Speaker Bios
Eli Noam - Professor of Finance & Economics; Director, Columbia Institute for Tele-Information - Columbia Business School
Eli Noam has been Professor of Economics and Finance at the Columbia Business
School since 1976. In 1990, after having served for three years as Commissioner
with the New York State Public Service Commission, he returned to Columbia.
He is the Director of the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information. CITI is a
university-based research center focusing on strategy, management, and policy
issues in telecommunications, computing, and electronic mass media. In addition
to leading CITI's research activities, Noam initiated the MBA concentration
in the Management of Media, Communications, and Information at the Business
School and the Virtual Institute of Information, an independent, web-based research
facility.
Besides the over 400 articles in economics, legal, communications, and other journals that Professor Noam has written on subjects such as communications, information, public choice, public finance, and general regulation, he has also authored, edited, and co-edited 27 books.
Henning Schulzrinne - Professor of Computer Science and Department Chair - Columbia University
Prof. Henning Schulzrinne received his Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts
in Amherst, Massachusetts. He was a member of technical staff at AT&T Bell
Laboratories, Murray Hill and an associate department head at GMD-Fokus (Berlin),
before joining the Computer Science and Electrical Engineering departments at
Columbia University, New York. He is currently chair of the Department of Computer
Science.
Protocols co-developed by him, such as RTP, RTSP and SIP, are now Internet standards, used by almost all Internet telephony and multimedia applications. His research interests include Internet multimedia systems, ubiquitous computing, mobile systems, quality of service, and performance evaluation. He is a Fellow of the IEEE.
Christopher Loh, Visiting Scholar, CITI
On sojourn from New Zealand, Chris has been a visiting Fulbright scholar to Columbia University and is focused on Location Based Services and ICT & Media market analysis. Formerly a senior telecommunications analyst for IDC, Chris was responsible for all of New Zealand's Telecommunications research including Next Generation Networks and Wireless & Mobile Services. He has been internationally recognized for the calibre of his market intelligence output, receiving a global IDC Research Quality Award in 2006. During his 4 years with IDC, Chris was highly sought after for his industry perspectives, was regularly quoted in national publications, and a presenter at numerous industry conferences.
Prior to IDC, Chris spent 5 years implementing sophisticated technology projects across industrial, manufacturing and engineering verticals as a software development and systems integration consultant in New Zealand and Australia as a alliance member to National Instruments. He specialized in Computer Vision and Data Acquisition, Control & Monitoring systems.
Chris began his career as a Defence Scientist for 3.5 years working on a range of projects in the Undersea Warfare group of DOTSE (now the Defence Technology Agency). This role in turn built on his foundations of a Masters of Science, Physics (First Class Honours) at the University of Auckland. Chris also holds a Post Graduate Business Diploma from the University of Auckland.
Hassan Wahla - Sr. Director of Business Development - TeleNav
Hassan Wahla has over 15 years of experience in the wireless and telematics
industries. Hassan is responsible for establishing and managing partnerships
with wireless carriers, content providers, channel partners and device manufacturers.
Prior to joining TeleNav, he managed the GPS Tracking Product Portfolio at Nextel
Communications. He also developed and implemented the Consumer LBS strategy
for Nextel. Hassan has held several other senior management positions including
vice president of business development at Wireless Multimedia Solutions, director
of business development at MicroStrategy, Inc, and senior consultant at Maritime
Power Corporation.
Hassan holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University, Master
of Science in Management from Stevens Institute of Technology and Bachelor of
Science in Industrial Engineering from Virginia Tech.
Frederic Servais - Product Manager, Location Products & Services - Qualcomm
Frederic Servais is product manager for location server products and services for Qualcomm Internet Services (QIS). QIS is the Qualcomm division responsible for the BREW® solution and is chartered with driving development of next-generation wireless data applications, technologies and value-added services.
Servais has been with Qualcomm for more than 9 years and currently is responsible for feature and product definition for precise location server products and services offered by the Qualcomm Internet Services group. Servais was part of the original SnapTrack, Inc. organization before the $1 billion acquisition by Qualcomm in 2000. His experience in precise location applications and technology has centered on the adoption and introduction of assisted-GPS solutions for commercial Location Based Services and emergency service applications for wireless operators, worldwide. His background includes device-level development, domestic and international program management with integration support, partner relationship management, and large-scale system deployment.
