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The Last Frontier For Karen Knutson
by Heather Greenfield
Karen Knutson is leaving the Business Software Alliance and returning to Capitol Hill to work for a senator from her home state, Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
Knutson will leave as BSA's vice president of government relations at the end of the month and start Aug. 21 as Murkowski's chief of staff. Knutson replaces former chief of staff Donna Murray. At BSA, Knutson has been directing strategy and policy campaigns on issues such as e-commerce, intellectual property protection and patent reform.
Knutson began her career in Washington as a legislative assistant for then-Sen. Frank Murkowski of Alaska. He appointed daughter Lisa Murkowski to replace him in the Senate when he was elected governor of The Last Frontier State, and she later was re-elected. Knutson also previously worked as the appropriations counsel for Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, and as legislative director for Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan.
Knutson, who grew up in Ketchikan, Alaska, and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, later became deputy assistant for domestic policy to Vice President Richard Cheney. She helped compose the national energy policy for President Bush.
Knutson said she is glad to be returning to the Hill. "I will be working for a state that I love and for a senator that I greatly respect," she said.
Murkowski said, "Karen's experience in both the public and the private sector, as well as her knowledge of and love for Alaska, make her an extremely valuable addition to my staff."
Taking Online Advocacy To The Next Level
No more talking about Internet strategy; it's now time to implement it. Alan Rosenblatt is leaving his job as executive director of the Internet Advocacy Center to become associate director of online advocacy at the Center for American Progress.
"This is an exciting opportunity for me, as I have been itching to take the reins of an advocacy program for some time now and CAP seems to be the perfect place for me to do so," Rosenblatt said. "I am especially excited about the broad progressive issue portfolio I will be working on in my new position."
Rosenblatt predicted that the Internet Advocacy Roundtable, where advocates and online strategists have shared ideas, will continue, but said he no longer will be providing consulting services for the center. It will transition fully into what he describes as a virtual think tank for Internet advocacy and politics.
"The IAC Web site will continue to serve as a library for research and development related to Internet strategy," he said. "It will still provide a portal to my blogging at Dr. DigiPol and techPresident."
Bringing IT Advocacy To Slovakia
The Computing Technology Industry Association has opened its newest office in Bratislava, Slovakia. That means CompTIA now has offices and representatives in 16 locations around the world. The offices support regions that account for more than 97 percent of the IT industry.
"A growing number of our members are outside the United States, which shows the global pervasiveness of IT and the global reach of CompTIA," said John Venator, president and CEO of the group. "We are located where the IT industry itself needs us to be."
The information and communications technology industry is among the most dynamic sectors in Europe's economy, accounting for nearly 8 percent of gross domestic product and 6 percent of employment in the European Union.
"Growth in our industry is being spurred both by consumers with increased spending power to invest in personal technology; and by businesses that rely on technology to keep them competitive in regional and global markets," said Robert Kramer, vice president of public policy for CompTIA.
He added that growth opportunities often are accompanied by challenges like government regulatory issues and the need for workers with technology skills, and he said the expansion in Europe will help address those issues.
CompTIA is headquartered in suburban Chicago and maintains offices in Beijing; Bratislava; Brussels, Belgium; Dusseldorf, Germany; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Hong Kong; Johannesburg, South Africa; London; Melbourne, Australia; New Delhi, India; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Sydney, Australia; Tokyo; Toronto; and Washington.
Verizon's McKeehan To Lead Online Safety Board
Verizon Communications' Michael McKeehan has been elected board chairman for the Family Online Safety Institute. McKeehan is the director of Internet and technology policy for Verizon and has served on the institute's board for three years.
McKeehan succeeds Nick Truman, the head of Internet security for BT Retail in the United Kingdom, as chairman. Truman and Silke Springensguth, the manager of promotion and planning for AOL Deutschland, will serve as vice chairs of the board.
The institute generally advocates a balanced approach to online safety, with greater parental involvement and empowerment, comprehensive industry self-regulation, and reasonable government oversight and support.
At Verizon, McKeehan develops policy strategies for advanced network and service platforms. He holds multiple U.S. patents on call-forwarding services using advanced intelligent network technology.
Another Virtual Debate, Another E-Mail Ballot
Members of the liberal online group MoveOn.org will be voting this week on who won the group's second virtual debate among Democratic presidential candidates over the weekend. MoveOn members hosted 1,300 house parties for the even, which the group's political action team said in a statement was the biggest event since 2004.
Technology improved over the last debate, which was much like a radio debate online. This time, the topic was global warming and featured video questions from MoveOn members. Former Clinton administration Labor Secretary Robert Reich asked Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., about auctioning pollution rights and using the proceeds to develop new energy alternatives.
Obama said such an auction could raise "tens of billions" of dollars that could be invested "in basic research and science in solar, wind and how we make that more efficient" and also "train a new generation of scientists and engineers around the pursuit of cleaner energy."
Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., said the nation's new energy policy needs to be on a faster track to energy independence with clean, renewable fuels. She also said the United States must decide on a method to reduce greenhouse gases with either a carbon tax, cap-and-trade system or carbon auction. She noted that she is "intrigued" by the idea of auctioning pollution rights.
Former vice-presidential candidate and Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., said he would open electrical grids to small towns and grassroots groups to increase competition. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who was Energy Secretary during the Clinton administration, called global warming the "most important national security and domestic issue we face."
"This is the first time ever voters can compare the presidential candidates' proposals, side-by-side, for solving the climate crisis," said Eli Pariser, the executive director of MoveOn.org Political Action. MoveOn, which has 3.2 million members, also announced that it gained 250,000 new members from a petition asking Congress to move toward a clean energy future.
Quote Of The Week
"Your blanket assertion of executive privilege belies any good-faith attempt to determine where privilege truly does and does not apply."
-- Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., in a letter to White House Counsel Fred Fielding on documents and e-mails the committee subpoenaed related to the firing of eight U.S. attorneys.
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