World Dialogue on Regulation

Olga Cavalli has been named as Executive Coordinator of the Regional Dialogue on the Information Society (DIRSI), a WDR partner in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Cavalli, who has a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Mendoza, Argentina and an MBA from the University of CEMA (UCEMA) in Buenos Aires, will be responsible for overall network coordination, including managing DIRSI's daily operations, encouraging the exchange of information and knowledge among its members, overseeing its research and capacity-building activities, and facilitating the transfer of lessons learned and best practices both within the network and to the wider community of researchers, policy makers, and the public.

Created in November 2004, the Regional Dialogue on the Information Society is known by its Spanish acronym, DIRSI. It is a network of leading researchers and institutions from the region and its mission is:

To create and disseminate knowledge to support the development of policies that promote the effective participation of poor and marginalised communities of Latin America and the Caribbean in the information society.

Through its collaborative structure, DIRSI aims to become a focal point for research and learning about pro-poor ICT policies and regulation in the region, cultivating partnerships with donors, multilateral agencies, universities, regulators, and civil society organizations.
 
Working closely with DIRSI's Steering Committee, Cavalli will support the development and consolidation of the network, with specific responsibility for:

• Promoting and supervising the execution of DIRSI’s research, dissemination and capacity-building activities;
• Proposing and implementing strategies and plans for the internal functioning of the largely virtual network;
• Coordinating seminars, training activities and meetings;
• Preparing funding proposals and liasing with funding organisations;
• Overseeing DIRSI's publications and ensuring wide dissemination of research output;
• Providing administrative support as necessary, including administration of funds;
• Developing and implementing a strategic plan for the network.

In addition to her enginering degree and MBA, Cavalli is also a PhD candidate in the Business Administration programme of the University of CEMA (UCEMA, Argentina).

She has a long experience in the academic field and has published many articles on information technology, telecommunications, regulation of communications, computer science and evolution of  telecommunications and internet markets. She was adviser to the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the WSIS process and has consulted for the private sector.
 
She is co-author, among others, of "Development of NAPS in South America", a work prepared for the The Institute for Connectivity in the Americas (ICA).
 
Working online from Buenos Aires, Cavelli will officially begin her new job in June 2006.