Steve is corporate editor of Broadband Properties, and also teaches and consults on finance and technology. He serves on several corporate and public-interest boards and investment committees. Among his 19 books and 3 commercial software packages are works on business, the environment and planning, multimedia, finance, statistics, product safety, and toxic substances. One book, Construction Disasters, has been the basis for many episodes of the A&E TV Network series Modern Marvels: Engineering Disasters. He has appeared in 9 segments. Other recent TV credits include the Oprah Winfrey Network and the Life After People series on History Channel.

Consulting clients have included the Pulitzer Prize Board, Reuters Foundation, Time-Warner, Consumers Union, the United Nations and the International Criminal Court. Ross graduated from Columbia (where he taught full-time for 20 years) with an MS in journalism after earning his BS  in physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Many of his technical papers are on quality control and statistics. He has won the annual award of the National Society of Professional Engineers Private Practice division and was named Citizen of the Year by the New York State Society of Professional Engineers. He has worked in 85 countries and is a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemists. He teaches part-time at Harvard and in India.

As the sixth president of the University of Phoenix, Dr. Bill Pepicello is responsible for the leadership of the largest private university in the United States. In June 2006, Bill was made Acting President of University of Phoenix. In September 2006, after a national search, he was appointed President. Bill returned to University of Phoenix in 2002 as the founding Dean of the School of Advanced Studies—housing the University’s doctoral programs. In November of 2003 he became Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and was promoted to Provost for the University in January of 2006.

Bill serves on the Commission for Postsecondary Education, under the Office of the Governor for the State of Arizona; sits on the Advisory Board of the Greater Phoenix Boys and Girls Clubs; is the Chair of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council Board of Directors; and serves on the Boards of Directors of United Way as well as the Heard Museum.  Serving nationally as a consultant-evaluator, Bill sits on the Accreditation Review Council of the Higher Learning Commission, a commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools that accredits degree-granting higher education organizations. Most recently, he was appointed to the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI), under the  Department of Education. The committee is tasked with advising the Secretary of Education on matters related to accreditation and to the eligibility and certification process for institutions of higher education.

Bill has held a number of administrative positions, including Department Chair for Classics at Temple and Regional Dean for Southern California for National University. Bill came to University of Phoenix in 1995 where he served as the first Dean of the College of General and Professional Studies. He subsequently held the position of Vice President of Academic Affairs until 2000. At that time, he assumed the position of President of the University of Sarasota; he helped transform that institution into what is today known as Argosy University.

Bill has conducted research and published in the areas of classical languages, linguistics, psychology, anthropology, folklore, and humor studies .He holds both master’s and doctorate degrees in Linguistics from Brown University and has held faculty positions at the University of Delaware, Temple University, and University of the Pacific. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Classics from Gannon University in Erie, PA, where he was born and raised.

Rachelle Chong is Special Counsel, Information and Communications Technologies for the Office of the Chief Information Officer, State of California. She is the “broadband guru” for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s administration. In 1994-1997, she served as a Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, nominated by President Clinton. In 2006-2009, she served as a Commissioner of the California Public Utilities Commission, nominated by Governor Schwarzenegger. She has also been a partner at the international law firms of Graham & James and Coudert Brothers, in addition to a start up stint as General Counsel and VP Government Affairs with Broadband Office, Inc.

In 2006, Commissioner Chong was a key member of the California Broadband Task Force, which initiated broadband mapping and issued a detailed Broadband Report in January 2008 with recommendations on how to improve broadband infrastructure, adoption and awareness in California.

In 2008, the California PUC initiated a groundbreaking $100 million state broadband infrastructure program called the California Advanced Services Fund under Chong’s leadership. She was instrumental in preparing state recommendations on Broadband ARRA applications, and has been recently leading statewide meetings with broadband ARRA grantees to enhance swift construction and collaboration among grantees. She is a board member of the California Telehealth Network, and the Chair of the Expert Committee of the California Emerging Technology Fund. She has won awards for her leadership in the areas of high speed broadband infrastructure and accessibility for persons with disabilities. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Hastings College of the Law.