Bridging the digital divide one anchor institution at a time.
SHLB Coalition Board of Directors
Cindy Altick Aden graduated from Stanford University with a degree in International Relations. Her focus was on languages, cultural communication and political science.
A year later Cindy completed a certification program from Stanford’s Mass Media Institute and became a reporter for the Palo Alto Weekly. She held subsequent newspaper jobs and freelanced stories for multiple weekly newspapers in the Northwest, serving as editor for two papers.
Cindy graduated from the University of Washington with a master’s in Library & Information Science and was recruited for the Library of Congress intern program where she started her library career serving Congress. She worked subsequently at the University of Washington as a reference librarian and as a collections selector at Suzzallo Library, as a reference librarian at Odegaard Undergraduate Library and as Head of Circulation at the Gallagher Law Library.
Cindy left academia to work for Kitsap Regional Library, a public library system, as Assistant Director in charge of Reference Services across the multi-branch system. After two years of commuting by ferry, Cindy was contacted by a start-up, Amazon.com, which was looking for a librarian. There she oversaw the cataloging and engineering teams and finally served as the program manager for all the product business sectors. Cindy was employee number 750, and she saw the company expand to 5 countries and over 10,000 employees by the time she left in 2004.
Cindy then worked for Corbis, Bill Gates's image company, where she served as Head of Cataloging and addressed image management: discovery, metadata and preservation. OCLC then recruited Cindy for a position in Business Development, where she worked with Silicon Valley companies, like Google, Goodreads and Yelp, who wanted access to library data and to understand bibliographic metadata and discovery. Cindy served in that position for over 7 years, enhancing library discovery on the Internet.
Cindy became the Washington State Librarian in August, 2016. Issues like access to broadband, developing a statewide ebook platform, augmenting library catalog visibility, defending federal library funding and identifying new ebook models that benefit libraries and authors, have been some of her areas of focus.
In August, 2020 she became the third iSchool Distinguished Practitioner of Practice at the University of Washington. She is excited to bring together her experience with journalism, government, internet search and discovery and strategic partnerships, to guarantee libraries are always relevant to their communities.
Philip Neufeld has served in technology and board leadership roles in healthcare, agriculture, and economic development. He left private industry to work for Fresno State with more than 25,000 students, and then joined Fresno Unified School District (USD), with 72,000 students. Phil’s leadership roles in education include core infrastructure, enterprise services, co-leading a personalized learning initiative with over 1,000 teachers, and co-leading a global learning analytics collaborative facilitated by Microsoft. To support modern learning in and beyond the classroom, Philip recently rolled out dark fiber rings for the WAN and private LTE to support learning from home for Fresno USD students. He shapes educational ecosystems to better prepare and empower students with knowledge, skills, dispositions, and agency to choose their #AsYetImagined futures.
Philip received an M.B.A. and Ed. D. from California State University, Fresno. His publications and presentations can be found here.
Cathy Cruzan is the President of Funds For Learning LLC, an E-rate consultancy and software services firm supporting schools, libraries and state consortiums. Her work through Funds For Learning enables broadband connectivity at anchor institutions serving students and library patrons at over 12,000 sites across the United States. As president, Cathy is also responsible for overseeing the firm’s business activities, including sales, marketing, business development, finance and human resources. In managing the firm’s core consulting business, she monitors and directs the ongoing development of the proprietary, web-based tools that the firm and its software-license holders use for federal regulatory compliance purposes. Cathy is an E-rate subject matter expert who provides regulatory training to schools and libraries regarding high-speed broadband and other technology-related initiatives. Cathy mentored a PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® student in 2018 and fell in love.
Melissa Slawson serves as General Counsel and V.P. of Government Affairs and Education at California Internet L.P. DBA GeoLinks.
Melissa has more than 10 years of legal experience in the telecommunications regulatory field, starting her career at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). During her time at the CPUC, Melissa held positions both at the staff level in the Communications Division working on broadband mapping and video franchise matters and at the executive level serving as telecommunications and legal Advisor for Commissioner Catherine Sandoval. Before joining the GeoLinks Team, Melissa served as General Counsel to a small wireless reseller offering subsidized wireless service to low-income consumers under the Lifeline program. Prior to that, Melissa held an Associate position at Davis Wright Tremaine, LLP specializing in legal policy work for the wireless, broadband, and cable industries before the CPUC and other state and federal regulatory agencies.
Melissa earned a J.D. from California Western School of Law in 2007 and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Arizona in 2002 (Magna Cum Laude).
