8200
Queen Anne's Drive
Silver
Spring MD 20910
rgaster@north-atlantic.com
Tel. 301-589-5965
www.north-atlantic.com
Research Experience
North Atlantic
Research Inc. (CEO)
Ø Data consultants for the Navy SBIR program
Ø SBIR review, for the National Academy of Sciences
(lead researcher on study of $550m NIH SBIR program)
Ø The 21st Century Communciations
Company, for the Economist
Intelligence Unit
Ø Issues in Electronic Commerce, a private report for Deloitte and Touche
Ø Bridging the Atlantic, for the Economic Strategy Institute
Ø
Opportunities
in the Market for Electronic Textbooks, for Houghton Mifflin
Ø Bridging the Atlantic forums, a Washington colloquium addressing
transatlantic trade and technology issues.
Ø Manager research projects for public and private
clients including the European Commission, Philips, Olivetti, Bull S.A., Mitsubishi Research, Dataquest, Deloitte and Touche,
the Economist Intelligence Unit, the National Academy of Science, Houghton
Mifflin, U.S.Congress. Resulting reports and analysis have been
published
See publications for a complete list of publications
and writing.
For more information
about North Atlantic’s consulting activities, see http://www.north-atlantic.com/
LocalNet LLC (CEO and founder)
LocalNet was funded by angel investors to develop a
comprehensive Web-based platform for providing local services, information, and
opportunities. Uniquely, LocalNet worked closely with
local partners to implement a vision grounded in the local power of the Net.
LocalNet delivered local content drawn from hundreds of
different sources, and in several cases managed a significant part of the
platform development as well. Projects managed include:
Ø San Diego (with the Electric Power Research
Institute)
Ø Scranton PA (with Pegasus Inc.).
Ø
Current projects
are focused on Kansas City (with the Kansas City Neighborhood Alliance and RW Ventures), and Los Angeles (with RW
Ventures),
Other work experience
Director,
Research and Planning, Community Services Network Inc.
CEO, SNIP!
Software
Fellow, Economic
Strategy Institute
Congressional
Fellow, Office of Technology Assessment, U.S. Congress
Assistant
Professor, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Adjunct Professor,
U.C.Berkeley, George Mason U., American U., G.W.University
Skills
Over the course of many
different consulting projects and entrepreneurial ventures, I have developed a
range of business and professional skills. These include:
Project
Management and Operations
Extensive experience as
manager of major projects over the past 12 years, including LocalNet
projects, Convergence partnership with Deloitte and Touche, and numerous
research and assessment projects for many clients.
Highly effective
operations skills directed toward the completion of projects on time and on
budget. Experience with MS Project used to organize and implement major projects.
Creative user of
Internet tools (groupware, instant messaging, quick start web sites, blogs,) etc. as a means of ensuring tight coordination
between virtual team members.
Firm believer in setting
clear goals and milestones, and empowering subordinates to achieve these
objectives. Positive reinforcement works, and is critical for effective team
building. Extensive experience building high achieving teams onsite and in a
virtual environment
Business
planning and strategy
Ten years of P&L responsibility, including Convergence project.
Extensive internal and external experience building comprehensive and
successful business plans, used to underpin the work of LocalNet , SNIP! Software, Enersphere (Canada) (all funded), as well as other partners
such as RW Ventures and Local Net (California) Inc.
Additional experience with major proposals and grant applications.
Electronic publishing
Ø
Ten years
experience, including web and CD publishing, software development.
Ø
Director of Convergence, a
$2m partnership with Deloitte and Touche to create an electronic publication
covering all aspects of telecommunications and the Internet. Project
successfully developed on proprietary software platform, and sold for two
years. Eventually overtaken by the Web. NAR was responsible for all content and platform
development (sample CDs available)
Marketing and
alliances
Ten years successful
experience marketing consulting services to major clients around the world. Consistent ability to close sales and to generate repeat business.
Additional experience with B2B marketing through the Convergence
project (includes advertising, marketing infrastructure, direct mail,
telesales, trade shows, etc.). Innovative developer of
alternative marketing strategies using the public policy environment.
Strong network of
contacts in Washington DC public policy circles, telecommunications, the
European Community, and local web and economic development networks.
Most projects have
involved creating a virtual team of staffers and partners. In some cases, these
teams have been very wide-ranging: Convergence required agreements with
almost 400 publications; LocalNet involves active
partnerships with local agencies and organizations in every selected city.
Editorial
proposals and grants
Twenty years experience
writing and editing materials for professional audiences. Worked
as professional editor for International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Author of many publications, including a standard book on
transatlantic telecommunications issues, articles in Foreign Policy and The
Atlantic, major reports for the Economist Intelligence Unit and others, and
numerous consulting assignments and report.
Substantial experience
formulating and presenting proposals, for government grant opportunities,
corporate projects, and nonprofits. Extensive work on formal
business plans, three of which have been successfully funded.
See attached Publications and Reports for selected writings.
Presentation
Very
strong presentation, desktop publishing, and web skills. Author and designer of many high quality consulting
reports, as well as major PowerPoint presentations (for the Economist
Intelligence Unit and others) Extensive speaking experience at industry and
public policy seminars and conferences, and as professor at U.C.Berkeley,
U. of Virginia, and others DC-area universities. Strong
inter-personal skills. Innovative use of "quick
start" project web sites as a presentation aid and later as a key
marketing feature. Very strong written communications skills – held
professional editorial positions at the IMF and World
Bank.
Legal/intellectual
property
Experience
setting up companies and managing some legal aspects. Considerable understanding of intellectual property
issues (though I am not a lawyer), based both on practical experience with
Convergence and LocalNet, and also on recent
consulting work on intellectual property for a major client.
Education and Other
Ph.D
UC Berkeley 1986 (Regent's scholar)
M.A.
University of Kent (U.K.) 1978
B.A.
(Honors) Oxford University (U.K.) 1976
U.S. citizen. Married, 2 children. Hobbies include soccer,
tennis, golf, poker,
music,
web technologies, and reading. Commissioner of local soccer
league.
Email
list manager for PTA.
References
Available on request