Thursday, February 9, 2012

Craigslist Founder To Serve On VA Panel

November 4, 2009

newmark.jpgCraiglist.org founder Craig Newmark has agreed to serve on a Veterans Affairs Department panel that will review ideas to improve disability claims processing times and provide greater transparency to vets, the agency announced Wednesday. Newmark told a high-tech conference in June that he was contemplating whether to "dedicate a big chunk of my life" to those who are driving change in Washington. He also said he wanted to spend more time practicing his own brand of public service.

"Transforming VA into an organization that is veteran-centric, results-oriented and forward-looking is my top priority," Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki said in a press release. "Leveraging the talent, innovation and creativity of stakeholders, like Craig Newmark, is just one of the many ways VA can think outside of the box to help deliver tangible results to our nation's veterans."

VA officials from each of the agency's 57 regional offices across the country have submitted more than 3,000 ideas, which will be reviewed by Newmark and other panel members. Newmark said he looked forward to working with VA's leadership team to "bring tangible results" to veterans. He added that he is encouraged by the fact that VA is "embracing new ways to look at old problems."

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Juliana Gruenwald

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Juliana Gruenwald has been covering tech and telecom issues for more than a decade for National Journal, Interactive Week, BNA and Congressional Quarterly. This is her second stint with National Journal. She was recruited by NJ in 1998 to help launch its first tech policy publication, Technology Daily. She left in 2000 to cover international tech and telecom issues for Ziff Davis Media's Interactive Week magazine. She started her career at United Press International as the wire service's first Helen Thomas Intern. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota. A Minneapolis native, she misses the lakes but not the cold.


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Josh Smith covers technology policy as a staff reporter for National Journal. He previously interned at National Journal Daily, a Senate press office, and the Deseret News in Salt Lake City where he covered the state legislature, courts, and crime. In 2009 he graduated with honors from Southern Utah University after managing an award-winning student newspaper as editor-in-chief. Josh has received state, regional and national awards for his political and policy reporting, including first place in CapitolBeat’s 2009 Best of Statehouse Reporting college competition. A native of drop-dead-gorgeous Utah, Josh lives in Virginia with his wife, Amber.