Scott Boone has 20 years of public and private sector experience in the fields of telecommunications and information systems and has served on the board of directors of the Maryland Broadband Cooperative. Most recently, Scott has focused on digital inclusion by managing the Kent County Broadband Expansion Program, which connects 70 anchor sites to Kent County’s 110-mile fiber network. Scott managed the rollout of Kent County’s free public Wi-Fi initiative, which consists of gigabit-connected homework hotspot locations throughout the County. Currently, Scott works with the Maryland Office of Rural Broadband to expand network offerings by participating in that Office’s first round of pilot projects.
Paula leads Microsoft’s policy engagement with the FCC, Congress, and the Administration on broadband, spectrum, Internet protocol voice, and video and text issues. She advises and briefs executives and colleagues on regulatory issues and federal legislation. Paula advances Internet policy objectives with key industry trade associations and think tanks, and advocates for the Microsoft's position on panels and with policy stakeholders. Prior to joining Microsoft, Paula was senior counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Subcommittee on Communications. She advised Senator Ernest “Fritz” Hollings during his time as Chairman (2001-2002) and ranking member (1997-2001) of the Senate Commerce Committee, and advised democratic committee members on communications policy. She oversaw the full range of federal communications issues including telephone, broadband, spectrum, cable, and broadcast policies.
Rachelle Chong, Law Office Of Rachelle Chong
Ms. Chong established and has served as the principal of the Law Office of Rachelle Chong since July 2013, focusing on representing internet, telecommunication, energy and transportation clients before the FCC, the California Public Utilities Commission and the California State Legislature. Prior to entering private practice, she was appointed and served in a number of significant Federal and State leadership positions, including Commissioner of the FCC from 1994 to 1997, Commissioner of the California Public Utilities Commission from 2006 to 2009 and Special Counsel Advanced Information and Communications Technologies, California Department of Technology from 2009 to 2011.
From 2011 to 2013, she served as the Vice President, Government Affairs, California Region for Comcast Communications. She also previously served as a law partner at two international law firms, Coudert Brothers and Graham & James. She serves on the board of the CalAsian Chamber of Commerce and the California Foundation for the Economy and the Environment. She has served on various non-profit organization boards, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area, the Legal Services Trust Fund, and the California Emerging Technology Fund.
Ms. Chong has a dual degree in Political Science and Journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, and earned her legal degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
As the executive director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), Julia Fallon works with U.S. state and territorial digital learning leaders to help the education community leverage technology for learning, teaching, and school operations. Involved with learning technologies since 1989, she envisions public school systems in which educators can optimize technology-rich learning environments to equitably engage the learners who fill their classrooms.
Prior to joining SETDA in 2021, Julia worked for Washington state's K-12 education agency, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) as the Title II, Part A program lead, where she provided operational leadership and oversight of the federal program designed to improve the quality of instruction and administration. In her previous role as the state’s technology integration program manager, she streamlined strategic planning for districts, championed robust professional learning programming for educators, and advocated for smart, flexible network policies.
Julia holds a master’s degree in educational technology from Pepperdine University and a bachelor’s degree in business education from New York University. She was the 2019 recipient of the SETDA State Leader of the Year award, and has also received the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Making IT Happen and the Northwest Council for Computer Education (NCCE) President’s awards.
Kitty O’Connor serves as Zayo’s strategic leader for erate and healthcare regulatory initiatives across the company. She advocates for ENA as an active participant in the E-rate and Rural Health Care programs at the Federal Communications Commission. Kitty’s dedicated work and expertise with USAC and the FCC has helped navigate complex appeals and approvals; resulting in the successful funding for key technology programs for customers such as school districts and healthcare institutions across the nation. Kitty is licensed to practice in the District of Columbia and Tennessee. She is a member of the following associations: The American Bar Association; the Federal Communications Bar Association; The Tennessee Bar Association; and trained as a Rule 31 Mediator. Prior to ENA, Kitty worked at Samsung North America in California and New Jersey on the Strategic Planning Team and at Caesars Entertainment in Las Vegas on the Government Relations and Corporate Responsibility Team. She worked on the Hill for Senator Alexander, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Lauren Moore has served in various leadership positions at public libraries and library systems throughout her career. As the Assistant Commissioner for Libraries and New York State (NYS) Librarian at the New York State Education Department, she leads the operations of the NYS Library and its statewide services, including the Regent Joseph E. Bowman Research Library, the New York State Talking Book and Braille Library, and the Division of Library Development. She has oversight responsibility for a $13 million operating budget, 100 employees, over 20 million collection items, and more than $100 million in state and federal aid to libraries.
