Organizational Structure & Planning

The FY2011 Organizational Structure of The Wireless Innovation Forum is presented in Figure 1. The Forum is organized around five primary committees and a roadmap committee, whose responsibilities are summarized as follows:

• The User Requirements Committee:  The User Requirements Committee acts as the primary interface for requirements with the wireless end-users and the representatives of wireless end-users in their segment, including, as appropriate, network operators, government acquisition authorities and research sponsors. Through Special Interest Groups (SIGs), the Committee works with these key stakeholders to validate concepts and requirements against technology readiness and standardization and to document domain specific requirements, use cases and business models that will drive the activities of the Regulatory and Technical committees. The User Requirements Committee also supports member organizations in identifying new opportunities for next generation products and services in each defined market domain.
• The Regulatory Committee:  The Regulatory Committee works with the regulatory and public policy community to establish a global regulatory framework promoting the adoption of emerging technologies for advanced wireless systems. The work of the Regulatory Committee is facilitated by a  Regulatory Advisory Committee made up of regulatory and public policy officials and experts from around the world working on relevant issues.
• The Technical Committees:
  • Committee on Next Generation Radio Technologies: provides a venue for the exchange of information on emerging radio technologies and produces reports, specifications and recommendations supporting the use of next generation technologies in radio devices.
  • Committee on Advanced Wireless Networking and Infrastructure: provides a venue for the exchange of information on emerging technologies important in wireless networking and produces reports, specifications and recommendations supporting the development and deployment of advanced wireless systems.
  • Coordinating Committee on International SCA Standards: supports the harmonization of  SCA based standards at the international level for the mutual benefits of all stakeholders to include: 
    • Defining an industry driven SCA evolution roadmap for the international community
    • Profiling the SCA specification and related APIs to define internationally accepted variants that are hosted by the Forum
    • Developing extensions to the SCA standards that address any gaps between the defined SCA evolution roadmap and Forum accepted SCA specification variants
    • Providing implementation and certification guides, tools etc. easing implementation and supporting proliferation
    • Establishing and managing industry led certification programs where appropriate
• The Roadmap Committee: Defines and publishes the Forum’s “Top 10 Most Wanted Wireless Innovations” list

These committees are managed by the Forum’s elected officers, which include the Chair and Vice Chair of the Forum, the Technical Director, the chairs of the User Requirements and Regulatory Committees, the Secretary, and the Treasurer. Status of current projects for each committee can be found on the Current Projects Page.   

 Figure 1: Wireless Innovation Forum FY2011 Organizational Structure 

Management and oversight of the Forum as a whole, including the Forum’s corporate affairs, is performed by the Forum’s Board of Directors. These directors are elected on an annual basis, as defined in the Bylaws.  The elected slate of Directors for Calendar Year 2010 is provided here.

Corporate administration services are provided to the Forum through a combination of employees, consultants, and third party contractors. The Forum’s key personnel for FY2011 are as follows: 

• Chief Executive Officer (Lee Pucker) – Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer’s primary responsibility is to maximize the value the Forum brings to its members.  Accordingly, the CEO drives the development of the Forum’s Strategic Plan and supports the Forum’s other officers in executing on that plan. The CEO proactively identifies opportunities, solves the Forum’s critical problems, and makes an effort to anticipate future needs of the membership.  The CEO assures that the organization and its mission, programs, products and services are consistently presented in a strong, positive image to relevant stakeholders, in particular to the Forum’s membership.  The CEO, with the Treasurer, oversees the organization’s finances, ensuring the Forum's member’s needs are met to the maximum extent possible while maintaining financial stability as a not-for-profit organization.
• Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Allan Margulies) – The Deputy CEO’s primary responsibility is to support the CEO in advancing the Forum’s strategic plan and maximizing the quality of services provided to its member organizations. Reporting to the Forum’s CEO, the Deputy CEO proactively supports the CEO in managing day to day operations of the Forum, ensuring compliance of all relevant laws and regulations while maintaining high ethical standards at all times. The Deputy CEO has primary responsibility for organizing Forum meetings and events and acts for the CEO in his or her absence.
• Director of Marketing and Communications (Stephanie Hamill). The Director of Marketing and Communications (MarCom) has primary responsibility for managing communications for the Forum, including internet presence and member communications, and supporting the CEO in establishing and maintaining the Forum’s leadership in advanced wireless markets, evangelizing the Forum’s programs and services, and supporting the organizational objectives of the Forum’s membership. Reporting to the Forum’s CEO, the Director of MarCom helps assure that the Forum and its mission, programs, products and services are consistently presented in a strong, positive image to relevant stakeholders, in particular to the Forum’s membership.
• Office Manager (Karen Watkins) – Reporting to the CEO, the Office Manager manages the daily operation of the Forum’s virtual office including sending and receiving mail and faxes, and collecting and maintaining documents and records. The Office Manager is responsible for all aspects of book keeping, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger, preparation of invoices and preparation of monthly reports for the CEO. The Office Manager also supervises the bi-monthly payroll run, supports tax preparation and year-end audit, manages the Forum’s Group Portal and maintains the Forum’s membership database, attendance lists and email lists. Finally, the Office Manager manages meeting registration and provides additional support for meetings and events as needed.

The slate of key consultants and contractors retained by the Forum to support its members in FY2011 are as follows: 

1)      Joel Gluck – Web Master

2)      Grass Coffey & Scharlau, CPAs – Audits and Finance

3)      Gesmer Updegrove LLP – Legal Counsel

4)      InfoEx World Services – Representative for the Forum in China

Contact information for Forum staff can be found here.