Advisory Council

Laurent CrenshawLaurent Crenshaw, Yelp

Laurent Crenshaw is the head of Federal Public Policy for Yelp. At Yelp he has championed the company’s  federal efforts to protect consumer freedom of speech on the internet and worked to implement yelp as a tool for the federal government.

Prior to joining Yelp in 2013, Laurent worked in the House of Representatives for over 11 years. During his tenure he served as the Legislative Director for Representative Darrell Issa focusing on technology policy issues, particularly in the areas of intellectual property, telecommunications, and internet law; and also worked in the offices of the House Majority Whip and House Republican Conference. Laurent successfully worked on numerous legislative efforts including the passage of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act in 2011 and the fight to defeat SOPA and PIPA in Congress.

Laurent obtained his undergraduate degree in International Relations from Stanford University in 2002 and his Juris Doctor degree from American University's Washington College of Law in 2010.

Skip DyeSkip Dye, Penguin Random House

Skip Dye is Vice President, Library Marketing and Digital Sales for Penguin Random House, and has been working in Publishing since 1986. He celebrates 20 years at Penguin Random House this July. During his PRH tenure, Skip has been involved in various roles in managing new company acquisitions and new system implementations to creating new business models and advocating for libraries. Skip has worked with the Library market on/off for the past 15 years. He has an intricate understanding of the digital landscape in both public and school libraries. Before the Penguin and Random House merger, Skip participated as a Gold partner for Library Journal’s Patron Profiles, emphasizing the role of libraries in book discovery. Prior to joining PRH, Skip was Vice President, Special Markets, Sales Administration, and Sales Automation at Bantam Doubleday Dell. He is currently on the board for United for Libraries.

Alan Fishel, Arent Fox, LLP

Alan leads the Communications, Technology & Mobile group at Arent Fox, LLP, and is a partner in the firm’s Corporate group, Antitrust & Competition Law group, Government Relations/Political Law group, and Sports Law Group. Alan practices regularly in front of the FCC and is nationally recognized for his advocacy and transactional skills. Alan’s clients’ success rate in FCC proceedings and other advocacy matters is extremely high, and Alan also handles an array of transactional matters relating to technology and telecommunications-related agreements. He also provides seminars to in-house counsel (including for a chapter of the American Association of Corporate Counsel), and attorneys at the firm regarding how to most effectively negotiate agreements. Alan recently received an award for his contributions to the work that led to his client receiving the only national infrastructure grant given under the BTOP program, which was for more than $62 million.

Keith Krueger, Consortium for School Networking

Keith R. Krueger is CEO of the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), a nonprofit organization that serves as the voice of K-12 school system technology leaders in North America. CoSN’s mission is empowering educational leaders to leverage technology to realize engaging learning environments. Technology & Learning selected him as one of the “big 10” most influential people in ed tech in 2015. In 2008 he was selected by eSchool News as one of ten people who has had a profound impact on educational technology over the last decade. He serves on many Advisory Boards including eSchool News, the Education Committee of the National Park System, the Friday Institute at NC State University and the Wireless Reach Advisory Board. He is a past Board Member/Treasurer of the National Coalition on Technology in Education & Training (NCTET). Keith has a global reputation as a key thought leader and has organized senior-level U.S. delegations to visit Australia, Asia, Europe and South America to examine best practice in ICT in education. In fall of 2015, Keith conducted a Work Study on Digital Equity as an Associate in Practice at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. As a Certified Association Executive, he has an extensive background in nonprofit management and has a Masters from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.

Tiffany Moore, Consumer Technology Association

Tiffany M. Moore is Vice President, Congressional Affairs, at the Consumer Technology Association. Previously, she was a principal at Moore Consulting and strategic consultant with TwinLogic Strategies, at which she advised corporations, trade associations, and coalitions on how to influence technology and innovation policy before Congress and the Administration. A proud native of Detroit, Michigan, Tiffany earned her M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, and her B.A. from Western Michigan University.

