A Snapshot From the ICANN North America
Engagement Team

The first half of 2026 was defined by strong community engagement across North America as we continued advancing ICANN's mission through collaboration with governments, the technical community, academia, businesses, civil society, and end users. Our work increasingly focused on Internet governance and the evolving geopolitical landscape, while continuing to support technical capacity development, Universal Acceptance, the New gTLD Program: 2026Round, and DNS-related topics.

One highlight of the period was our North America Space at ICANN86, where community leaders shared their personal journeys in the ICANN ecosystem and encouraged newcomers to actively participate. We also strengthened engagement with Internet service providers through the Canada-Wide Internet Service Providers Association (CanWISP) 2026; expanded our long-standing partnership with the United States Telecommunications Training Institute; and continued growing ICANN's Academic Engagement efforts through university lectures and student outreach across the region.

The infographic below highlights the 92 engagement activities conducted between January and June 2026. These engagements reflect our continued commitment to working alongside our community to strengthen the multistakeholder model and foster a secure, stable, and interoperable Internet.

Naela Sarras

VP, Stakeholder Engagement, North America

Don't Miss These Mid-Year Highlights

Finding Your Path in ICANN: From First Steps to Community Leadership

At ICANN86, Jenifer Lopez (Councillor, Country Code Names Supporting Organization), Tara Whalen (Vice Chair, Security and Stability Advisory Committee), Kathleen Scoggin (Member, ALAC), Alyssa Quinn (Member, Address Supporting Organization Address Council), and Alperen Eken (Staff, ICANN) shared how they got involved with ICANN, discussing their professional backgrounds, early challenges, and individual paths to active contribution.

Moderated by Naela Sarras, the session also featured Sally Costerton, ICANN’s Senior Vice President of Global Stakeholder Engagement, and Russ Weinstein, ICANN’s Senior Vice President of Policy Development Support, who highlighted the value of welcoming newcomers and making use of ICANN’s virtual and in-person programs to build skills for community leadership and career growth.

Watch the Recording

CanWISP 2026: Bridging the Connection
in Canada

Along with the Office of the Chief Technology Officer, the Engagement team played an active role in CanWISP 2026, which was focused on the theme "Bridging the Connection." Keynote sessions covered Internet resilience and global regulatory trends affecting Internet Service Providers (ISPs), providing insight into international trends and their local implications. This event served as an opportunity to strengthen relationships with technical and business stakeholders within Canada’s ISP community.

ICANN and USTTI: Over a Decade of
Shared Impact

The United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI) is a non-profit organization that has trained over 10,000 communications officials, regulators, and entrepreneurs from 177 developing countries since 1982. USTTI provides tuition-free, intensive programs covering telecommunications, ICT policy, and internet governance, helping professionals strengthen their countries' digital infrastructure. ICANN has been a partner in this work for more than a decade. Recently, ICANN facilitated workshops for the "Empowering Women to Leadership in Cyber" program, providing participants with perspectives on leadership and career advancement.

Expanding Academic Engagement in
North America

During the first half of 2026, we have been expanding our Academic Engagement efforts in the region, connecting with students and technical professionals through guest lectures. In January, The Washington Center visited ICANN's Washington, D.C. office, followed by sessions in March at the University of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky University. These lectures, coordinated with members of the Business Constituency and the North American Regional At-Large Organization, covered ICANN’s role in global Internet governance and the multistakeholder model. The sessions reached PhD students, undergraduates, and members of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Cincinnati Joint Chapter, highlighting the intersection of technical operations and policy.

Getting to know the North America Community

Meet Lily Botsyoe, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Cincinnati, whose journey reflects the opportunities created through ICANN’s academic engagement and newcomer programs. From participating in NextGen@ICANN to becoming an ICANN fellow and an active community contributor, Lily’s story demonstrates how early and continued involvement in ICANN can strengthen both academic pursuits and professional development while creating meaningful pathways into the global Internet governance ecosystem.

Read Lily’s story and discover how ICANN’s academic engagement efforts are helping connect universities, students, researchers, and other academic professionals with the multistakeholder community. Learn more at the Global Academic Outreach webpage or contact academics@icann.org with any questions.

Thank you to our community members, partners, and volunteers, whose collaboration continues to shape our work.

We look forward to building on this momentum
throughout the second half of 2026.

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Getting to know the North America Community

Thank you to our community members, partners, and volunteers, whose collaboration continues to shape our work.

We look forward to building on this momentum﻿﻿throughout the second half of 2026.

Follow ICANN on Social Media

We look forward to building on this momentum
throughout the second half of 2026.