Alcatel-Lucent – Washington, D.C. 2010 – 2012

Sr. Counsel-Director Public Safety LTE Global Spectrum Strategy

Serve as the team lead to grow the public safety marketplace both domestically and globally through spectrum strategies that benefit the deployment of Long Term Evolution (LTE) through legal, regulatory and policy, e.g. Asian Pacific Band Plan, spectrum auctions, cyber-security and privacy.  

  • Create a comprehensive public safety spectrum strategy that aligns with the potential global public safety marketplace to build equipment that will leverage economies of scale. 
  • Identify new public safety opportunities in the United States, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, India, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Germany, and the Middle East through collaboration with the internal public safety and sales teams that resulted in demonstrations and/or trials of public safety 700 MHz LTE.  Also, ensured that the trials and demonstrations sought the needed regulatory approval. 
  • Support the energy industry to ensure power utilities inclusion in the build-out of the public safety network via the Waiver in Michigan, meetings with utilities and trade associations. 
  • Identify grant opportunities to begin build-out of public safety networks by waiver recipients in the U.S.
  • Team lead to Global Government Affairs, LGS, Public Safety Spectrum Trust, APCO. 

Alcatel-Lucent – Washington, D.C. 2005 – 2010

Senior Counsel: Americas Public Affairs

Serve as project manager for company’s wireless regulatory and legislative affairs for technology policy-related issues, including cyber-security, privacy, data security, telecommunications, accessibility, public safety and wiretap. Scope included United States and international; also serve as Washington, D.C. corporate interface for Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility, U.S. Cellular and Sprint / Nextel.

  • Public Safety:  Serve as lead regulatory advisor in the creation of a multi-billion dollar public safety broadband opportunity working with Bell Labs, marketing and sales teams using the regulatory process at the Federal Communications Commission and Capitol Hill. Collaborate with key federal stake holders at the Department of Homeland Security, national and state public safety, and industry associations.
    • Support the creation of a vertical business service offering for the company via the regulatory process in Washington through legislation and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rulemakings; co-authored numerous FCC waiver requests for various jurisdictions around the country to allow for early deployment of broadband networks to state and local first responders.  Played a key role in creating first-ever public safety broadband network in the District of Columbia.
  • ARRA Broadband Economic Stimulus: Team with marketing and sales teams on broadband stimulus opportunities involving smart grid, healthcare and public safety to ensure that the company was not excluded by ARRA Buy America provisions. 
  • Lobby NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) and Congress to ensure that stimulus monies were spent for public safety, healthcare IT, and Smart Grid applications via the NTIA BTOP (Broadband Technology Opportunities Program).
  • Alcatel-Lucent Corporate Merger: Key policy advisor, as a member of the merger integration team in the creation of Alcatel-Lucent in 2006, responsible for U.S. government approval process through CFIUS.
    • Alcatel was a foreign company based in France that merged with Lucent Technologies, a U.S. company. The merger led to multiple national security ramifications (telecom is a
        • ritical infrastructure in the U.S. as Lucent held many government contracts). Project involved meeting with numerous national security agencies, Capitol Hill, Executive Branch and the U.S. Commerce Department.
      • International: Influence U.S. Embassies, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Trade Representative and Department of Commerce on corporate issues such as VoIP encryption and 2G-3G wireless deployments in India, Canada, China, Latin and Central America. 
        • Ensure 3G Auctions occurred or will occur in major markets throughout the world, e.g., India and China. Lead State Department delegation to India on telecom issues pertinent to the Indian market.
      • Lead projects related to broadband, net neutrality, VoIP, Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), disability access, foreign competition issues, prison jammers, AWS and 700 MHz auctions. 
      • Industry spokesperson at conferences and web-based seminars. 
      • Alcatel-Lucent’s Board of Directors’ member to USTTI and Digital Dialogue Forum.

      United States Telecom Association – USTA – Washington, D.C. 2002 – 2005

      Associate Counsel

      Served as Lead attorney / Industry Advocate for Verizon, SBC, BellSouth, ALLTEL, and many other medium, small or rural exchange telecommunications carriers.

