People

Internet2 Names New President and CEO

• By Rhea Kelly
• 05/10/17

Internet2 today named broadband industry executive Howard Pfeffer as the national research and education organization's president and chief executive officer. Effective June 12, he will replace current president and CEO David Lambert, who announced his retirement last October.

Pfeffer has more than 30 years of experience in networking, systems and software engineering, most recently serving as senior vice president of the broadband technology group at Time Warner Cable. He "helped pioneer the development of broadband internet in the cable industry," and brings to his new role a "strong background of business experience, technical leadership, deep advanced network knowledge and a track record of growth of new services," according to a news announcement. His career has included engineering and technology positions at American Online and Road Runner, and he has been awarded multiple U.S. patents. He holds a bachelor of engineering degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

As president and CEO of Internet2, Pfeffer will be responsible for the organization's strategic direction and will "lead all activities … to further support the research and education community in the United States and around the globe." He will be based in Internet2's Washington, D.C. office.

"After an extensive and thoughtful search process, I am extremely pleased that Howard will be the next leader of Internet2," commented Patrick Gallagher, vice-chair of the Internet2 board of trustees and chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh, who led the CEO search committee. "Howard is a seasoned leader in the broadband industry who possesses deep technical knowledge and excellent partnering skills. He has a strong appreciation for the value that Internet2 provides to the research and education community and looks forward to helping the organization move forward on the priority initiatives of advanced networking and trust and identity services while also continuing to evolve its mission to remain a strategic partner to the community."

"I am extremely honored and proud to have been selected as the next president and CEO of Internet2," Pfeffer said in a statement. "When you look back in history, so many technologies and advancements in science and ground breaking innovations have come directly from the research and higher education community. I am excited to use my background and experiences to contribute to the next generation of new technologies and services. I am committed to working very closely with the Internet2 community to help further their academic and scholarship missions both nationally and globally."