NEW YORK, NY—Zoë Baird, President of the Markle Foundation today named Joanna McIntosh as a director of Markle’s Policy for a Networked Society program. Ms. McIntosh comes to the Markle Foundation from AT&T where she was vice president of International Affairs.
At AT&T, Ms. McIntosh has been responsible for representing the company in Washington, D.C. on all international policy matters, and she has worked with U.S. and foreign government officials to liberalize trade and foreign investment in international telecommunications networks and services. Responsible for developing and executing AT&T’s position on how the World Trade Organization approaches services and e-commerce, Ms. McIntosh also was the principal representative for AT&T’s interests before other multilateral, regional and bilateral organizations such as the International Telecommunications Union, the Organization of Economic Development, and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
The Markle Foundation is committed to an open Internet environment and the preservation of innovation in new information and communications technologies. In addition, Markle’s Policy for a Networked Society program works to promote international and domestic policy-making processes that are open, transparent, and accountable to multiple stakeholders, including public, private and non-profit organizations as well as the public at large. Markle believes that only when decisions are made through such processes will they be sustainable and perceived as legitimate.
“Joanna’s extensive experience in government and the private sector, focusing on issues of foreign trade, e-commerce and telecommunications, will be a great asset to our policy program,” said Ms. Baird. “We are delighted she will join our effort to bridge the interests of different sectors to achieve the potential of the Internet to meet public needs.”
“Whether it’s the balance between national security and civil liberties, copyright laws or the need for a free and open Internet, polices relating to information technologies are at the forefront of public debate,” said Ms. McIntosh. “I look forward to joining the Markle Foundation and working with members of the Policy for a Networked Society program and its partners who are deeply engaged in these debates, and who are helping to formulate policies that will improve our daily lives in this new digital economy.”
Before joining AT&T, Ms. McIntosh worked for the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), where she was an associate general counsel and chairman of the Section 301 Committee. In her six years at USTR, she provided legal advice and negotiating assistance to the USTR and other agency officials on a wide range of trade laws, disputes, and agreements.
Earlier in her career, Ms. McIntosh worked as a trade lawyer for the firm of Collier, Shanning, Rill and Scott in Washington, D.C.
Ms. McIntosh is a graduate of George Washington University Law School and Rhodes College.
Markle Foundation works to improve health and national security through the use of information and technology. Markle collaborates with innovators and thought leaders from the public and private sectors whose expertise lies in the areas of information technology, privacy, civil liberties, health, and national security. Learn more about Markle at www.markle.org.
The Policy for a Networked Society Program aims to enhance the public voice and understanding in technology-related policy making and to achieve policy decisions and outcomes that benefit the public interest.
