TEch policy across the
SPECTRUM
COLLABORATION. STRENGTH. CONNECTION.
Tech Converge
2020
WashingTECH and New York University's Center for Critical Race and Digital Studies join forces to convene the tech policy community, creatives, scholars, entrepreneurs, and advocates for WashingTECH's Inaugural Tech Converge Conference.
Our theme this year--Brighten the Chasm that Separates Us with Phosphorescent Light--is based on a quote by Arturo Schomburg, the Afro-Puerto Rican historian, writer, and activist who, during the Harlem Renaissance, made major contributions to the iconography of African American and Latino history and culture. The conference will amplify tech policy stakeholders across the spectrum who work to enhance an inclusive, healthy, and productive tech public policy dialogue.
" We need to brighten the chasm that separates us with phosphorescent light."
Arturo Alfonso Schomburg
(1874-1938)
Our
Speakers
Geoffrey Starks
COMMISSIONER,
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
Geoffrey Starks was nominated to serve as a Commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission by the President and was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on January 2, 2019. He was sworn into office on January 30, 2019.
Joe
Miller
FOUNDER & CEO, WASHINGTECH
Joseph S. Miller, Esq. is the Founder and President of WashingTECH. Founded in 2014, WashingTECH is the Inclusive Voice of Tech Law and Policy in Washington, D.C. Via its bi-weekly newsletter, podcast, and live events, WashingTECH is a hub focused on the intersection between tech law and policy, social justice, and inclusion.
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Nicol
Turner-Lee
FELLOW,
BROOKINGS INSTITUTION
Dr. Nicol Turner Lee is a fellow in the Governance Program’s Center for Technology Innovation where she researches public policy designed to enable equitable access to technology across the U.S. and to harness its power to create change in communities across the world.
Hoda
Hawa
DIRECTOR, WASHINGTON, D.C. OFFICE
MUSLIM PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL
Hoda oversees MPAC's strategic initiatives in government and policy by engaging those circles at the highest levels and developing an active constituency around policy. Hoda has written and spoken on subjects ranging from international religious freedom and national security to free expression and bullying. She has been featured on BBC, Al Hurra TV, Fox News, MSNBC, Voice of America, NPR and C-SPAN.
Tom Kamber is an award-winning social entrepreneur, educator and activist who has created new initiatives in aging, technology, affordable housing and the arts. As founder and executive director of Older Adults Technology Services (OATS), Tom has helped over 30,000 seniors get online and created the country’s first technology-themed community center for older adults.
Tom
Kamber
CO-FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,
OLDER ADULTS TECHNOLOGY SERVICES (OATS)
CO-FOUNDER & BOARD MEMBER
AFRO-LATIN JAZZ ALLIANCE
John
Breyault
VICE PRESIDENT, PUBLIC POLICY, TELECOMMUNICATIONS & FRAUD
NATIONAL CONSUMERS LEAGUEV
John Breyault is a nationally-recognized consumer advocate with more that 15 years of experience championing the rights of consumers and the underserved. At the National Consumers League, he advocates for stronger consumer protections before Congress and
federal agencies on issues related to telecommunications, fraud, data security, privacy, aviation, live event ticketing, video gaming and other consumer concerns.
Lauren
Wilson
MANAGING ASSOCIATE,
TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA & TELECOM
DENTONS
Lauren Wilson is a member of the Federal Regulatory and Compliance practice, where she focuses on the communications and technology sectors. Lauren uses her experience and knowledge of the US Executive Branch and the consumer watchdog community to provide clients with strategic advocacy and advice on issues such as privacy and data security, universal service, competition, interconnection and public safety.
Brian
Howard
RESEARCH & POLICY ANALYST
AMERICAN INDIAN POLICY INSTITUTE,
ARIZONA STATE
Brian Howard is a Research & Policy Analyst with the American Indian Policy Institute (AIPI) at Arizona State University. Prior to joining the AIPI team in November 2016, Brian served over five years as a Legislative Associate with the National Congress of American Indians in Washington, DC.
Daiquiri
Ryan
CO-FOUNDER,
NETA COLLAB
SENIOR CONSULTANT & GENERAL COUNSEL,
MÁS TALENT HR
Daiquiri Ryan is Co-Founder of
Neta Collab, LLC, a hybrid advocacy and brand development firm with a focus on cultivating positive change through socially conscious business partnerships. We use our marketing, branding, advocacy and design expertise to achieve business, social or political goals.
Michelle
Richardson
DIRECTOR, PRIVACY & DATA PROJECT
CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY & TECHNOLOGY (CDT)
Michelle Richardson leads CDT’s efforts to create a user-centered internet. Her team engages companies and government officials to create policies and technical solutions that protect individual privacy, empower users, and advance social justice.
Kim
Tignor
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,
INSTITUTE FOR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
& SOCIAL JUSTICE (IIPSJ), HOWARD UNIVERSITY
Kim Tignor is the Executive Director for the Institute for Intellectual Propert and Social Justice. Her expertise includes intellectual property, free expression, tech innovation, diversity in media, and economic justice. Throughout her career, Kimberly has focused on legal issues surrounding underprivileged persons and advancing the causes of equality and social justice. She is particularly well-versed in working across multicultural issues and topics of key interest to activists and artists of color.
