Ed Black

Ed Black has been President & CEO of the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) since 1995. His overall responsibility for the association includes leading its efforts on a wide range of policy matters relevant to CCIA and its member companies. He specializes in international trade, competition policy and intellectual property matters and has been extensively involved in issues including e-commerce, privacy, security, open standards, federal procurement and telecommunications policy. Mr. Black previously served for nearly a decade as CCIA's Vice-President and General Counsel.

Mr. Black is past Chairman of the State Department's Advisory Committee on International Communications & Information Policy and past President of the Washington International Trade Association & Foundation and Chairman of the Pro-Trade Group. He serves on the board of directors of the Interoperability Clearing House (ICH), and is a member of various bar and technology policy organizations, including past Chairman of the American Intellectual Property Law Association's Subcommittee on Export Controls, and the Advisory Board for BNA's Electronic Information Policy and Law Report. He is active politically at the local, state and national levels.

After serving as Legislative Director for Rep. Louis Stokes (D-OH) in the early 70s, Mr. Black served as a congressional liaison for the State Department under Secretaries Henry Kissinger and Cyrus Vance. He returned to Capitol Hill serving as Chief of Staff to Rep. John LaFalce (D-NY), before again returning to the executive branch as Deputy to the Assistant Secretary for Congressional Affairs for the Secretary of Commerce. Mr. Black subsequently practiced law in the private sector, where he represented high-tech companies and associations.

Mr. Black regularly testifies before Congress and is a frequent commentator for both national and industry media. He is regularly quoted in publications such as the Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, San Jose Mercury News, Los Angeles Times and Business Week, and frequently appears on television programs such as MSNBC, CNN, Fox, ABC News, The News Hour, and Nightly Business Report and was listed on the Washingtonian's Tech Titan 2009 list.

Mr. Black received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Muhlenberg College and his Juris Doctor degree from the American University Washington College of Law, where he won honors in the area of international law