Obama Picks Tech Guru Genachowski For Transition Team

11-7-2008 National:

Recruitment of the attorney-technocrat is consistent with Obama's stated goal of having technology play a key role in his administration.

President-elect Barack Obama has added technology maven Julius Genachowski as a key member of his transition team, instantly creating speculation that technology will play an important role in the new administration.

Obama has expressed strong support for spreading technology, and even for creating a Cabinet-level chief technology officer position. Genachowski's appointment ensures that he'll have the president-elect's ear on key technology issues. The two men have known each other since their days as students at Harvard Law School.

And, as a former legal counsel to ex-FCC chairman Reed Hundt, Genachowski could be in line for consideration as chairman of the FCC itself. He also clerked for Supreme Court Justice David Souter and, before that, for retired Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, according to his biography.

Recently, Genachowski has been less of a Washington wonk and more of a business entrepreneur. He's served on the boards of Expedia (NSDQ: EXPE), Hotels.com, and Ticketmaster. His longest business stretch covered eight years in senior executive positions at Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp.

With one foot in the Washington scene and another in the business world, Genachowski could be tapped for any of a wide variety of positions in the Obama administration once his role on the transition team is complete. ..News Source.. by W. David Gardner, InformationWeek