Advisory Board

Kevin Caves

Mr. Caves, a mechanical engineer, is the Director of the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Communication Enhancement at Duke University Medical Center. Additionally he is responsible for Duke's Assistive Technology Clinic which provides rehabilitation engineering and assistive technology services to people with disabilities at Duke University Medical Center. He has worked on federally and state funded grants on assistive technology and has presented nationally and internationally on computer access, environmental control, AAC, seating, positioning, mobility and the integration of control of technologies

April Cline

April Cline is currently the Executive Director of the Georgia Radio Reading Service, a non-profit organization that provides assisted technology for the blind and print-handicapped population of Georgia. Additionally she is on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Audio Information Services where she works closely with the FCC on issues that impact the visually impaired community. She has worked on federally and state funded grants on assisted technology and has lobbyed local, state and federal governments for easier technological accessibility for people with physical disabilities.

Cathy Seidel

Catherine Seidel is the Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission.  Previously, Ms. Seidel was the Acting Chief of Wireless Telecommunications Bureau at the FCC.  She has also held positions in the Enforcement Bureau, Common Carrier Bureau and the Mass Media Bureau.  Prior to joining the FCC in 1993, Ms. Seidel worked at Bell Atlantic for almost ten years.  Ms. Seidel holds a J.D. degree from the Universtity of Maryland Law School, a Master's degree in Administrative Sciences from the Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Colorado State University.

David Ellis, Ph.D.

Dr. David O. Ellis is president of EGL holdings, inc., an Atlanta based venture capital firm investing in growth capital and management lead buyouts. Dr. Ellis, serves on the advisory board of the Georgia Institute of Technology's College of Sciences, the Shepherd Center, the Wireless RERC, the RERC for Wheeled Mobility and the MIT Enterprise Forum as well as several privately held businesses. In 1998, he received the Georgia Technology Forum award for "outstanding contribution to the technology industry".

Dr. Ellis is a full quadriplegic (C 3-4) as the result of an accident he experienced in May 1997. He and his wife, Kathleen have three grown children, Jeremy (26), Karen (24) and Gemma (20). The Ellis' have resided in Sandy Springs for 20 years since relocating from the UK. Dr. Ellis enjoyed ornithology, photography, and scuba diving and plans to enjoy these again in the near future.

David has over 30 years experience in merchant banking in the US and UK. He began his career with a British Petroleum Scholarship at University of St. Andrews (Scotland) where he earned a B.S. in Chemistry and a Doctor of Philosophy in Biophysics. Dr. Ellis is also a graduate of the MIT Sloan School Senior Executive Management Program.

John Gill, Ph.D.

John Gill is Chief Scientist at Royal National Institute for the Blind. He has worked for over 30 years in the area of technology and disability, and has produced over 200 publications in this area. He currently serves on several review boards concentrating on accessibility and technical issues including the Disabilities Information Resources Review Board and the e-Europe Smart Card Charter Trailblazer on User Interfaces. He has visited 40 countries in connection with his work.

Judy Harkins, Ph.D.

Dr. Harkins is the professor of Communication Studies at Gallaudit University, where she has directed the Technology Access Program since its inception in 1985. The program's primary focus is access to communications technology by people who are deaf and hard of hearing. She is a principal investigator in two RERCs: the RERC on Hearing Enhancement at Gallaudet University and the RERC on Telecommunications Access based at the Trace Center, University of Wisconsin. She teaches deaf and hard of hearing Gallaudet undergraduates on history, policy, business issues, and advocacy related to communication accessibility. Dr. Harkins currently serves on the Consumer/Disability Telecommunications Advisory Committee of the FCC and is an active participant in the Wireless TTY Forum and the IVR Forum of the Alliance for Telecommunication Industry Solutions. She served on the Telecommunication Access Advisory Committee of the U.S. Access Board and Long-Term Solutions Working Group on Digital Wireless Telephones and Hearing Aids, and has been involved in the development of telecommunication industry standards aimed at accessibility for people who are deaf and hard of hearing. She has received awards for contributions to communication accessibility by Self-Help for Hard of Hearing People, Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc., League for the Hard of Hearing, and the DC Relay Service.

K. Dane Snowden

Snowden joined CTIA-The Wireless Association®, in March 2005, after spending the previous four years at the Federal Communications Commission as Chief of the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau where he focused on State Governmental Affairs and Consumer Policy, specifically Tribal, Disability and Do-Not-Call issues. As CTIA's Vice President, External and State Affairs, Snowden oversees and manages the association's liaison efforts with state legislatures, regulatory entities and advocacy organizations on wireless communications issues to develop policies that promote the wireless industry’s vision for the future. Prior to his stint at the FCC, Snowden was the Vice President for Business Development and Strategic Alliances at MissionFish.com, an Internet auction engine that raises funds for nonprofit groups by auctioning donated goods. For four years prior to that position, he was a Vice President with America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth. He also was Corporate Development Director with The United Negro College Fund; Assistant Director of Development and Director of Alumni Affairs with Episcopal (VA) High School; and Sales Associate with Sony Corporation of America. Snowden received a B.A. in Political Science from The College of William and Mary.

Jim Tobias

Mr. Tobias is the President of Inclusive Technologies. He has worked on accessible and usable technology for more than 25 years. First as a technician at Berkeley's Center for Independent Living, later as the Rehabilitation Engineer at the Matheny School and consultant to a wide range of public and private agencies, he joined Bell Labs and later Bellcore as their in-house expert on disability issues. After 10 years, he left to found Inclusive Technologies, the only firm of its kind offering both technical and non-technical services to companies, agencies, and consumer organizations. Jim is a long-standing member of RESNA, participated in the Access Board's Telecommunications Access Advisory Committee, and co-Chairs the IVR Accessibility Forum.

Luminata Vasiu, Ph.D.

Dr. Luminita Vasiu is the President and CEO of the European Institute for Innovative Technologies. Dr Vasiu is the Chair of the British Computer Society Wireless Information technology Specialist Group. Her research interest includes wireless technologies and object oriented technologies. She is a member of numerous international conference committees and program Co-Chair for ICETE and IWWST conferences. Dr. Vasiu has presented papers internationally, been published in peer-reviewed journals such as the IEEE, and authored papers on important research topics including security, Internet services from wireless handheld devices, and commerce. Her academic and professional credentials include BSc, MSc, MBA, PBC, MBC, PGCertHE, Ph.D., MBCS, MIEEE, and MINFORMS.