Previous to his work with SnapTrack and Qualcomm, Servais played a critical role in development of digital wireless devices for Ericsson Wireless. He also worked for Dolby Laboratories, Inc. on digital projects for digital audio on film.Servais holds a Master of Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Florida.
Ted Morgan - CEO & Founder - Skyhook Wireless
Ted Morgan founded Skyhook Wireless with Michael Shean in 2003 to capitalize on the explosive growth of Wi-Fi usage and the emerging demand for location-based services. Prior to founding Skyhook, Mr. Morgan was the Vice President of Marketing for edocs Inc., a provider of customer self-service solutions that was sold to Siebel Systems in January 2005. At edocs, he ran marketing communications, inside sales, product marketing, and product management. Prior to edocs, Mr. Morgan was Group Product Manager for Open Market, one of the early leaders of the e-commerce revolution. Prior to that, he was a product manager for Harbinger Net Services in Atlanta. Prior to the technology industry, Mr. Morgan spent four years in the financial services industry, as part of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Alliance Capital, and Allen & Company. Mr. Morgan has an undergraduate degree in mathematics from Georgetown University and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
Andrew Weinrich - CEO - MeetMoiAndrew Weinreich has spent the past 10 years starting and building businesses.
- In January 2004, Andrew founded I Stand For, a full service technology solutions provider to political campaigns and non-profit organizations.
- In 2001, Andrew founded Joltage, an infrastructure services business devoted to building out a global network of WiFi hotspots.
- In 1996, Andrew launched the social networking space with sixdegrees.com, which over a period of five years grew to become one of the largest community sites on the World Wide Web.
Prior to founding sixdegrees, he served as Vice President/General Counsel of Hertz Technology Group. Before attending law school, he was a financial analyst at Merrill Lynch & Co. Andrew graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 1990 and earned a Juris Doctorate from Fordham University School of Law in 1994.
Dorothy Attwood - SVP - Public Policy and Chief Privacy Officer - AT&T
Dorothy Attwood, Senior Vice President-Public Policy and Chief Privacy Officer for AT&T, Inc., is responsible for developing and coordinating the company's regulatory policy at both the state and federal levels. As Chief Privacy Officer, Attwood has broad enterprise-wide oversight of all activities related to the development and implementation of policies governing the privacy of customer information.
Previously she served as senior vice president-federal regulatory strategy and integration, where she was responsible for developing federal regulatory strategies and ensuring that key federal policy initiatives are effectively integrated within the company's business and regulatory groups.
Prior to joining the company in August 2002, Attwood spent two years as chief of the Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau. During her six-year tenure at the agency, she provided strategic and policy counsel to FCC Chairmen William Kennard and Michael Powell. She served as senior legal advisor to Chairman Kennard on all common carrier, enforcement and consumer matters and as chief of the Enforcement Division of the Common Carrier Bureau.
Before joining the FCC, Attwood was a partner in the Philadelphia law firm Cozen & O'Conner, specializing in commercial litigation.
Attwood received her bachelor's degree from Brown University, a masters from The Wharton School and her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Attwood resides in San Antonio, Texas, with her husband and two children.
Michael F. Altschul - Senior Vice President and General Counsel - CTIA-The Wireless Association
Michael Altschul is the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of CTIA –
The Wireless Association™. CTIA is an international trade association
located in Washington, D.C. Membership in the Association includes wireless
carriers and their suppliers, as well as providers of wireless data services
and products.
Mr. Altschul joined CTIA in 1990 after serving with the Antitrust Division of
the United States Department of Justice. Prior to that, he began his legal career
as an attorney specializing in antitrust litigation with Simpson Thacher &
Bartlett in New York City.
During his ten year stint at the Justice Department, Mr. Altschul worked exclusively
on communications matters, including the Modification of Final Judgment and
the GTE decree, as well as related FCC filings and telecommunications industry
mergers and acquisitions. As CTIA’s General Counsel, Mr. Altschul is responsible
for the Association’s legal advocacy, CTIA’s compliance with antitrust
and other applicable laws, and he is an active participant in the development
of the Association’s public policy positions.
