Minister of Public Telecommunications, the Hon. Catherine Hughes

Catherine Andrea Hughes is a Media Specialist with extensive knowledge of the Caribbean media and advertising environment. She is a graduate of the University of the West Indies, with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) Degree in Mass Communications.

Mrs. Hughes has worked at media bodies in the Caribbean and internationally for more than 20 years, having served as a news reporter for the Caribbean News Agency and with the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) as a television producer. She was part of the BBC’s Radio Merseyside team as a freelance reporter.

BEVIL WOODING

Mr. Wooding is one of the region's leading voices promoting the use of information and communication technology (ICT) for development in the Caribbean and across the world. He is a virtual technology ambassador for the Caribbean, drawing international attention to the important issues surrounding the intersection of technology and development for the region.

He wears numerous hats, but all related to development of the regional digital economy and information society. He regularly represents the region in international fora such as LACNIC, ARIN, ICANN, and World Internet Governance Forum. He also regularly facilitates regional and international initiatives on ICT-based innovation, education, Policy, Regulation and Internet Governance, Internet Exchange Point (IXP) Development and Cybersecurity.

STEPHEN LEE

Stephen Lee is the Co-founder and CEO of ArkiTechs Inc., an IT provider with offices in Florida and Trinidad & Tobago. He has over 20 years of experience in IT infrastructure design, implementation and support for enterprises.

Stephen was formally trained as an Electrical & Computer Engineer at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad. Prior to ArkiTechs, he served in technical and executive positions at technology companies in Jamaica and the United States. His responsibilities included design, development, deployment and servicing of networks and software systems for multi-national organizations.

For over a decade, Stephen worked as an Advisor with the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) on infrastructure development and capacity building projects in the Caribbean region. As such, he is a contributor to Caribbean ICT policy development, government network infrastructure design, Internet Exchange Point proliferation, and ICT training programs.

Stephen is one of the founding members of the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG), a community of network operators dedicated to sharing technical information and experiences related to the management of ICT infrastructure in the Caribbean region. Since its establishment in 2007, he served as CaribNOG's Program Coordinator. This role entails identifying community needs, collaborating with stakeholders to align the organization to those needs, and building relationships within the community and with partner institutions.

Stephen is a regular participant in regional and international fora, including meetings hosted by ARIN, LACNIC, LACNOG, NANOG, ISOC, ICANN, CTU and CarPIF (the Caribbean Peering and Interconnection Forum).

Claire C. Craig is a Senior IT Officer, Enterprise Applications Support Manager at the University of the West Indies (The UWI). She has a successful ICT career and a track record of over 20 years’ progressive experience and competencies in: organizing, planning, communicating, coordinating multiple projects, training, lecturing, researching and presenting, combined with a genuine desire to develop people. She is dedicated to personal and professional development, and has a sound appreciation for stakeholder relationship management.

She is currently pursuing a PhD at The UWI through Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES) where her area of research is Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) in the Caribbean. She holds an EMBA from the ALJ Graduate School of Business, The UWI, a Post Graduate Diploma, Information Engineering and a Bachelor of Business Management. She is a Member of the Coordinating Team of the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG), a Board Member of the Bishop Anstey – Trinity College East (BATCE), Chair of the Trinidad & Tobago Chapter of the Association of Caribbean Higher Education Administrators (ACHEA), and a member of the Internet Society (ISOC).

Her skills include: Grant Writing, Project Management, eLearning, Formulating IT Standards, Implementing IP Procedures, Business Process Re-engineering, and Systems Analysis.

Claire has presented papers and technical reports at several local, regional and international meetings and conferences.

