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Chair’s Blog: January Board Workshop Preview

22 January 2025
By
Tripti Sinha

Tripti Sinha

ICANN Board Chair

Tripti Sinha is the President and CEO of Internet2, where she champions the organization’s core mission of enabling U.S. higher education and research institutions to collaborate on mission-critical technology services and emerging technologies. Internet2 also works with global National Research and Education Networks (NRENs). Sinha has over three decades of progressive experience in Internet and Cyber-Infrastructure technologies. Her experience spans leadership roles in engineering, operations, finance, governance, advocacy, and policy.

Before joining Internet2, Tripti held two leadership roles at the University of Maryland: Assistant Vice President and Chief Technology Officer and Executive Director of the Mid-Atlantic Crossroads (MAX), a regional research and education network. In these roles, she supported advanced, high-performance networking and research technologies, including GPU compute infrastructure optimized for AI workloads and investigating evolving quantum networking technologies.

She has served on many non-profit and private sector technology advisory boards, and was past Chair of The Quilt’s Board of Directors and former Co-Chair of ICANN’s Root Server System Advisory Committee.

Tripti has a Computer Science degree from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts and did graduate work in Computer Science at the University of Maryland. She holds executive education certificates from Harvard Kennedy School in Public Leadership and Policy, and in Global Innovation and Execution from Stanford University. She was born in India and lives in the United States. As a child and young adult, Tripti moved back-and-forth between the U.S. and India which gave her an appreciation for global pluralism. She is proficient in English and Hindi, and understands Punjabi, Urdu and the ancient Sanskrit language. Sinha has a keen interest in Information and Communication Technology innovation, entrepreneurship, governance and policy, and international affairs.

Tripti was nominated to serve on the ICANN Board of Directors by the Nominating Committee in 2018. Her term will expire at the Annual General Meeting 2027.

Later this week, the Board will gather at ICANN's headquarters in Los Angeles for its first workshop of the year. This workshop will allow us to spend time with our new CEO, Kurtis Lindqvist, and hear his first impressions and perspectives.

The Board also will review and discuss the progress of the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: Next Round and receive updates on other essential topics, including the next ICANN Strategic Plan, the ICANN Grant Program, and the work of the Root Server System (RSS) Governance Working Group (GWG).

Additionally, the Board once again will host a public informational session with one of ICANN's community groups. This time, Root Server System Advisory Committee (RSSAC) leadership will summarize the group's work and its role within ICANN. The session will be presented as a Zoom webinar, and I encourage community members to attend:

RSSAC Informational Session to the Board
Friday, 24 January 2025 | 15:30–17:00 PST (23:30–01:00 UTC)

Here are highlights of the other matters the Board will address during its workshop, taking place 24–26 January 2025:

Next Round: The Board will receive an update on the New gTLD Program: Next Round, including the program's governance and financials. In addition, the Board will discuss the proposed Registry Agreement for the next round of new gTLD applications.

Strategic Plan: The Board will review the revised draft Strategic Plan for fiscal years (FY) 2026–2030, which has been updated based on the community feedback received during the Public Comment proceeding. The Board is grateful to everyone who contributed their input and helped refine the next five-year Strategic Plan. The Board will publish the proposed final draft in February, and we expect to consider adopting the final FY26–30 Strategic Plan in March at ICANN82.

Grant Program: The Board will consider the final slate of successful applications in order to move on to grant agreement negotiations. This inaugural application cycle will award grants of between $50,000 and $500,000, for a total amount of $10 million.

RSS GWG Update: The Board will receive an update from its liaison to the Root Server System Governance Working Group. Convened by the Board in 2020, the working group is developing a governance structure for the RSS. Its recommendations will inform the Board's discussions and deliberations in response to RSSAC advice from 2018.

Ombuds Update: The recently appointed ICANN Ombuds, Elizabeth Field, who joined ICANN in September, will update the Board on her initial impressions of the office's scope and scale. In addition, the Board's Anti-Harassment Working Group, which is supported by the Ombuds, will summarize the community's feedback on the proposed revisions to the ICANN Community Anti-Harassment Policy.

Budget: The Board will review the Draft ICANN Operating Plan and Budget for FY26 and the Draft FY26–30 Operating and Financial Plan, which have been published for Public Comment. In case you missed the webinars last month, the ICANN organization (org) will hold an informational session on the draft plans during ICANN82 Prep Week.

WSIS+20: ICANN org staff will share an update on the status of the 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society outcomes (WSIS+20), outline the next steps, and provide an overview of ICANN's engagement and collaboration on the matter with I* Organizations and others.

ICP-2: The Board will review the feedback submitted on the second version of the proposed Internet Coordination Policy 2 (ICP-2), which the Address Supporting Organization Address Council published for Public Comment in October. You can read the Public Comment summary report on the proceeding webpage.

RDRS: The Board will discuss the progress of Registration Data Request Service (RDRS) operations. We also will reflect on community discussions about the future of RDRS, as the pilot program is expected to end in November.

The Board also will have the opportunity to engage with ICANN org staff in LA, and to meet with the new Senior Vice President of Policy Development Support, Russ Weinstein.

Collectively, this workshop will allow the Board to start 2025 with a clear understanding of where we stand and prepared for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Authors

Tripti Sinha

Tripti Sinha

ICANN Board Chair
Tripti Sinha

Tripti Sinha

ICANN Board Chair

Tripti Sinha is the President and CEO of Internet2, where she champions the organization’s core mission of enabling U.S. higher education and research institutions to collaborate on mission-critical technology services and emerging technologies. Internet2 also works with global National Research and Education Networks (NRENs). Sinha has over three decades of progressive experience in Internet and Cyber-Infrastructure technologies. Her experience spans leadership roles in engineering, operations, finance, governance, advocacy, and policy.

Before joining Internet2, Tripti held two leadership roles at the University of Maryland: Assistant Vice President and Chief Technology Officer and Executive Director of the Mid-Atlantic Crossroads (MAX), a regional research and education network. In these roles, she supported advanced, high-performance networking and research technologies, including GPU compute infrastructure optimized for AI workloads and investigating evolving quantum networking technologies.

She has served on many non-profit and private sector technology advisory boards, and was past Chair of The Quilt’s Board of Directors and former Co-Chair of ICANN’s Root Server System Advisory Committee.

Tripti has a Computer Science degree from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts and did graduate work in Computer Science at the University of Maryland. She holds executive education certificates from Harvard Kennedy School in Public Leadership and Policy, and in Global Innovation and Execution from Stanford University. She was born in India and lives in the United States. As a child and young adult, Tripti moved back-and-forth between the U.S. and India which gave her an appreciation for global pluralism. She is proficient in English and Hindi, and understands Punjabi, Urdu and the ancient Sanskrit language. Sinha has a keen interest in Information and Communication Technology innovation, entrepreneurship, governance and policy, and international affairs.

Tripti was nominated to serve on the ICANN Board of Directors by the Nominating Committee in 2018. Her term will expire at the Annual General Meeting 2027.

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