# Doreen Bogdan-Martin

Secretary-General, United Nations International Telecommunication Union. TIME100 AI 2026, Shapers. The first woman to lead the UN's telecom agency, the ITU, is also an active amateur radio operator. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doreen_Bogdan-Martin))

- Born: 1966, Monmouth County, New Jersey, U.S. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doreen_Bogdan-Martin))
- Education: MA, International communications policy, American University, 1990; BA, University of Delaware, 1988 ([itu.int](https://www.itu.int/en/osg/Pages/biography-itu-sg-doreen.aspx), [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/in/doreentbogdan), [en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doreen_Bogdan-Martin))
- Career: ITU (Secretary-General, 1994 to now); NTIA (US Department of Commerce) (Telecommunication Policy Specialist, 1989–1994) ([itu.int](https://www.itu.int/en/osg/Pages/biography-itu-sg-doreen.aspx), [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/in/doreentbogdan))
- TIME profile: https://time.com/collection/time100-ai/2026/doreen-bogdan-martin/
- Profile: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/most-influential-people-in-ai/doreen-bogdan-martin

- First woman to lead the ITU since it was founded in 1865, and the first American in more than 50 years. ([state.gov](https://www.state.gov/endorsements-for-doreen-bogdan-martin))
- Won the top ITU job with 139 of 172 votes, beating Russia's candidate Rashid Ismailov. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doreen_Bogdan-Martin))
- A licensed amateur radio operator with the call sign KD2JTX. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doreen_Bogdan-Martin))
- Secured more than $120 billion in pledges from companies and development agencies to bring the world online. ([time.com](https://time.com/collection/time100-ai/2026/doreen-bogdan-martin/))
- 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](https://time.com/collection/time100-ai/2026/doreen-bogdan-martin/))
- Spent over three decades at the ITU, starting in 1994 as a policy analyst in its development bureau. ([linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/in/doreentbogdan))