Public Interest Registry Elects Global Leaders to Inaugural NGO Community Advisory Council

RESTON, Va., Aug. 6, 2015 /CNW/ -- Public Interest Registry – the nonprofit operator of the .org, .ngo and .ong domains – today announced the formation of the first Public Interest Registry NGO Community Advisory Council with the appointment of seven founding members. Advisory Council members will be a valuable resource to Public Interest Registry, providing guidance and insight into the global NGO (non-governmental organisation) community so the registry may better serve its needs through OnGood – a suite of online services exclusively for NGOs, anchored by the new .ngo and .ong domains.

Each founding member of the Advisory Council represents one of the following regions: Asia; Oceania; Africa; Europe; North America; Latin America and the Caribbean; and the Middle East and North Africa. Members are seasoned global leaders with diverse backgrounds in technology and the NGO community, representing various sectors including education, human rights, policy and science. Advisory Council members will serve through December 2015. 

"The NGO Community Advisory Council will be a critical asset to the success of OnGood and its positive impact on NGOs worldwide," said Brian Cute, CEO of Public Interest Registry. "Each founding member will provide a unique point of view and serve as a voice on issues facing the NGO community in their regions. As the Internet continues to evolve, we will rely on our Advisory Council to provide insight on enhancing and expanding OnGood to best serve NGOs and attract donors."

The founding members of the NGO Community Advisory Council are: 

• Fiona Asonga (Kenya) – Asonga has more than 11 years of experience working in the information and communication technology sector and currently serves as the CEO of the NGO Telecommunications Service Providers of Kenya, which manages the Kenya Internet Exchange Point and Industry Computer Security Incident Response Team.
• Meagan Carnahan Fallone (India) – Fallone manages global strategy and development at Barefoot College. She supports community grassroots development, has a strong commitment to women empowerment and helps identify local sustainable solutions to meet challenges within the developing world.
• Victor Graca (Brazil) – As executive manager at Abrinq Foundation–Save the Children, Graca is an expert in fundraising with a background in management and communications. He is a dual citizen of Brazil and Portugal and serves as a consultant for national and international NGOs.
• Joy Liddicoat (New Zealand) – A human rights lawyer and vice president of Internet NZ, Liddicoat has extensive experience in working with civil society organisations and NGOs in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world.
• Glenn McKnight (Canada) – McKnight is an expert in nonprofit organisation management. In addition to leading an IT consulting business, he is active with numerous organisations such as the Foundation for Building Sustainable Communities, the Internet Society of Canada and North American Regional At-Large Organisation (NARALO).
• Anne-Marie Pecoraro (France) – Pecoraro is a renowned French attorney, specializing in intellectual property, technologies and entertainment law. In addition, she works as an international audio visual arbitrator, actively collaborating with NGOs in Europe and North America.
• Asif Saleh (Bangladesh) – Saleh is senior director of strategy, communications and empowerment for BRAC and BRAC International and brings a range of policy and technology experience to the board.

Stemming from years of research and dialogues with NGOs around the world about their online challenges, OnGood is designed to address their pain points. It helps NGOs verify their credibility with the .ngo and .ong validated domains and raise funds through customizable profiles. OnGood aims to be the first global directory for NGOs, allowing donors to search, identify and donate to organisations around the world.

For more information about Public Interest Registry and the NGO Community Advisory Council, please visit http://pir.org/about-us/get-to-know-us/advisory-council/.

About Public Interest Registry
Public Interest Registry is a nonprofit organisation that operates the .org top-level domain — the world's third largest "generic" top-level domain with more than 10.5 million domain names registered worldwide – and the newly launched .ngo and .ong domains and OnGood community website. As an advocate for collaboration, safety and security on the Internet, Public Interest Registry's mission is to empower the global noncommercial community to use the Internet more effectively, and to take a leadership position among Internet stakeholders on policy and other issues relating to the domain naming system. Public Interest Registry was founded by the Internet Society (internetsociety.org) in 2002 and is based in Reston, Virginia, USA.

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SOURCE Public Interest Registry