personal Information:

• Enrolled member: Muscogee (Creek) Nation; also of Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Omaha heritage

• Raised in New Mexico and Oklahoma

• Graduated from Dartmouth College; University of Virginia School of Law

• Undergraduate credits earned: University of Lyon, France

Mr. Blackwell has been called a "Cyber Warrior". He spent the majority of his career, either in primary employment or in Board or volunteer service, working with other indigenous leaders at the grassroots and national level on the broadband technology needs of tribal governments and citizens. These experiences include working with and on behalf of American Indian Tribes, Alaska Native Villages, members of tribal communities, and residents of the Native Hawaiian Home Lands.  

Mr. Blackwell chairs the Board of Directors of Native Public Media. NPM is an At-Large Structure under NARALO.  NPM works across the nation to support the priorities of both radio broadcast and broadband based media outlets in American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages.  NPM is also driving force and trusted voice in many tribal communities in the USA on broadband deployment and usage.  Mr. Blackwell also works closely with tribal broadcasters who wish to move to broadband platforms and technologies. 

Mr. Blackwell has started the AMERIND Critical Infrastructure.  Now he also oversees a company that keeps him involved in grassroots planning, architecture, due diligence, finance, and operations planning with tribal governments, schools, libraries, IT departments, and broadband technology companies.  

In addition, in the arena of academia and policy research, Mr. Blackwell is actively involved as an officer of the Arizona State University American Indian Policy Institute, which is actively engaged in a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the state of broadband deployment and usage in Tribal communities nationwide. The policy research capabilities and mission of ASU/AIPI are somewhat unique in the field of academia research and analysis.  

Mr. Blackwell first learned of ICANN in 2000 when he first became involved at the FCC with tribal broadband needs. With the Indigenous Commission for Communications Technologies in the Americas, formed after WSIS II in Tunis, he was involved in an effort in the Americas to support indigenous broadband priorities and needs that could not sustain momentum.  

Source: Global Indigenous Ambassador Program Application, http://nativepublicmedia.org/team/geoffrey-c-blackwell/