      • Homeland Security: National security matters. Wrote comments regarding classification of company data involving telephone network design and architecture for the federal government’s Department of Homeland Security in order to protect USA critical infrastructure.
      • Advanced Telecommunications Technologies: Handled regulatory matters before government agencies involving advanced telecommunications services that either provide or transmit Internet capability (VoIP, broadband, and IP-enabled services).
      • Access Charges: Orchestrated one of USTA’s largest legal victories regarding Internet telephony. Scope: numerous appearances at the FCC meeting with the Wireline Competition Bureau, drafting ex parte letters to Chairman and Commissioners of the FCC, and coordinating with all involved companies to ensure their participation as a unified body.
      • Privacy: Authored legal comments regarding the FCC rules protecting customer privacy of account information and customer proprietary network information.
      • Additional projects: Broadband (cable and wireline); VoIP; Intermodal LNP; CALEA, Triennial Review Order. Industry spokesperson: conferences and web-based seminars. USTA’s liaison to the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.

      booz-allen & hamilton (management consultants), falls church, virginia 1997 – 2001

      Senior Associate / Functional Manager

      As Functional Manager for the Legal, Policy and Regulatory team directed the provision of regulatory compliance strategies to high-tech government and industry entities in domestic and international markets. Clients included: National Security, National Defense, private sector corporations and businesses.

      • Served as Legal Policy Advisor on numerous government and private industry projects assessing impact and implication of legislative acts, pending legislation and de-regulation.
      • Authored several key white papers including one on the foreign legal and regulatory landscape and its effect upon the development and growth of E-commerce for the National Intelligence Council. 
      • Supplied legal / regulatory expertise to the E-Business / Government Working Group for digital signature legislation, privacy law and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
      • National Security Agency: Conducted a comprehensive study of the legal authorities involving jurisdiction of either law enforcement or the intelligence community in the event of a cyber-attack upon the United States.
      • Central Intelligence Agency: Oversaw significant task of analyzing the E-commerce readiness of the legal framework in China, India, Japan and the European Union in relation to the potential impact on the political and economic behavior of the these countries.
      • Federal Bureau of Investigation: Served as Assistant Program Manager for a multi-million, multi-year venture to aid client in creating a strategic plan involving all legal, regulatory, engineering and economic issues dealing with telecommunications synthesis.  Interfaced with US Congress, other Federal agencies, State and local governments and key leaders in the telecommunications industry.  Scope involved matters including number portability, IP and cable telephony, local competition regulations, wireless communications, E-911, and international gateway regulations in the USA.
      • Commercial and Government Clients: Participated in the assessment of emerging and competing trends regarding the use of digital signatures, concentrating on pending legislation in the European Union and the United States.  The detailed analysis described pending trends and legislation in each country, the success likelihood of each pending bill, and the potential effect on E-commerce the individual bills would have on E-commerce in its jurisdiction.
      • BellSouth Corporation: Led a collaborative study of regulatory drivers affecting entry into new markets and formation of business alliances.  Developed in partnership with Bell South’s senior leadership, “what-if” scenarios for how de-regulation would unfold and its short and long term ramifications on competitive posturing and market share dominance.

      Federal Communications Commission, Washington, D.C. 1993 – 1997

      Senior Attorney

      • Common carrier, cable services, mass media bureaus: Developed Federal regulations to implement Section 251, Interconnection of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which addressed pricing various forms of interconnection agreements.  Regulatory reform issues related to the review of local telephone company tariffs.
      • Significantly contributed to the successful implementation and adherence of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (specifically, the Local Competition Provisions) for the cable, electric utility and telephone industries by participation of the regulatory and policy making process as well as serving as liaison between FCC and top tier leadership within these industries.

      Education

      American University

      Juris Doctor, Bar Admission: State or Maryland

      West Virginia Wesleyan College

      Bachelor of Arts: Political Science, History

      Extensive list of continuing education available upon request

      Privacy Law, Telecommunications Convergence, E-Commerce, The Digital Economy

      Community Service  2005 – Present

      Civic / Community Activist (past and current):  Former member of the Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee, a citizen advisory committee appointed by the Arlington County Board to review the county budget and provide budgetary guidance, 2005 – 2013.

      President of the Arlington County Civic Federation, 2013 – 2015