Nina
Archie
DIVERSITY & TECH POLICY ADVISOR,
THE COMMERCIALIZER
INTERNET LAW & FOUNDRY FELLOW
Nina Archie is a Master's in Public Policy and Law Candidate at George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government as well as the George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School. She's worked as a Legislative Fellow at the House of Representatives on intellectual property and technology policy issues.
Brent
Skorup
SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW,
MERCATUS CENTER,
GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
Brent Skorup is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. His research areas include transportation technology, telecommunications, aviation, and wireless policy.
Chanelle
Hardy
STRATEGIC OUTREACH & POLICY PARTNERSHIPS,
Chanelle Hardy is an attorney, social justice advocate and tech policy expert dedicated to advancing policies and leaders that promote opportunity and justice. At Google, Chanelle serves as Strategic Outreach Counsel and Head of Policy Partnerships for US Civil and Human Rights. In 2016, she launched her passion project: the Google Next Generation Policy Leaders learning community to identify, equip and engage the Nation’s emerging leaders in tech and justice policy.
Joseph Torres
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY & ENGAGEMENT,
FREE PRESS
Joseph advocates in Washington to ensure that our nation’s media policies serve the public interest and builds coalitions to broaden the movement's base. Joseph writes frequently on media and internet issues and is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller News for All the People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media.
Lauren
McCarty
SENIOR DIRECTOR,
NOKIA
Lauren McCarty is Senior Director of Policy and Government Relations at Nokia where she advocates on technology issues including 5G, spectrum, and security. Prior to joining Nokia, Lauren served as Counsel to the Energy and Commerce Committee during the 115th Congress where she advised members of the Committee on communications and technology issues. Lauren also spent two years as a Legislative Assistant to Senator Steve Daines of Montana. Lauren graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Minnesota State University and a JD from Catholic University.
Carmen
Scurato
SENIOR POLICY COUNSEL,
FREE PRESS
Carmen is Senior Policy Counsel at Free Press where she works to protect the open internet, prevent media and telecom-industry concentration, promote affordable internet access and foster media diversity.
Earlier in her career, she worked at the Department of Justice. Carmen, a native of Puerto Rico, earned her J.D. from Villanova University School of Law and her B.A. from New York University.
Jessica
Fulton
VICE PRESIDENT,
JOINT CENTER
FOR POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC STUDIES
Jessica Fulton is the Vice President at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies where she engages in research and analysis to identify policies that advance the socioeconomic status of the Black community. She also manages the Joint Center's Policy Incubator. Prior to joining the Joint Center, she served as External Relations Director at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. She has also held positions at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute and the Chicago Urban League. Jessica is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and serves as Board Chair of The Black Swan Academy. Jessica earned a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from the University of Chicago and a Master's Degree in Economic Policy Analysis from the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at Depaul University.
Ángel Díaz
COUNSEL,
LIBERTY & NATIONAL SECURITY,
BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE @ NYU LAW
Ángel Díaz's work focuses on the intersection of technology with civil rights and civil liberties. He is active on issues related to policing and technology, as well as matters related to online speech and content moderation.
Michele Gilman
VENABLE PROFESSOR OF LAW
DIRECTOR, SAUL EWING ADVOCACY CLINIC
Prior to joining the faculty, of the University of Baltimore School of Law, Professor Gilman was a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice; an associate at Arnold and Porter in Washington, D.C.; a law clerk to United States District Court Judge Frank A. Kaufman of the District of Maryland; and an editor of the Michigan Law Review. Professor Gilman's scholarship focuses on issues relating to poverty, privacy, economic inequality, and feminist legal theory and her articles have been published in the California Law Review, the Vanderbilt Law Review and the Washington University Law Review, among others
Sponsors
Schedule
8:00 AM
Registration
9:00
Welcome
9:15
Content Moderation & the First Amendment
9:50
1:10
Access
1:45
Break
2:05
Health IT
2:40
Intellectual Property & Social Justice
Surveillance & Criminal Justice
10:25
KEYNOTE: Hon. Geoffrey Starks, Commissioner,
Federal Communications Commission
3:15
AI Bias
3:45
Break
11:00
Privacy & Data Security
11:30-12:30PM
LUNCH
12:35
Election Security
4:20
Net Neutrality & Media Ownership
5:00
Third Party Liability & CDA 230
5:30
Break
6:00
Cocktails & Music
The
Venue
No global network would be complete without a location in the U.S. capital - the seat of the federal government; home to 177 embassies; headquarters of international policy-making bodies and think tanks; and the site of many museums, monuments and cultural institutions. Concentrated study and research in an array of subjects, including American studies, art history, business, environmental studies, history, journalism, metropolitan studies, politics, prelaw, and public policy is enhanced by access to Washington’s distinctive intellectual, political, and cultural life. Students learn under the guidance of a world-class faculty, and engage in carefully selected and academically supervised internships with elected officials, government agencies, international organizations, NGOs, museums, media, and more!.
New York University
D.C. Academic Center
1307 L St NW,
Washington, DC 20005