WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Commerce has appointed Debra Lam, executive director of the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation, to its new Internet of Things Advisory Board (IoTAB), to advise the Internet of Things Federal Working Group. Lam joins 15 other experts on a board that includes a wide range of stakeholders outside of the federal government with expertise relating to the Internet of Things (IoT).

The appointments are the first for the recently established advisory board, which was created in accordance with the requirements of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, and in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended.
The board will advise the federal working group on matters including the identification of any federal regulations, programs or policies that may inhibit or promote the development of IoT; situations in which IoT could deliver significant and scalable economic and societal benefits to the United States, including smart traffic and transit technologies, augmented logistics and supply chains, environmental monitoring, and health care; IoT opportunities and challenges for small businesses; and any IoT-related international opportunities for the U.S. Full details on the board’s activities are provided in a Federal Register notice.
The board consists of 16 members and represents a broad range of disciplines from across academia, industry and civil society. Board members will serve two-year appointments, and all meetings are open to the public.
Launched in 2020, the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation is a public-private organization that was created to lead coordinated, statewide efforts to position Georgia as the leader for innovation, opportunity, and shared economic success. With support from Georgia Tech and a host of private and public partners, including the State of Georgia, the Partnership’s focus pillars of community research, workforce development, student engagement, and economic opportunity are a powerful combination that provide technical and financial support to democratize innovation through collaboration. Among its offerings, and one of the reasons Lam is on the board is the Smart Cities and Inclusive Innovation program, which activates collaborations between researchers and municipalities to explore innovative uses of technology and data in pursuit of prosperity for all.
In addition to Lam, the newly appointed members include:
- Benson M. Chan (Chair), Chief Operating Officer, Strategy of Things Inc.
- Daniel W. Caprio Jr. (Vice Chair), Co-founder and Chair, The Providence Group
- Michael J. Bergman, Vice President, Technology and Standards, Consumer Technology Association
- Ranveer Chandra, Managing Director of Research for Industry and Chief Technology Officer of Agri-Food, Microsoft
- Nicholas Emanuel, Product Manager, CropX
- Steven E. Griffith, Senior Industry Director, National Electrical Manufacturers Association
- Tom Katsioulas, Chair, Global Semiconductor Alliance
- Kevin T. Kornegay, Professor and IoT Security Endowed Chair, Morgan State University
- Ann Mehra, Adviser to Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University
- Robby Moss, President and Principal Consultant, TGL Enterprises LLC
- Nicole Raimundo, Chief Information Officer, Town of Cary, North Carolina
- Maria Rerecich, Senior Director of Product Testing, Consumer Reports
- Debbie A. Reynolds, Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Data Privacy Officer, Debbie Reynolds Consulting
- Arman Shehabi, Staff Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Peter Tseronis, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dots and Bridges LLC
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will provide administrative support to the advisory board, and information on board activities can be found on the NIST website.