Obama transition team names tech policy group
Two former Federal Communications Commission staffers and the head of Google.org will help president-elect's transition team write tech policy.
The transition team for President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday announced which advisers will lead the team's efforts to develop technology policy for the Obama administration.
The three team leaders of the technology, innovation, and government reform policy working group are Julius Genachowski and Blair Levin, two former Federal Communications Commission staff members, and Sonal Shah, the head of Google.org.
The purpose of the policy working group is to "develop the priority policy proposals and plans from the Obama campaign for action during the Obama-Biden administration," according to the transition team. Obama has promised to put more emphasis on technological issues as president and has even said he will appoint a chief technology officer.
Genachowski is a former IAC executive and the founder of start-up incubator LaunchBox Digital. He served as an adviser to two FCC chairmen during the Clinton administration. Genachowski also chaired the group that helped shape the Obama campaign's Tech and Innovation Plan, and is considered by some in Washington to be a contender for the position of CTO.
Shah is the head of Google's philanthropy division and previously served as a vice president at Goldman Sachs. Both Shah and Genachowski are also on the Obama-Biden transition project advisory board.
Levin, a managing director at the firm Stifel Nicolaus, previously served as chief of staff to FCC Chairman Reed Hundt from 1993 to 1997.