Prior to her current role, she served as the executive director of the Pioneer Library System where she led the development of 42 small and rural libraries in Ontario, Wayne, Wyoming, and Livingston Counties by coordinating shared services. She previously served as the assistant director of the Pioneer Library System and the deputy director of the Southern Tier Library System. She has also served in leadership positions for various library professional organizations as well as for local, regional, and statewide community service groups, including the New York State Complete Count Commission that was created to help direct the State’s efforts in the 2020 Census.
Lauren earned her Master of Library and Information Sciences degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Rutgers University.
Debra Kriete, State E-rate Coordinators’ Alliance (SECA)
Debra Kriete has been involved with and an advocate for universal service for more than 30 years. She first served as assistant consumer advocate with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, representing consumers’ interests in state telecommunications regulatory proceedings. She then became chief counsel to a PUC Commissioner helping to shape policy recommendations concerning all aspects of universal telecommunications service. In 1996, Debra was appointed to the staff of the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service, the group that recommended to the FCC the rules and policies for implementing all USF mechanisms, and in 1998 she was appointed as the first General Counsel to the federal E-rate administrator. After leaving USAC, she provided legal counsel to service providers and applicants until being retained as the South Dakota State E-rate Coordinator – a position she has proudly held for the past 14 years. In this capacity, she operates an E-rate help desk and provides in-person and virtual training for the state’s schools, libraries and service providers to help them achieve E-rate success, and also is responsible for filing the E-rate applications for South Dakota’s statewide broadband and Internet consortium applications. Debra also is an active member of the State E-rate Coordinators Alliance.
Ty Beauchamp, Harris County Public Library (TX)
Over his twenty-two years with Harris County Public Library, he has worked in a variety of positions. Starting in a temporary PC support role, Ty worked his way up from Field Technician to Systems Administrator, to Integrated Library System Administrator, to Web Team Leader and finally to his current position as Division Director for Information Technology (IT).
Angela Siefer has been working in the field we now call digital inclusion since 1997. From physically setting up computer labs in underserved areas and managing local digital inclusion programs to consulting for the U.S. Department of Commerce and testifying before Congress, Angela develops national strategies and solutions from the ground up. In 2015, Angela helped found the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, a unified voice for home broadband access, public broadband access, personal devices, and local technology training and support programs. Government Technology Magazine named Angela one of their Top 25 Doers, Dreams, and Drivers of 2019.
Beverly Sutherland founded EdTechnologyFunds, a consulting firm that provides E-rate program and technology infrastructure support to schools and libraries nationwide. Over the past five years, EdTechnologyFunds has contributed to the statewide effort to connect California libraries to the California Research and Education Network (CalREN). Prior to founding EdTechnologyFunds, Beverly held senior positions in product marketing at Lucent Technologies and software engineering at Hughes-JVC. During her tenure at Lucent Technologies’ Microelectronics Group from 1992 to 2000, Beverly led the worldwide product launch of “soft'' modem chipsets and was one of the strategic account managers that oversaw the integration of Wi-Fi into PCs. As a software engineer at Hughes-JVC, Beverly was responsible for the digital signal processor and controller code development for HD projectors. Beverly earned a patent for contributions to the automatic correction of mis-converged images in a video projection system during this time. Beverly has served as president of the University of California, San Diego Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, where she assisted in creating programs that promote STEM education to local students. Beverly received her Bachelor of Science from the University of California, San Diego and a Master of Business Administration from Rutgers University.
John Windhausen Jr. founded the SHLB Coalition in 2009 with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. As executive director, he spearheads SHLB's membership growth and shapes its broadband policy recommendations. Previously, he served as president of the Association for Local Telecommunications Services, spent nine years on Capitol Hill, and started his career as a staff attorney at the FCC. In his role as senior counsel to the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, John was a principal staff person responsible for drafting the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and served as chief legal adviser on telecom issues to Senators Fritz Hollings and Daniel Inouye.
John has authored several papers documenting the benefits of broadband. His EDUCAUSE whitepaper, "A Blueprint for Big Broadband," resulted in the creation of the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). In 2012, John was named the Community Broadband Hero of the Year by the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisers.
John sits on the board of directors for the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA). He holds a J.D. from UCLA Law School and a bachelor's degree in history from Yale University.
Donate