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Organizing Committee
Thomas Bell
Thomas Bell is a Program Manager with Grameen Foundation USA’s Seattle-based Grameen Technology Center. Before joining GFUSA, Mr. Bell served as the Director of Technology and Communication for Digital Partners where he was instrumental in developing Digital Partners’ international programs, such as the Social Enterprise Laboratory and e-Inclusion Forums, and the technological systems that supported them. Thomas has worked with the United Nations Information Communication Technology (UNICT) Task Force, the World Bank, USAID, as well as corporations such as Hewlett Packard and Microsoft and a variety of NGOs and social entrepreneurs operating around the world. Mr. Bell holds advanced degrees in information science and area studies.
Chris Coward
Chris Coward is the Director of the University of Washington Center for Internet Studies and a lecturer at the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs. Chris’s primary interest is in promoting greater linkages among the disciplines, and between the university and the community. At the UW, Chris has established several programs including: Nonprofit Technology Leadership Program which provides international fellows with training and small-scale grants to implement IT projects; and Interdisciplinary Program in Humanitarian Relief, a partnership between engineering, public affairs and the humanitarian relief community. Chris’s research focuses on the policies and impacts of ICT diffusion in the developing world. Currently he is examining the role of the university in understanding and promoting ICT adoption for social and economic development. Chris is also conducting a global study on community technology centers. Chris has a Masters in Public Administration and a Masters in International Studies from the University of Washington.
Raul Roman
Raul Roman is a Research Associate at the Annenberg Research Network on International Communication, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California, and a non-resident Research Fellow at the Center for Internet Studies, University of Washington. Raul Roman's research focuses on the social and economic effects of information and communication technology in communities of the developing world. He has conducted research and consulted on 'information technology and international development' programs in South Asia, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa. In the past seven years, Raul has consulted for international organizations (such as FAO and Rockefeller Foundation), governments (such as Taiwan and El Salvador), the private sector (such as Microsoft Corporation), and universities (such as the Tamil Nadu University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in India). Raul publishes widely and regularly presents his work in meetings and conferences. He serves as Regional Editor for Latin America for the journal Information Technologies and International Development (MIT Press). Raul received a BA in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Seville, Spain, and MS and Ph.D. degrees in Communication and International Development from Cornell University.
Mark Surman
Mark Surman has been using media to support collaboration and build community for over 15 years. Mark's current role is the Managing Director of the telecentre.org program at IDRC, a global network supporting the work of community technology leaders. Prior to joining IDRC, Mark was the president of Commons Group, Inc. - a research and strategy firm focused on collaboration, community building and social technology. He has also served as the Director of Content and Community at Web Networks and as a program consultant for the Government of Ontario's Volunteer @ction Online grants program. Mark has written widely on social technology issues, with publications including both 'Appropriating Technology for Social Change' (SSRC) and 'Commonspace: Beyond Virtual Community' (Financial Times Press).
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