ICANN hires new ombuds

Elizabeth Field has experience at Amnesty International and WIPO.

Elizabeth Field will be ICANN’s next ombudswoman.

ICANN announced yesterday that it has selected Elizabeth Field as its next ombuds.

Field served in a similar capacity at Amnesty International for more than a decade. She recently functioned as the Anti-Harassment Coordinator for the United Kingdom Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.

Her LinkedIn profile shows she has some familiarity with one side of the domain business, too: she recently served as a human resources consultant to the World Intellectual Property Organization, which hears cybersquatting cases under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy.

ICANN’s announcement mentions the genders of the applicants. Given that ICANN has dealt with complaints of harassment against women, I think it would have been hard-pressed to hire a man at this time.

Field takes over for interim ombuds Krista Papac, ICANN’s complaints officer, who started in the role last October after Herb Waye left.