Preeminent US Technology Policy Organization Announces New Leadership
Medsker, Westby Begin Terms as Chair, Vice Chair of ACM’s US Technology Policy Committee
New York, NY, September 13, 2023 – ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, has announced a new Chair and Vice Chair to lead its US Technology Policy Committee (USTPC). ACM USTPC is a non-partisan organization comprised of computer scientists who advise legislators, the media, and the general public on matters related to information technology policy.
“We congratulate Larry Medsker and Jody Westby on their new roles as Chair and Vice-Chair of the ACM US Technology Policy Committee,” said ACM President Yannis Ioannidis. “Their professional backgrounds are perfectly aligned with two of the most pressing issues in technology policy today. As an expert on neural networks and AI, Larry Medsker will lead USTPC’s volunteers in providing impartial expertise to lawmakers and the public about the ways in which transformative AI technologies can be developed responsibly. Jody Westby’s background in cybersecurity, as well as her long career advising industry, will also position USTPC at the forefront of the public dialogue around cybersecurity issues. We thank Larry and Jody for their willingness to serve and we are sure they will strengthen USTPC’s position as a leading technology policy organization in the United States.”
Larry Medsker is presently a Research Professor of Physics at The George Washington University (GWU) and at the University of Vermont. He is also Research Professor in the Human-Technology Collaboration Lab at GWU, and Founding Director of the university’s Master’s Program in Data Science. Medsker serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of AI and Ethics, Associate Editor of Neural Computing and Applications, and Policy Officer for ACM's Special Interest Group on Artificial Intelligence (SIGAI). He is the author of four books and over 100 publications on neural networks and AI.
Jody R. Westby, Esq. is the CEO of Global Cyber Risk LLC, a technology and advisory services firm that specializes in cyber governance, privacy, cybersecurity risk assessments, incident response, and digital asset inventories and data mapping. Westby also is a professional blogger for Forbes and regular columnist for Leader’s Edge magazine. She chairs the American Bar Association’s Privacy & Computer Crime Committee and is Co-Chair of the Cybercrime Committee. She has published seven books in the area of privacy, cybersecurity, and cyber governance. Westby previously launched In-Q-Tel for the CIA, was senior managing director at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and served as Director of Domestic Policy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
USTPC’s membership includes 170+ computing professionals and other individuals working in industry, academia and government. Its mission is to apolitically educate Congress, the Executive Branch, courts, and the public about significant developments in computing and how those developments could affect public policy in the United States.
Medsker and Westby will serve two-year terms. Medsker replaces former USTPC Chair Jeremy Epstein, a Deputy Division Director at the National Science Foundation. Westby replaces former USTPC Vice Chair Alec Yasinsac, a Professor of Computer Science at the University of South Alabama.
About ACM
ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, is the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators, researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources, and address the field's challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession's collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and professional networking.