Mr. Altschul received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Colgate University,
and a Juris Doctor from the New York University School of Law. He is admitted
to the Bar in Illinois, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as the
United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the District
of Columbia, and the United States District Courts for the District of Columbia,
and the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. Mr. Altschul has served
as co-chair of the Federal Communications Bar Association's Ad Hoc Committee
on Telecommunications Competition Issues and the FCBA's Wireless Telecommunications
Practice Committee. He also is a member of the Antitrust Section of the American
Bar Association, where he serves on the Communications Industry Committee.
John Verdi - Staff Counsel - EPIC (Electronic Privacy Information Center)
John Verdi is the Director of EPIC's Open Government Project. His work focuses
on legal issues relating to open government, consumer privacy, and digital security.
Prior to joining EPIC, Mr. Verdi was a civil litigation associate in Washington
D.C. His litigation experience includes matters relating to federal and state
open records statutes, Administrative Procedure Act claims regarding federal
oversight, and tort cases involving digital information misappropriation and
misuse. Prior to his career as a lawyer, Mr. Verdi worked as a computer programmer
on a variety of projects, including several applications involving secure financial
data. He also advised the National Hockey League on a host of technology issues,
including data collection as it relates to the Children's Online Privacy Protection
Act. He is a graduate of Harvard.
Brian Knapp - Chief Privacy Officer, Vice President of Corporate Affairs - Loopt
Brian Knapp oversees data privacy and security matters, regulatory and policy efforts, corporate development and legal affairs at Loopt. He is on the board of directors of the Family Online Safety Institute and participates on the advisory committee to Cyber Safe California by the California Office of Privacy Protection.
Loopt also works with several leading privacy and security
organizations including the Center for Democracy and Technology, Electronic
Frontier Foundation, National Network to End Domestic Violence, Progress & Freedom
Foundation, ConnectSafely.org, Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee,
and Ponemon Institute.
Mr. Knapp brings to Loopt almost 15 years of combined experience in business development, privacy and intellectual property, and legal affairs. He was previously an associate at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati with a focus on data privacy, DMCA, and intellectual property technology transactions. Prior to law school, he held senior positions in business development and marketing with such companies as Dun & Bradstreet, BarnesandNoble.com and AllBusiness.com.
Evan Neufeld - VP Consulting & Senior Analyst - M: Metrics
Evan Neufeld is a well-respected and renowned authority in new media, advertising
and interactive advertising. Neufeld was the founding analyst of Jupiter's well-known
digital advertising research practice in 1996, and since then has been advising
the world’s biggest brands on how to build new media businesses.
Evan Neufeld oversees M:Metrics consulting practice. A well-respected analyst in the fields of new media, advertising and interactive marketing, Neufeld's experience includes senior-level roles at NPDTechworld and Jupiter Research, where he was a founding analyst of Jupiter's well-known digital advertising research practice.
Neufeld was most recently a principal at Storyline Development, an independent consultancy helping companies to develop, evolve and market products and services involving digital media and consumer interactivity.
Earlier, he was vice president of industry analysis at NPDTechworld. There he focused on developing advisory services analyzing technological convergence and its impact on key consumer and business sectors for clients like AOL, SONY and HP.
Beginning in 1996, Neufeld was part of the research and management team at Jupiter Research, most recently as senior vice president of global research.
Before Jupiter, Neufeld was a principal analyst at WebTrack, covering the first developments in interactive advertising and marketing, as well as holding a variety of marketing positions in the publishing industry. He has been quoted in major media outlets such as The New York Times, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, Ad Age, Media Week and CNET, and has appeared on CNBC, Wall Street Week and ABC News. Evan is an active participant in industry associations such as the MMA and IAB, and is a member of ad:tech’s advisory board.
Blair Swedeen - VP, Market Development - 1020 PlacecastBlair is responsible for 1020's marketing and business development activities with ISPs, web publishers, mobile application providers and other distribution partners.