Katherine Oyama, Google

Katherine Oyama is Sr. Policy Counsel for Google, where she focuses on copyright, creativity, trademark, and intermediary liability (incl. controversial content) law and policy. From 2009 to 2011, she worked in the Office of the Vice President as Associate Counsel and Deputy Counsel to Vice President Joseph R. Biden. Prior to her government service, Katherine was a litigation associate at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr’s Washington office, where she worked on intellectual property cases, government and regulatory litigation, and pro bono matters. She previously worked for a New York-based strategy consulting firm, a Silicon Valley-based Internet start-up, and a Washington-based public interest research organization. Katherine is a graduate of Smith College, where she graduated with high honors in Government, and the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall), where she served as senior articles editor of the Berkeley Technology Law Journal. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Duke Law Center for Innovation Policy and has testified before Congress on issues relating to copyright, trademark, and Internet policy.

Jon Peha, Carnegie Mellon University

Jon Peha is a Professor at Carnegie Mellon University who has addressed information networks from industry, government, and academia. In government, he served at the Federal Communications Commission as Chief Technologist, in the White House as Assistant Director of the Office of Science & Technology Policy where he focused on telecom and research, in the House Energy & Commerce Committee where he was responsible for telecom and e-commerce issues, and at USAID where he helped launch and lead a US Government interagency program to assist developing countries with information infrastructure. In industry, he has been Chief Technical Officer for three high-tech companies, and a member of technical staff at SRI International, AT&T Bell Laboratories, and Microsoft. At Carnegie Mellon, he is a Professor in the Dept. of Engineering & Public Policy and the Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, and former Associate Director of the university's Center for Wireless & Broadband Networking. His research spans technical and policy issues of information and communications technology. Jon holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford and a B.S. from Brown. He is an IEEE Fellow and an AAAS Fellow and was selected by AAAS as one of 40 Featured AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellows of the last 40 years ("40@40").

Michael Petricone, Consumer Technology Association

Michael Petricone is the senior vice president of government affairs for the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). In his position, Michael is responsible for representing the CE industry’s position before Congress and the FCC on critical issues such as Internet freedom, wireless spectrum, and high-skilled immigration. He is a frequent speaker on policy issues impacting the innovation industry. He has been frequently listed as one of DC’s top technology lobbyists. Michael received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and his undergraduate degree from Tufts University.

Brooks Rainwater

Brooks Rainwater, National League of Cities

Brooks Rainwater is the Senior Executive and Director of the National League of Cities’ Center for City Solutions. He oversees NLC’s research, research partnerships, leadership education, and community engagement efforts to strengthen the capacity of municipal leaders to create strong local economies, safe and vibrant neighborhoods, world-class infrastructure, and a sustainable environment. Brooks’ areas of expertise include economic development, sustainability, and urban innovation. As a strong advocate for vibrant and successful cities, Brooks often speaks and writes on the subject, and has published numerous research reports and articles on the creation of innovative, sustainable, and livable communities. His recent research publications and interest have surrounded the sharing economy, open data, and the state of our nation’s cities. Brooks has appeared in a range of media outlets, including CNN, NPR, Bloomberg, and the New York Times. Brooks also frequently contributes writing to publications such as Fast Company, The Guardian, Business Insider, and Tech Crunch. Core Policy Revolution! Staff

Jocelyn RichgelsJocelyn Richgels, National Rural Policy Research Institute

Jocelyn Batko Richgels joined the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) in September 2004 as the Associate Director of National Policy Programs. RUPRI conducts policy-relevant research and facilitates public dialogue to assist policymakers in understanding the rural impacts of public policies and programs. In this capacity, Jocelyn ensures that our nation’s policymakers access and utilize the research and practice conducted by RUPRI Centers as they consider legislation that impacts rural America. She directs the policy outreach efforts for the RUPRI Rural Health and Human Services portfolio and closely tracks the rural development policy dimensions of the nation’s Farm Bills. Jocelyn was born and raised on a family farm in rural southwest Wisconsin and her understanding of rural America stems first-hand from this experience. She has over eight years of public policy experience, beginning her career as staff to a Member of Congress from Minnesota, who represented one the most rural Congressional district in the country at the time. In between public policy work, she gained extensive experience in fundraising, sales and marketing through careers as a Major Gifts Development Officer at Mills College in California and Advertising Sales Manager at The Atlantic Monthly magazine. Jocelyn received a Masters of Public Policy from the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park. She graduated with honors from the Management, Finance and Leadership specialization, with a research emphasis on rural policy analysis. Ms. Richgels’ undergraduate degree was earned at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Ms. Richgels has served on the Maryland School of Public Policy Alumni Board for a number of years. She currently lives in Washington DC.

