Change is happening. We are in the process of electing a new leader here in the US, which will have global ramifications and it’s an election that is being very closely watched and followed, including on social media. However, it’s not the only important appointment that is being made – remember last month when Neville Pattinson wrote about attending the initial meeting of the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) Identity Ecosystem Steering Group? Well, he has now been elected to its Steering Group, as the Security Delegate.

So, what does this position mean? To start, the Steering Group has formed preliminary working groups and standing committees to provide an operating structure for creation of the Identity Ecosystem Framework. Neville plans to center his attention on the Security Working Group, which will define a security model for use in the Framework.

The Chicago meeting was by all accounts a great success – it was attended by more than 800 registrants, including about 250 unaffiliated individuals, over 330 different companies and organizations, and representatives from outside the United States, including the United Kingdom, Australia, the European Union, New Zealand, Canada and Japan.

Similarly to the US election, the activities and influence of this group will affect the entire world, which is why having a strong and experienced leadership is so vital. Following the appointments to the leadership group and Steering Group, however, NSTIC doesn’t have a few months to wait for inauguration. Instead, delegates have to get straight to work, putting the private-sector NSTIC leadership in place, approving a draft charter and draft bylaws to be reviewed by a task force. So what’s next? When I spoke with Neville, he said that all of the working groups are eager to get to work, and will be meeting regularly for progress reports.

The NISTC office will award the first round of pilot grants with each pilot program that is selected funded for up to two years, with up to $2 million. These pilots will ultimately shape the NSTIC, in the same way the new President-elect will look to shape the US (and global) economy.