Phill Gross -- 28 March 1994 -- IETF ------------------------------------ IETF transition IETF'ers, In January of this year, I joined MCI's new Data Services Division as the Director of Broadband Engineering. As the title implies, I will be responsible for broadband projects, including those relating to the Internet. (Sorry to be so vague, but no product press releases here. :-) I will be reporting to Lance Boxer, VP of Data Engineering, and I will be working closely with Vint Cerf, in his new role as MCI's Sr VP of Data Architecture. My first 2 months at MCI have been action packed - it's been a fun, hectic, and challenging ride so far in which we are already planning a range of new data services. When I decided to join MCI, they promised full support for my committment as IETF Chair. MCI has been a strong Internet supporter over the years, and I would have expected no less. However, chairing the IETF is not exactly a small commitment, and after only a short period of being onboard, it became clear that I would not be able to give full measure to either IETF or MCI, if I continued to try to do both. Therefore, in February, I notified the current nominations committee that I would be stepping down as IETF Chair after this week's meeting in Seattle. (My term would have ended in 1995. Last year, in the first round of IETF nominations under the new POISED process, I was appointed to a new two year term as IETF chair.) As one of the founders of the IETF, I have often put the IETF first, ahead of my own professional career. I've been Chair of the IETF for seven years of crucial growth. We've gone from an initial meeting of 15 people in January 1986 to regular meetings of 500-700 attendees with 50-70 working groups. During this time, and with the extensive help and support of too many to even begin to list here, I established such IETF institutions as Proceedings for every meeting, Internet-Drafts, and the notion of working groups with charters. I created the IESG (with technical areas and Area Directors) which is now responsible for all Internet standardization. It's been a good run, but now it's time for me to accept a new set of challenges. I certainly don't need to tell this audience that our young industry is entering an important new phase, with new services, new players, and new paradigms. I look forward to my new position, and the new challenges it presents, as an important part of my personal growth in this new phase. However, I certainly intend to remain a close part of this community. The IETF has meant too much to me not to remain closely involved. (Besides, the nominating committee has forwarded my name as a candidate on the new IAB. :-) Plus, I'm the only person who has attended *every* IETF meeting since that initial 15 person meeting in 1986. That's not a record I'm about to break! Let me conclude with sincere thanks for the support and assistance over the years of all those who really made it possible. I thank you. Phill Gross