[council] Three Additions to the ICANN Staff

[Louis Touton <touton@icann.org>]

To the Names Council:

In the next two weeks we will be adding three members to the ICANN
staff:

   1.  On 22 January, Ellen Sondheim will join us as our second
Registrar Liaison, resident in our Marina del Rey office.  Ellen comes
to the position with an extensive background as a legal assistant.  The
Registrar Liaison function involves handling ICANN's interactions
concerning registrars, including (a) reviewing applications for
accreditation; (b) monitoring registrars' performance under the
registrar accreditation agreements; and (c) fielding public inquiries
about registrars.

Ellen will be working under the supervision of Dan Halloran, who has
been handling these functions as the only Registrar Liaison for the last
nine months.  With over 150 accredited registrars, the task has grown
well beyond the capabilities of any mortal, and we are pleased to find a
someone with Ellen's qualifications to supplement Dan's efforts.

   2.  On 1 February, Herbert Vitzthum will join us as ccTLD Liaison. 
This previously unfilled position is intended to focus on ccTLD
relationships.  Herbert is well-suited to this task; most recently he
has been Managing Director of NIC.AT, the Austrian ccTLD operator.  He
has served on CENTR's Executive Committee and as its Treasurer.  Herbert
will be based in Salzburg, Austria.  We believe Herbert is
well-positioned to assist with the building of durable, trust-based
relationships between ICANN and the ccTLD managers.

   3.  Also on 1 February, Monique West will join us as an
administrative assistant in our Marina del Rey office.  She will split
her efforts between assisting with financial/administrative matters and
with the Registrar Liaison function.

We are delighted to welcome Ellen, Herbert, and Monique, and expect that
they will assist greatly in the ICANN staff's efforts to respond to
the needs of the Internet community.

Best regards,

Louis Touton