[NCUC-DISCUSS] Candidate SOI - NCUC EC NA - Michael Karanicolas

[Michael Karanicolas]

Hi all,

Please find my SOI attached:

*Name*: Michael Karanicolas
*Declared region of residence*: North America
*Gender*: Male
*Employment*: Self-employed
*Any conflicts of interest*: None

*Why do you want to serve on the EC*
I am the incumbent EC representative for North America, seeking a
re-appointment. Although I only joined the EC midway through the past
year, I have become a key voice on transparency and accountability
mechanisms, as well as an active participant in all other processes of
the EC. As the NCUC is likely to see significant turnover after this
election, particularly as Farzaneh moves on to the NCSG, there will be
a need for continuity, which I am happy to help provide.

*Brief Bio*:
Since 2010, I've worked as a human rights advocate with a dual focus
on freedom of expression and transparency. I was, until August of this
year, employed as Senior Legal Officer with the Centre for Law and
Democracy, where I led in the development of the digital rights
program, and carried out a range of advocacy and law reform processes
to promote foundational rights for democracy. Since August, I left to
perform independent contract work, primarily for the Open Government
Partnership, an international multi-stakeholder initiative which aims
to harness technological innovation to promote access to information,
civic engagement and public accountability. In terms of my ICANN
engagement, I am currently serving as the Rapporteur for the WS2
Transparency subgroup, and am an active participant in several others,
including the group reviewing Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPMs) and
the CCWG on auction proceeds.

*Ability to commit time to the NCUC EC:*
Anyone who has watched the way the work of the CCWG on Transparency
has advanced will know I have no problem putting the hours in.
Originally one of two Rapporteurs for the group, and now the lone
Rapporteur after the departure of my colleague from the business
constituency, I have kept things moving forward at a good pace.
However, now that that work is coming to a close, I expect to have
more time to devote to ICANN. My move from full-time employment with
CLD to a consultancy-based system should also provide me with more
available time to contribute.

*Communication activities:*
I think that the biggest obstacle to communication at the moment is
the complexity of ICANN's system, which can be particularly confusing
to newcomers. I think that the NCUC's communications strategy should
be focused on simplifying this as much as possible, and presenting it
in a more user-friendly and accessible way to encourage participation.


*How do you foresee NCUC’s function, scale, or role changing in the future?*I
would like to see more of a focus on practical mentorship and
learning-by-doing, which I think is the only effective way of
expanding NCUC's membership in a meaningful way.

Best,

Michael Karanicolas
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