[NCUC-DISCUSS] Candidacy for NCUC EC North American Representative

[Ken Herman]

Hello members of the Non-Commercial User Constituency (NCUC) community:

 

I have the opportunity, and I am willing, to serve a third (and final) term
as the NCUC Executive Committee representative from the North America
region, if the community accepts my candidacy.

 

The past two years as the NCUC EC NA rep has been both challenging and
satisfying, sometimes frustrating but always enlightening. I have come to
appreciate the efforts made by all involved to protect the interests of the
Non-Commercial stakeholders within the ICANN ecosystem. But mostly I have
tried to perform the function of an EC member to the best of my ability and
contribute where I can. Some aspects of this role, such as increasing
stakeholder participation, admittedly have proven stubbornly difficult to
overcome. Nevertheless, if I am elected to a new term, I believe that by
working closely with the other EC members, and with the cooperation of the
entire community, we can find ways to strengthen stakeholder engagement.

 

My candidate statement is below. It has not substantially changed from
previous years; my background hasn't changed, nor have the challenges facing
the non-commercial community.

 

I look forward to continuing the important work within the NCUC.

 

Thank you.

 

Ken Herman

 

 

 

 

Candidate Statement:

 

Name, declared region of residence, gender and employment; Kenneth
Herman/North America/Male/Technology Consulting

 

Any conflicts of interest; I am unaware of any conflicts of interest.

 

Please provide a short (one or two paragraphs) answer to the following
questions:

 

Why do you want to serve on the EC? After a lengthy career that has a
substantial non-profit, community-development focus, I believe that the NCUC
EC is a natural fit as I gain experience with the ICANN processes. I believe
that my background facilitating multistakeholder discussions and
decision-making processes in a multicultural environment might be useful to
the Executive Committee.

 

Provide a brief biography of recent experience, associations, and
affiliations relevant to serving on the Executive Committee. Describe the
relevance of your personal and professional experience to serve on the NCUC
Executive Committee, and identify any conflicts of interests you might have.
In a former career as a UN staff member for many years I regularly attended
and participated in IGF meetings and the WSIS forums, including in the 2019
WSIS forum presenting in a high-level panel on gender equality in
technology. With non-profit organizations I have helped to organize events
at the UN that bring together international policy specialists with young
people to advocate for gender balance in STEM fields. Recently I have
consulting assignments with a major intergovernmental institution to support
government and community cybersecurity initiatives in developing economies.

 

I have also become more immersed in the ICANN processes by self-financing my
attendance at ICANN 63 (Barcelona), 64 (Kobe) and 66 (Montreal), with a
focus on the non-commercial sessions and have participated as best I can in
the recent ICANN virtual forums. 

 

I have had my own personal domain since 1998 and have been instrumental in
guiding non-profit organizations and individuals to the Internet. For
example, I assisted in getting the UN Standing Committee on Nutrition
(unscn.org) disentangled from the UN presence on the Internet by
establishing their own domain (I did the initial registration and connected
them with the appropriate local resources to maintain the Internet presence)
and I did the same for a special interest group of returned Peace Corps
volunteers to form a country-specific site, also by initiating their
registration and ultimate transfer to the appropriate technical support
services.

 

The EC performs several functional responsibilities for the Constituency.
What level of time commitment can you bring to your EC role on a weekly and
overall basis? Describe any concerns or limitations on your ability to
attend online meetings of the Executive Committee and ICANN Meetings in
person. I do not have any specific concerns or limitations regarding online
participation in meetings of the EC, or in-person meetings when they resume.
As mentioned, I have self-funded my attendance at many recent ICANN meetings
over the past few years. While professional, and other, commitments may at
times place limitations, I expect to be able to satisfy any reasonable time
commitment required. My expectation is that there will be periods that will
require substantial time, perhaps spanning many days over a period of weeks.

 

Communication with the membership is critical. How would you keep members
apprised of your EC-related activities? I understand that communication is a
necessary element of community engagement, and in addition to the normal
networking tools available, I would try to reach out individually to members
for their input. 

 

How do you foresee NCUC's function, scale, or role changing in the future?
What areas of ICANN policy, if any, need more attention and why? Incumbent
candidates should answer in a manner that is both backward and
forward-looking, i.e. taking note of their contributions and work in the
previous year. I have observed during my time as an EC Rep that within ICANN
(not so much the org, but the greater community) a substantial focus on
satisfying the needs of commercial entities, seemingly at the expense of the
rights of individuals or other non-commercial stakeholders. As part of the
community I hope to strengthen my ability to advocate for a greater
non-commercial voice within the entire ICANN ecosystem. Within NCUC, my
observation is that there may be some benefit to a stronger human-centred
approach to policy in a way that focuses more directly on users, rather than
institutions.

 

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