Introducing the ARIN 50 (Virtual) Fellows

By Amanda Gauldin – Project Manager

ARIN staff is busy preparing for our fall Public Policy and Members Meeting, ARIN 50, which will take place online and in person in Hollywood, CA, 20-21 October 2022. Meanwhile, we are also excited to be kicking off the ARIN 50 Fellowship Program!

Comprising of four, 90-minute virtual sessions that provide an overview of Internet governance, Internet number resource policy and its development, ARIN services and operations, and the Internet Number Registry System, the ARIN 50 Fellowship Program is a great way for Fellows to get immersed in ARIN’s work and feel ready to participate in the upcoming meeting. With this group of Fellows, we have now welcomed nearly 200 new voices to our community over the last decade.

Meet the ARIN 50 Fellows

To get to know them better, we asked each of our new Fellows to share a few tidbits of information, including: one word that describes how they felt upon learning they were selected for the program; what they are most looking forward to during the virtual experience; and their favorite book, movie, or hobby. Let’s meet the ARIN 50 Fellows!

USA

• Nada Alwadi – PhD Student, School of Public and International Affairs, Virginia Tech
  Reaction: Excited
  Looking forward to: Mentoring sessions
  Favorite book: “The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown

• Michael Calfin – Chief Technology Officer, Mystic.com
  Reaction: Happy
  Looking forward to: Meeting other internet and networking experts that are working hard to build amazing software to make the world and internet better for everyone.
  Favorite book: “1984” by George Orwell

• Ajit Das – Senior Principal Engineer, Cyber and Network Infrastructure, SAIC
  Reaction: Euphoria
  Looking forward to: Learning for the sake of understanding the world better and building it safer is what drives my intellectual pursuits.
  Favorite movie: “Cast Away” (2000)

• Lou Devictoria – Lead Network Engineer, Opti9
  Reaction: Excited
  Looking forward to: Learning and meeting other people in the space.
  Favorite hobby: Hiking

• Matt Erculiani – Network Engineer, Google
  Reaction: Relief
  Looking forward to: Getting to know the mentors and other fellows and making connections outside of my normal circle.
  Favorite movie: “The Matrix” (1999)

• Kate Gerry – Director of Global Networking, NetActuate; President, Converted Networks
  Reaction: Shocked
  Looking forward to: Participating virtually so sessions are easier to attend.
  Favorite book: “Friday” by Robert A. Heinlein

• Robert Hale – Senior Manager, Technical Engineering, Novant Health
  Reaction: Ecstatic
  Looking forward to: Interaction with peers and gaining in-depth knowledge of how ARIN operates.
  Favorite book: “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury

• Mark Hart – Bulk MDU Customer Service, Comcast
  Reaction: Excited
  Looking forward to: Working with staff and mentors on understanding the Policy Development Process.
  Favorite hobbies: Resin, 3D Printing, and Gaming

• Matthew Long – Senior Software Engineer, One Finance, Inc.
  Reaction: Elated
  Looking forward to: Getting connected with the community and learning along the way.
  Favorite hobby: Running

CANADA

• Jonathan Black – Executive Director, CanWISP; Partner, Kuro Partners
  Reaction: Excited
  Looking forward to: Meeting others in the program.
  Favorite hobbies: Photography, Skiing

CARIBBEAN

• Alexia Beckford – Program Manager, Jamaica Technology & Digital Alliance
  Reaction: Happy
  Looking forward to: Meeting the mentors and Fellows whilst learning more about Internet governance and the different initiatives.
  Favorite movie: “The Bodyguard” (1992)

• Ann-Janine Nicholas – Lecturer, Dominica State College
  Reaction: Elated
  Looking forward to: A wide-eyed experience and knowledge sharing.
  Favorite book: “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson

Thank You to Our Mentors and Special Guests

Fellows will be paired with an experienced ARIN Advisory Council (AC) or ARIN community member mentor to help guide them through the meeting and policy discussions. Mentors also lead small group breakout sessions to discuss policy development and other topics in more detail. A few other members of the AC will join us throughout the program to explain the Policy Development Process (PDP) and what to expect from the policies on the docket during ARIN 50.

Thank you to our volunteers for their involvement in the ARIN 50 Virtual Fellowship Program — their participation is key to the success of our Fellows!

Mentors

• Cathy Clements – Retired, former ARIN Transfer Services Lead
• Chris Tacit – ARIN Advisory Council
• Chris Woodfield - ARIN Advisory Council

Special Guests

• Einar Bohlin – ARIN Vice President of Government Affairs
• Sean Hopkins – Senior Policy Analyst
• Kat Hunter - ARIN Advisory Council, Vice Chair
• Leif Sawyer - ARIN Advisory Council, Chair
• Alison Wood – ARIN Advisory Council
• Jon Worley – ARIN Senior Technology Architect

A Glance Inside the Program:

The ARIN 50 Fellowship Program will consist of four sessions held virtually from 27 September to 25 October.

Leif Sawyer and Kat Hunter, the Chair and Vice chair of the AC, will join us for the first two sessions. They, along with ARIN’s Senior Policy Analyst, Sean Hopkins, will discuss the PDP at ARIN and policies on the docket at ARIN 50. Each mentor will have time in the spotlight, too, to talk about their career journey and their experiences with ARIN.

During the third session, Fellows will attend the ARIN 50 Meeting Orientation to learn more about ARIN and receive helpful information for attending and participating in the ARIN 50 Public Policy and Members Meeting.

At our last session, Fellows will discuss their experience and takeaways from ARIN 50. Then they will participate in an Internet Governance Q&A session with Einar Bohlin, ARIN’s Vice President of Government Affairs, and hear from ARIN’s Senior Technology Architect, Jon Worley, about Internet Number Resources.

We look forward to a fun and meaningful experience with this group of Fellows and to adding more new voices to our public policy discussions.

For more updates, follow us @TeamARIN on Facebook, Twitter, and on LinkedIn at ARIN’s company page. Stay tuned for information regarding the ARIN 51 Fellowship Program this spring!

Post written by:

Amanda Gauldin
Project Manager

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• Apply Today for the ARIN 54 Fellowship Program
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