Larry Irving, a former assistant secretary in the Clinton administration, has been elected to EDC’s Board of Trustees. Irving is the Principal and Chief Strategist for the Privacy Council based in Washington, DC.

Prior to that post, Irving served for seven years as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), where he was a principal advisor to the President, Vice President, and Secretary of Commerce on domestic and international telecommunications and information technology issues.

During his tenure as Assistant Secretary, the focus of Irving’s work was opening domestic and foreign telecommunications markets to competition, ensuring consumer choice, and spurring development of advanced infrastructure in underserved areas. He was one of the principal architects of the Clinton Administration’s Internet policies, and was directly involved in the administration’s successful efforts to pass the most sweeping change in U.S. telecommunications laws in 60 years.

Irving led or participated in trade missions and global conferences in all corners of the world, advocating for regulatory telecommunications reform. He is widely credited with coining the term “the digital divide” and sparking global interest in the growing problem it represents. He was the principal author of the landmark Federal survey, Falling Through the Net, and was named one of the 50 most influential persons in the “Year of the Internet” by Newsweek Magazine.

“I admire the work that EDC has done to prepare teachers and students for the challenges posed by the Internet, and to assist urban, suburban, and rural classrooms to tap into the vast resources available,” said Irving. “I’m looking forward to working with EDC on its work to help close the ‘digital divide,’” he said.

EDC President Janet Whitla called the new trustee’s expertise and experience invaluable to EDC’s mission. “EDC is dedicated to expanding educational opportunities, building communities and improving health and learning throughout the world. Larry Irving has worked courageously and tirelessly to confront many of the challenges we work on every day.”