Skip to Content

CDT Welcomes Davidson, Felten, and Scarlett

The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) has added three new members to its Board of Directors: Alan Davidson, Edward W. Felten, and Philippa (Pippa) Scarlett. All three were unanimously approved by CDT’s current Board members.

“The Center for Democracy & Technology has been driving a progressive, rights-focused tech policy agenda for more than two decades. As we approach our 25th anniversary, CDT’s pragmatic, principled approach has never been more important. I’m thrilled to welcome Alan, Ed, and Philippa to CDT’s Board of Directors, and know their guidance will help CDT advance its mission,” said Deirdre Mulligan, Chair of CDT’s Board of Directors.

Alan Davidson was most recently the Director of Digital Economy at the U.S. Department of Commerce and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Commerce. He is a long-time CDT supporter, having previously served as its Associate Director. He has also served as Director of the Open Technology Institute at New America, and as a Research Affiliate for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). Alan opened Google’s Washington, D.C. office and was the company’s Director of Public Policy for the Americas.

Edward W. Felten is the Robert E. Kahn Professor of Computer Science and Public Affairs at Princeton University, and the founding Director of Princeton’s Center for Information Technology Policy. He recently served in the White House as Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officer. He also served as the first Chief Technologist at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. His research interests include computer security and privacy, and technology law and policy. His research on topics such as internet security, privacy, copyright and copy protection, and electronic voting has been covered extensively in the popular press.

Philippa (Pippa) Scarlett most recently served as the Deputy Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator in the White House, developing and coordinating intellectual property enforcement policy across the U.S. federal government. Before her tenure at the White House, she served as Deputy Associate Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice and was also previously a litigation partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP.  

“CDT’s advocacy has always focused on the rights of the individual, and our new board members have worked across government, industry, and the legal profession in service of individual rights in technology policy in the United States and around the globe. We are honored by their service to CDT and we are thrilled to have their partnership and expertise as CDT continues to grow and evolve,” said Nuala O’Connor, CDT President & CEO.

Davidson, Felten, and Scarlett join existing CDT Board of Directors members William Bernstein, Julie Brill, Carl Landwehr, Doug Lowenstein, Deirdre Mulligan, Nuala O’Connor, Andy Pincus, Erika Rottenberg, Mark Seifert, and David Vladeck.