Keynote Speakers

• Edward Ayers, Hugh P. Kelley Professor of History, University of Virginia

  Professor Ayers is the author of The Promise of the New Southand other books on southern history. He is also director of the renowned digital history project, The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War.Ayers will discuss the challenges and rewards of large-scale digital projects and their implications for the institutions that foster them.

• James McConnaughey, Office of Policy Analysis and Development, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)

  Mr. McConnaughey is co-author of the Falling Through the NetDigital Divide series of studies relating to household access to telephones, computers, the Internet, and online usage. He also co-authored Advanced Telecommunications in Rural America: The Challenge of Bringing Broadband Service to All Americans.

  Mr. McConnaughey has authored several articles on universal service and universal access and co-authored two telecom policy books. He was a principal organizer and policy adviser for two major conferences: "Connecting All Americans for the 21st Century" in 1998 and the "Digital Divide Summit" in 1999.

• Phil Verghis, Director of Customer Care, Akamai Technologies

  Mr. Verghis' presentation, "EEK Commerce--Or Why Traditional Support Models Mapped to the Internet Fail," will provide a perspective from someone who delivers outstanding customer support in a company whose business has actually been driven by the Internet. Compare and contrast traditional university support with those of a company like Akamai. Learn what we need to develop and change--in our services and in ourselves--to be effective in the future. Verghis is also a subject matter expert with the Support Research Institute on Internet Enabled Support Centers.