Internet Society seats four new trustees and elects new chair

The Internet Society and its foundation named four new Board of Trustees members on July 31, 2026, following elections and appointments earlier this year. The board also elected Brian Haberman as chair, a leadership change that will shape strategy for the global Internet nonprofit and its philanthropic arm.

Why it matters: - The Board of Trustees sets strategic direction for the Internet Society and the Internet Society Foundation. - The new members add expertise in cybersecurity, Internet governance, Internet standards, network architecture, and digital policy. - The leadership changes come as the organizations work to keep the Internet open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy.

What happened: - The Internet Society and the Internet Society Foundation announced four new trustees on July 31, 2026. - The new trustees are Ramanou Biaou, Caleb Ogundele, Sharon Kent, and Brian Trammell. - The trustees were seated at the organizations’ 2026 Annual General Meeting, held July 25-26. - The board elected Brian Haberman as chair, replacing Ted Hardie. - Ted Hardie served as board chair from 2021 to 2026.

The details: - Ramanou Biaou is founder and CEO of CyberSpector and has experience in cybersecurity, cyber-intelligence, and Internet governance across the UN Internet Governance Forum, telecommunications, and banking. - Caleb Ogundele is a technology executive and Internet governance leader with experience in ICANN, AFRINIC, and Internet Society communities. - Sharon Kent is a security engineer focused on Internet security, trust and safety, anti-abuse systems, email security, and machine learning applications. - Brian Trammell is a staff site reliability engineer at Google and a former ETH Zürich researcher focused on Internet measurement, network architecture, and protocol evolution. - Biaou and Ogundele were elected by chapters for three-year terms. - Kent was elected by organization members for a three-year term. - Trammell was selected by the Internet Architecture Board to serve a three-year term on behalf of the Internet Engineering Task Force, following RFC 3677. - The current board also includes Brian Haberman, Russ Housley, Victor Kuarsingh, Barry Leiba, Charles Mok, Kathleen Moriarty, and Sagarika Wickramasekera. - Sally Wentworth serves as president and CEO in an ex officio, non-voting role. - More information, including biographies and selection-process details, is available in the board listing.

Between the lines: - The board mix suggests a focus on technical governance and security at a time when Internet trust and resilience remain central concerns. - Brian Haberman said the Internet is at a pivotal moment and that he wants to work with trustees, the global community, and leadership to keep the Internet open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy. - Sally Wentworth said the organizations will benefit from the new and returning trustees’ expertise and global perspectives, and thanked outgoing trustees Funke Baruwa, Laura Thomson, and Ted Hardie.

What's next: - The new board will guide the Internet Society and Internet Society Foundation’s mission and priorities over the coming three-year terms. - The organizations are likely to continue using the board’s technical and policy expertise to support Internet openness, connectivity, and security. - The full trustee roster and selection details remain available on the organization’s website.

The bottom line: - The Internet Society is refreshing its leadership bench with trustees who bring deep Internet infrastructure, security, and governance experience.