TIME100 AI 2026 · Shapers
Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Secretary-General, United Nations International Telecommunication Union
The first woman to lead the UN's telecom agency, the ITU, is also an active amateur radio operator.
- Born
- 1966, Monmouth County, New Jersey, U.S.
- Now
- Secretary-General, ITU
- Studied
- American University, University of Delaware
Interesting facts
- First
First woman to lead the ITU since it was founded in 1865, and the first American in more than 50 years.
state.gov - Numbers
Won the top ITU job with 139 of 172 votes, beating Russia's candidate Rashid Ismailov.
en.wikipedia.org - Side project
A licensed amateur radio operator with the call sign KD2JTX.
en.wikipedia.org - Numbers
Secured more than $120 billion in pledges from companies and development agencies to bring the world online.
time.com - Connection
Helped launch the ITU's AI for Good initiative in 2017; its July 2026 summit drew more than 12,000 people to Geneva.
time.com - Before AI
Spent over three decades at the ITU, starting in 1994 as a policy analyst in its development bureau.
linkedin.com
Career
- ITUSecretary-General1994 to now
- NTIA (US Department of Commerce)Telecommunication Policy Specialist1989–1994
Education
- MA, International communications policy, American University, 1990
- BA, University of Delaware, 1988