I hereby submit my personal recommendation for Roberto Gaetano as a nominee for the ICANN At-Large Board seat representing the European region.

Roberto and I first met at the International Forum for the White Paper (IFWP) meetings that were held around the world in the summer of 1998.  At that time we found ourselves to be on opposite sides of the IFWP debate, but in spite of our differing views, Roberto was one with whom I was able to constructively discuss the issues.  He was able to articulate his personal views effectively while at the same time listening to different points of view and thereby able to objectively suggest alternative solutions to what were fairly complex problems with regard to Internet policy formulation.

Since our initial meeting, I have had many opportunities to work with Roberto in the context of ICANN activities around the globe.  We still find ourselves in disagreement on some issues but we are always able to learn from each other’s perspective.  This ability to openly examine issues is a quality that I believe is extremely critical for members of the ICANN board of directors.

In addition to his ability to effectively participate in constructive dialog, Roberto also brings a variety of other qualifications that are particularly relevant for an ICANN director.  He has excellent Internet experience and knowledge.  He not only understands ICANN processes and procedures but also has been actively involved in them since ICANN’s inception.  His multilingual capabilities are especially valuable in an international organization like ICANN.  And his experience as chair of the ICANN DNSO General Assembly has exposed him to a broad spectrum of Internet users around the globe.

As a resident of North America, I am not allowed to officially endorse Roberto for the European At-Large Board seat, but I strongly encourage those who can to do so.  Roberto’s breadth of experience and knowledge with regard to the Internet and ICANN will be of tremendous value as ICANN continues to struggle with many challenging issues in the future.

Sincerely,

Charles A. (Chuck) Gomes