ALBERT DANIELS

Albert joined ICANN in 2013. He is located in Saint Lucia and is a member of the GSE team. Albert's responsibilities include developing and executing the organization's strategic and tactical objectives in the region. Prior to working at ICANN, Albert served as an IT/IS Auditor & ICT Consultant at Creative Technology Solutions Limited (CTSL). He also held the position of Regional IT Manager at KPMG Eastern Caribbean, and Accounts Supervisor/IT Trainer/Group IT Director at ISIS World Corporation. Albert served on numerous boards and has broad internet/technology related experience. He has attended many of the ICANN meetings; having been involved in the Fellowship program as both a fellow and mentor. Albert holds his Bachelors of Business Administration in Information Technology from Monroe College. He also completed additional coursework in Project Management from the University of Cambridge and holds multiple certifications and training credentials. Albert is fluent in English and conversant in Spanish, French, Norwegian and French Creole.

Mark Kosters is the Chief Technology Officer at American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN). He is also a member of the Registry Services Technical Evaluation Panel, which is a technical group within ICANN's GNSO.

Mark has more than twenty years of experience in developing application and network engineering. He has worked as a Senior Engineer at Data Defense Network NIC and as a Principal Investigator under the NSF-sponsored Internet NIC (InterNIC). Before joining ARIN, Mark was the Vice President of Research at Verisign. In his career, he has represented network information centers in various technical forums such as the IETF, RIPE, APNIC, and NANOG.

SHERNON OSEPA

Shernon Osepa, is a Telecoms& Internet Policy Professional .  An Electrical Engineer,(BSc.),  Business Administrator(BBA)  andTelecoms Regulations & Policy(MSc.) by training.   He is currentlythe Manager Regional Affairs Latin America & Caribbean at Internet Society (ISOC). Previously he had worked for ICANNas the Caribbean liaison, the Regulator, Bureau Telecommunicatieen Post in the Netherlands Antilles andthe incumbent telecoms operator, SETEL/UTS in Curacao. Shernon is a firm believer that the Internet should be utilized beyond just thefunction of a search engine. He contributed to the developmentofthe “CaribbeanPeering& Interconnection Forum(CarPIF). SIDS, digital economy and cybersecurity are also key areas of interests.  At WSIS 2017 he was selected asa High Level Track Facilitator, representing the global technical community. Shernon is a national of Curacao and is fluent in Papiamento, Dutch, English, Spanish and has a working understanding of French.

KEVON SWIFT

Kevon is the Head of Strategic Relations and Integration at LACNIC. He has extensive knowledge of external relations and digital policy in the Caribbean.

Kevon joined LACNIC in 2014 where his work focuses on Internet Governance processes, Caribbean affairs, and leading engagements with various Internet actors including governments, international organisations, private sector entities and members of the LACNIC Community.

Kevon is the architect of LACNIC On The Move -  an information campaign in Central America and the Caribbean that fosters bottom-up, open dialogue on a wide range of Internet issues. He also champions LACNIC’s newest initiative called LÍDERES, which aims to bolster Internet Governance spaces across the Latin American and Caribbean region.

NIGEL CASSIMIRE

CONSULTING TELECOMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST

Mr. Nigel Cassimire is a telecommunications engineer with over thirty years of experience in the industry, most of which were gained at the functional, management and executive levels of the incumbent telecommunications carrier of Trinidad and Tobago, Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (TSTT). He has intimate understanding of a broad range of telecommunications technologies and services and practical experience in network planning, network operations management and telecommunications policy development.

Mr. Cassimire has functioned as a Consulting Telecommunications Specialist since July 2005 and has worked extensively with the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) Secretariat in Port of Spain in the areas of spectrum management and Internet governance.

He has also successfully undertaken consultancies for several of the member governments of the CTU and notably for close to two years with the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago through the Ministry of Public Administration and the National Secretariat for the Fifth Summit of the Americas and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2009.

Mr. Cassimire has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering as well as a Diploma in Management Studies from The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. He is a fellow of the Telecommunications Engineering and Management Institute of Canada (TEMIC) and an alumnus of the Advanced Management Programme at INSEAD, Fountainbleau, France.