Sean Taketa McLaughlin - Participant

Digital ecologist Sean Taketa McLaughlin serves as executive director of Access Humboldt (http://accesshumboldt.net) - a community based organization providing local access to media channels, broadband network connections, digital media production resources, training and support for local communities, including governments, tribes, educational institutions, non-profit organizations and residents of Humboldt County, California USA.

McLaughlin is a policy wonk—advocating for universal access to open media—and currently serves as chair of the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee of the Public Utilities Commission. He was a Knight Media Policy Fellow with New America Foundation, ZFellow with ZeroDivide, and a board member of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers & Advisers. And most recently, a founding member of the Schools Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition. He has published articles, provided expert testimony before legislative and regulatory agencies, and participated in international conferences around the world.

Educated at Dartmouth College, McLaughlin taught "Politics of Media" at the University of Hawai'i - Manoa and served on the UH-Manoa Broadcast Communications Authority as vice chair. Since 1987, he has been a member of the Honolulu Community-Media Council, (now Media Council Hawaii http://www.mediacouncil.org/). McLaughlin was the first director of telecommunications for the Honolulu City Council.

McLaughlin started a successful broadcast media design, production, and consulting firm based in Honolulu. He helped to found the Human Services TV Network and ‘Olelo: Community Media and served as the first director of telecommunications for the Honolulu City Council and later as chief executive officer for Akaku: Maui Community Television. During his tenure at Akaku from 1997 to 2005, the organization grew to include five cable TV channels, low power FM radio and online media access serving the islands of Maui, Moloka'i, and Lana'i.