ICANN Nominating Committee Delegates

Matt Thomas is a fellow at Verisign. His research focuses on numerous aspects of Internet security, stability, and resiliency, including distributed denial-of-service attacks, domain name abuse, miscreant behavior within the Domain Name System, and large-scale measurements and evolving trends in Internet architecture.

In his role as a fellow, Matt is responsible for supporting an array of activities across the company, including data-driven analytical functions for Verisign's value-added services, supporting internal research initiatives, external engagement, and supporting critical data analysis efforts. He has more than 20 years of experience working with large, distributed data collection and analysis systems.

Prior to joining Verisign in 2008, Matt worked as a software engineer at AT&T. He was responsible for designing and implementing a distributed data collection system that measured and analyzed the operational performance of systems and services throughout the world.

Matt currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group. He is also an active member of the Security and Stability Advisory Committee. Matt has authored more than 10 peer-reviewed publications and has been awarded more than 15 patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional and Certified Hadoop Developer.

Matt holds a Master of Science in information systems and technology and a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Johns Hopkins University.

Christelle Vaval is a business lawyer with over a decade of experience, specializing in corporate law, contract negotiation, and business transactions. She earned a Bachelor of Laws from the Université du Québec à Montréal, followed by a master's degree in business law from the Université de Montréal. She also holds a Juris Doctor and a Graduate Diploma in common law and transnational law from the Université de Sherbrooke, as well as an LL.M. from the University of California, Berkeley, with a concentration in business law, artificial intelligence, intellectual property, and technology.

Since 2011, Christelle has been practicing at Cabinet Salès in Haiti, where she advises local and international clients across various sectors, including intellectual property, renewable energy, banking, infrastructure, and industrial development. Her work covers corporate governance, labor law, corporate tax matters, and complex contract negotiations.

In addition to her legal practice, she serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Haiti. She is admitted to the bars of Quebec and Port-au-Prince, and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Christelle is also a panelist for domain name disputes under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy at the World Intellectual Property Organization. Her areas of expertise include intellectual property law, corporate law, labor and employment law, technology law, and international business transactions.

She contributes pro bono to initiatives aimed at improving dispute resolution systems, notably for Haiti's country code top-level domain (.ht), and is involved in institutional governance reform within ICANN. Her work reflects a commitment to legal innovation, entrepreneurship, and the responsible development of digital infrastructure in emerging markets.