Tony Sarmiento, Senior Service AmericaTony Sarmiento

Anthony R. Sarmiento is Executive Director of Senior Service America, Inc., a national nonprofit organization providing employment and community service opportunities to older adults. An ALA member since 1990, he previously co-chaired the ALA-AFL-CIO Joint Committee and chaired the RUSA-RSS Committee on Library Services to an Aging Population. Tony also held senior positions before retiring from the national AFL-CIO and currently serves on the board of directors of the National Council for Adult Learning, National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs, American Youth Policy Forum, the Poverty and Race Research Action Council, and the Silver Spring Village. Tony has a B.A. in American Studies from American University and is a lifelong resident of the Washington area.

Carmen Scurato, National Hispanic Media Coalition

Carmen Scurato is the director of policy and legal affairs for the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC), a media advocacy and civil rights organization.Carmen develops policy and legal strategies to ensure that Latinos and other communities of color have access to affordable and open communications. As an advocate for reforms that encourage innovation, enhance competition and increase diversity in the telecommunications landscape, Carmen reviews key policy items as they develop. She prepares legal comments explaining to regulators the impact of media and telecommunications laws and regulations on Latinos across the country. Carmen regularly represents NHMC in meetings with members of Congress and federal regulatory agencies. She coordinates with other organizations to draft advocacy letters and advance public pressure campaigns that protect vulnerable communities and amplify NHMC’s impact in opening opportunities for the Latino community to connect and be heard. She regularly speaks on panels organized to increase public understanding of the ways that communications policy impacts people of color. Before joining NHMC, Carmen worked as a contractor for the Department of Justice and assisted in investigations alleging financial fraud against federal agencies and federal health care programs. Carmen, a native of Puerto Rico, earned her J.D. from Villanova University School of Law where she was an associate editor of the Villanova Law Review and a co-chair of the Honor Board.

Piper Nieters SuPiper Nieters Su, The Advisory Board Company

Piper Nieters Su serves as Vice President, Health Policy at The Advisory Board Company, where she leads the company’s efforts to bring market insights to Congress, the Administration, and senior leaders in the policy community. Piper synthesizes the extensive research and technology offerings at The Advisory Board Company to deliver an on-the-ground perspective on how providers and industry stakeholders relate to key policy and market trends. Prior to joining Advisory Board in 2013, Su served as Of Counsel at the largest law firm in the world, assisting healthcare companies and providers with formal legal advice as well as legislative and regulatory strategies for the U.S. Congress, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In that role, she also served as a strategic advisor to Sen. Tom Daschle, former Majority Leader in the U.S. Senate. Piper has spent over a decade in private practice, focusing on issues related to Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement and compliance, payment and delivery transformation, health information technology, and insurance regulation. Previously, Piper served as Legislative Counsel to U.S. Senator Ken Salazar, where she was the principal advisor for his healthcare-related activities on the Senate Finance Committee. While working in the Senate, Piper advised members on policy proposals that were subsequently enacted into law as the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 and the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Her first experience on the Hill was serving as a law clerk to U.S. Representative Henry Waxman. Piper earned her B.A. at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and her J.D., cum laude, from American University.

David E. YoungDavid E. Young, Verizon

David E. Young, Vice President, Verizon Public Policy, is responsible for identifying and assessing emerging issues, developing corporate positions on Internet and Technology industry policy matters, and assessing key technology and communications industry trends. He is also responsible for developing relationships with high technology industry members, technology associations, research institutes, and think tanks. Previously, he was responsible for items before the FCC dealing with broadband and emerging issues. Prior to 2000, he spent six years working in Verizon’s Research and Development (R&D) group on many advanced technologies including VoIP, data network architectures, and audio, video, and image compression.He has been awarded 12 U.S. government patents for his R&D work. David is a member of the IEEE and IEEE Communications Society. David holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology.