Sophia Bekele: Difference between revisions

Ms. Bekele currently oversees the [[.africa]] new gTLD initiative of DotConnectAfrica Trust.  As Executive Director of DCA Trust & CEO of DotConnectAfrica Registry Services Limited, she has led a multi-national team of experts to prepare and submit an application for the DotAfrica (.AFRICA) generic Top-Level Domain. [[DotConnectAfrica]] Trust (DCA Trust) has already submitted an application in May 2012 for the .AFRICA (pronounced as ‘DotAfrica’) geographic name string to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a U.S.-based non-profit organization that is overseeing the global Internet expansion project to introduce new generic Top-Level Domain Names (gTLDs) under the new gTLD Program. <ref>[http://gtldresult.icann.org/applicationstatus/applicationdetails/1276;jsessionid=2500230032894FB8CB3F16550E33DF0Farchive.constantcontact.com/fs053/1102516344150/archive/1110237447043,ICANN New gTLDs - Application Details]</ref>.

In October 2012, DCA published a press release saying that their Wikipedia sites willfully sabotaged. Entries on DCA, .africa, and Sophia Bekele <ref>[http://sophiabekele.com/ Sophia Bekele Proffesional website].</ref>, the Executive Director of DotAfrica, were changed. According to DCA, some information that had been unmodified for over five years were removed from Wikipedia and replaced by new versions where DCA's involvement with .africa, DCA's working history, and Bekele's credentials were downplayed.<ref>[http://www.dotconnectafrica.org/2012/10/sabotage-of-our-wikipedia-sites/ Sabotage of Our Wikipedia Sites]. Published 2012 October 1. Retrieved 2012 November 13.</ref> The Press Release states this was done by opponents on .africa controversies.

Ms. Bekele founded [[CBS International]], a private corporation with the goal of supporting technology in organizations working in emerging markets. The company's self-described mission is to: "Utilize our experience in consulting services in sales, software training, and provide our clients with a total systems solutions to help lower their cost and maximize efficiency in the delivery of quality products and services." CBS also consults on Business Process Engineering, implementation of Corporate Strategy & Governance & Sarbane Oxley compliance initiatives. It is based near Silicon Valley, California.

Bekele’s recent venture is the  establishment of the DotConnectAfrica Trust and DotConnectAfrica Registry Services Limited, which is well-known for its successful six year Yes2dotAfrica global awareness campaign for the .Africa Top Level Domain Name.  Bekele made  a clear case for a DotAfrica (.africa) gTLD for Africa within ICANN and  introduced it to the PanAfrican organizations in Africa such as UNECA and African Union and the global publics.  She then received endorsements from both organizations in 2008 and 2009 respectively, and the global IDN working group for her DotAfrica Initiative.  Currently, Bekele's focus is on the .africa – a new generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) for the Africa geographic name that she initiated during her appointment at ICANN. The project will be introduced and delegated for operation under ICANN’s new gTLD programme.     

   

Bekele is a Alumni Board Member of the Golden Gate University, Founder and Board Member of [[ISOC]] San Francisco Bay, a former board member of Information Systems  and Control Association ([[ISACA]]-SF), advisory member to the World Affairs Council of Contra Costa County, and adviser to United Nation Agencies, where she serves as expert advisor on ICT policy for various UN Agencies Boards and committees, including UNECA (Economic commission for Africa), UNPAN, UNGAID.<ref>[http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan035404.pdf Presentation to UNPAN]</ref>