From: "Isabel Walcott" isabel@smartgirl.com Dear David, Laura, and Hannah, I am writing to recommend a member of SmartGirl Internette Inc.'s management team, Luis Castro, to your latest committee on privacy. I have attached his biography below. Luis would be an excellent voice for both small businesses (SmartGirl.com has five full-time employees) and children (we entertain 100,000 teenage visitors a month). Although websites for kids have separate laws to obey, we know this more general regulation will affect us as well. In addition to working in the Internet industry, Luis has an extensive political record in DC. He has drafted bills and coordinated buy-in from multiple perspectives on issues where government, consumer, and corporate needs crossed paths, just as they do here. Luis has been working on children's online privacy issues since he started with SmartGirl.com last May. He spearheaded our Children's Online Privacy Initiative, which, in conjunction with 12 partner companies and organizations from the for-profit and non-profit Internet community, anonymously surveyed over 16,000 kids and teens nationwide for their opinions on privacy. Luis talked with the FTC over the summer to contribute new perspectives to how COPA would affect both the children it protects and the small companies who do not have the resources to implement expensive practices. A few of his key concerns, if I recall, were the possibility that --
Luis is not an expert in the technical side of Internet security measures, although he can consult with our technical director as needed and we have several contacts in the Internet security industry. What he can bring to the table is a strong recognition of consumer needs, small business needs, large business needs, and the governing process. If Luis has the background you are looking for, we hope you will choose him. You can contact us at (212)752-8300 or via email if you wish to speak with him further. Sincerely, Isabel Walcott Luis Castro - Director of Online Development As SmartGirl Internette's Director of Online Development, Mr. Castro is in charge of establishing partnerships with other community websites as well as non-profit organizations, building partner traffic to the site, and setting up e-commerce alliances with distributors. Additionally, he manages the overall development and production of the community portions of the SmartGirl.com website, including the development of SmartGirl's privacy policy. Joining SmartGirl in May of 1999, Luis Castro is deeply experienced in inventing ways for companies with different priorities to work together productively. His skill in managing different kinds of people -- while keeping focus on the overall goal -- has been evidenced most recently in public policy initiatives. Before SmartGirl, Mr. Castro worked as the Director of Policy for the New York City Partnership and Chamber of Commerce, an organization of more than 500 of New York's leading corporations and civic organizations including McKinsey, Time Warner and Con Edison. Mr. Castro was charged with developing relationships for the organization, designing programs and incentives for participants, and overseeing the design of the Partnership's Internet Site. One notable project was the Breakthrough for Learning Initiative, a program in which the the private sector could provide bonus incentives for superintendents, principals, and teachers who succeeded in improving student performance. Mr. Castro also pulled together a coalition of companies to lobby for charter schools for New York State, and participated in developing a proposal for restructuring how public school buildings are designed and built, whcih included a technology component. Prior to his position wiht the Partnership, Mr. Castro was Special Assistant to Secretary of Education Richar Riley at the United States Department of Education, where he was a Presidential appointee. In his role there, he was a political and policy advisor, and he devised strategies and led efforts to advance administration priorities. He negotiated successfully with members of Congress on issues of education, employment training, immigration, and other Administration initiatives, while coordinating the efforts of the Education Department, other agencies, and the White House. In particular, Mr. Castro worked on the education component of the Immigration Reform Act which aimed to ensure immigrants the opportunity for a public school education in the United States, despite differing interests in Congress. Mr. Castro began to shape policy and bring disparate parties together around a common cause during the course of his work as a Senior Advisor to United States Senator Paul Simon of Illinois and Legislative Assistant to the United States Senate Labor and Human Resources Subcommittee on Employment and Productivity. Mr. Castro drafted the groundbreaking School-to-Work Opportunities Act and other development proposals, and guided priority initiatives through the legislative process by organizing Congressional hearings, conducting extensive researck, forging coalitions, and garnering senators' votes. The School-to-work Opportunities Act, which became law in May of 1993, helped companies get involved in working with schools to develop curricula based on industry needs, allowing students to learn through workplace experiences. Mr. Castro also supervised constituent outreach activities and served as the Senator's liaison to key community groups and organizations, including youth advocacy and business organizations. Before getting involved in public policy, Mr. Castro was a Recruitment Coordinator at Harvard University, where he devised and implemented recruitment strategies and poublic relations initiatives, managed a staff of 24 student recruiters, and represented Harvard at schools across the country. In his spare time, Mr. Castro has also been an editor and host for the New York Times International News Board and Live News Chat. He has been an active volunteer in under-resourced communities and on political campaigns. Mr. Castro is a 1992 graduate with honors in Government from Harvard University. "Smart girls decide for themselves" tm |