Prior to joining 1020, Blair founded Partenza Consulting, a strategy and business development consultancy advising leading players and investors in the Location-Based Services (LBS) industry. Previously, he had overall responsibility for the Internet/Wireless product line at NAVTEQ, the leading digital map content company, and launched the company's mobile content product line. Before joining NAVTEQ, Blair was a Director and Quantitative Analyst at UBS Global Asset Management where he owned development and operations for the firm's global equity valuation platform.
Blair has more than eight years of experience across product strategy, product management and business development in LBS, digital content, applications and analytics. He is a regularly featured speaker and columnist who also serves on the advisory board for the Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs (SVASE).
Blair holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor's degree in Finance from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.
Ben Ezrick - Senior Strategist - Ogilvy Interactive
Benjamin has been influential in defining interactive video advertising on
television, mobile and online. He is responsible for the application of emerging
technologies, such as gaming, mobile and advanced television at Ogilvy in his
role as senior strategist of digital innovation. He is determined to deliver
advertisers the measurability and accountability that they have found online.
In a first for the industry, Benjamin managed a television campaign implemented,
tracked and optimized over the internet. His desire to digitize traditional
media comes from his years of experience in online media planning.
Prior to joining Ogilvy, Benjamin worked on grass roots marketing campaigns
in support of Ben & Jerry’s, Palm and Polaroid. He is a graduate of
the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in International Relations.
Alex Muller - CEO and Founder - Slifter Local Shopper
Alex Muller founder of GPShopper, launched Slifter local shopper in 2006 to use wireless and LBS/GPS technologies to improve the every-day shopping experience. His previous experience includes development of environmental knowledge management applications and retail data management design. He received a MS and MBA from Carnegie Mellon University, and a BS Engineering from Tufts University.
Alison Albeck Lindland (CBS '08), American Express Interactive, Manager
Alison has a variety of interactive experiences in both product and account management roles. As an intern in the mobile group at American Express Interactive, she defined tracking methodologies for the WAP and SMS products and created a framework for developing mobile applications to drive business goals.
Prior to business school Alison worked on the Goldman Sachs and Jaguar cars accounts at OgilvyInteractive and in business development at the start up TheaterMania.com.
Alison is an officer of the Columbia Venture Community, which seeks to foster entrepreneurship within the Columbia community. Through CVC entrepreneurs and other venture participants from every school at Columbia meet once per month to share ideas, find partners and create the next big thing.
Alison attended Vassar College and earned her MBA from Columbia this May. She will be returning to American Express Interactive later this summer.
Albert Cooley - Senior Director of Global Tools and Services - Tele Atlas
As Senior Director of Global Tools and Services for Tele Atlas, Cooley overseas product marketing for the tools and services including the company's dynamic content offerings, Tele Atlas DeveloperLink, geocoding, Map Insight, ContentLink. Cooley has broad experience in product management and marketing at both start-ups like NetPlane systems, which was purchased by Conexant, as well publicly traded companies such as Motorola. He holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI); he has also conducted advanced studies in Computer Engineering at Boston University. Cooley is a frequent speaker at industry events in Europe and the U.S., and his articles have appeared in a wide variety of computer and industry specific magazines.
Dan Melinger - Co-Founder - Socialight
Dan Melinger is a communications technologist with experience in the design
and deployment of disruptive telecommunications technologies for business and
consumer markets. Dan co-founded Socialight after receiving his Master's degree
from New York University's Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP). Prior
to ITP, at Vaultus Mobile Technologies, he developed and introduced technologies
at leading global financial institutions.
Dan holds a B.A. in Communications from the Annenberg School at the University
of Pennsylvania. His undergraduate thesis explored the potential industry impact
of P2P technology before Napster became a dirty word. In 2005, Melinger helped
found the New York chapter of Helsinki-based MobileMonday, an organization that
fosters NYC's mobile industry.
Danny Moon is CEO of UpNext, a company that creates online 3-D cityscape for
local search and exploration. UpNext 3-D maps are dynamic and interactive, providing
users with greater depth of information, visually and contextually. UpNext combines
local recovery and discovery, making it a complete local search solution.
Prior to founding UpNext, Moon worked as a business consultant in San Francisco
and as a research associate on Wall Street. Moon received a B.A. from UC Berkeley
and an M.B.A. from Columbia University.
