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With Sympathies: Marilyn Cade

5 November 2020
By

Marilyn Cade

On behalf of ICANN, it is with great sadness that I offer condolences on the passing of Marilyn Cade.

Marilyn was a long-time member of the ICANN community and a strong and constant advocate for our work. Through more than 20 years of involvement in ICANN, she was active in several working groups within the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO), including serving in the Business Constituency and on the Commercial Stakeholder Group Executive Committee.

"Marilyn Cade helped build ICANN to where it is today," said Maarten Botterman, ICANN Board Chair. "She cared about ICANN, and she cared about people. She earned our deepest respect and gratitude for her tireless contributions."

Many will remember her tenacity and passion. "Marilyn had strong views and opinions on many matters but always supported the multistakeholder model," said Göran Marby, ICANN President and CEO. "She wanted people to be involved in ICANN and to maximize the potential of the Internet."

I know many will miss seeing her in her trademark red jacket and hearing her say "My name is Marilyn Cade," at nearly every ICANN Public Forum. She was an ardent supporter of mentoring and leadership development, and participated in the ICANN Fellowship Program and in ICANN Academy courses.

On a personal level, I worked with Marilyn in Washington, D.C., promoting the Information Technology industry and an open and global Internet. I will miss her boundless energy and passion. She was supportive of ICANN from the very beginning. She reflected on the early days of ICANN in an interview here.

May she rest in peace, knowing that ICANN is stronger and growing because of her commitment.

Yet her impact went beyond ICANN. Marilyn contributed to the emergence of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) as a global platform. As the virtual IGF begins this year, the IGF Secretariat has published a remembrance webpage. There will also be a session in her memory at 21:00 UTC on Friday, 6 November. This is a testament to her spirit.

The Internet community will remember Marilyn, and we offer our deepest condolences to her family and friends.

Authors

David Olive

David Olive

SVP, Policy Development Support & Managing Director - Washington, D.C.