Larry Irving
Encyclopedia
Clarence “Larry” Irving, Jr. (born July 7, 1955 in Brooklyn
, New York
) was
Vice President of Global Government Affairs for Hewlett-Packard Company, the largest technology company in the world. He joined the company on September 9, 2009 and left in 2011.
Irving is president and CEO of the Irving Information Group, a telecommunication and information technology strategic planning and consulting business based in Washington, D.C.
Irving launched his business in October 1999. Prior to starting his business, he was head of the National Telecommunications Infrastructure Administration (NTIA), an agency of the United States Department of Commerce
that serves as the President's principal adviser on telecommunications policies pertaining to the United States' economic and technological advancement and to regulation of the telecommunications industry.
He was a principal architect of President Bill Clinton
’s telecommunications, Internet and e-commerce policies and initiatives and acted as a senior adviser to the President and to Vice President Al Gore
and the United States Secretary of Commerce
during his tenure from 1993 to 1999. Irving was a member of the Clinton-Gore transition team focusing on telecommunications issues. More recently, he worked with President Barack Obama
's transition team on science and tech agencies.
While serving the NTIA, Irving authored three reports entitled “Falling Through the Net” that highlighted the scope and the consequences of inequities in access to information technology. He helped define the scope of and bring to public attention to the digital divide
, a term referring to the gap between people with effective access to digital and information technology and those with very limited or no access at all. He was named one of the 50 most influential persons in the “Year of the Internet” by Newsweek
magazine in 1994. Irving is a 1976 B.A.
graduate of Northwestern University
in Chicago, Illinois
, and holds the degree of J.D.
from Stanford University
in Palo Alto, California
, where he was class president.
He has also served as Legislative Director and Counsel for U.S. congressman Mickey Leland
, a Democrat
from the 18th District in Texas
. Irving was active with the Congressional Black Caucus
while Leland was its chair. He was an Associate with the law firm Hogan and Hartson, the oldest major law firm headquartered in Washington, D.C.
, Stanford Law School and the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences of Northwestern University
.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) was
Vice President of Global Government Affairs for Hewlett-Packard Company, the largest technology company in the world. He joined the company on September 9, 2009 and left in 2011.
Irving is president and CEO of the Irving Information Group, a telecommunication and information technology strategic planning and consulting business based in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Irving launched his business in October 1999. Prior to starting his business, he was head of the National Telecommunications Infrastructure Administration (NTIA), an agency of the United States Department of Commerce
United States Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
that serves as the President's principal adviser on telecommunications policies pertaining to the United States' economic and technological advancement and to regulation of the telecommunications industry.
He was a principal architect of President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
’s telecommunications, Internet and e-commerce policies and initiatives and acted as a senior adviser to the President and to Vice President Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
and the United States Secretary of Commerce
United States Secretary of Commerce
The United States Secretary of Commerce is the head of the United States Department of Commerce concerned with business and industry; the Department states its mission to be "to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce"...
during his tenure from 1993 to 1999. Irving was a member of the Clinton-Gore transition team focusing on telecommunications issues. More recently, he worked with President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's transition team on science and tech agencies.
While serving the NTIA, Irving authored three reports entitled “Falling Through the Net” that highlighted the scope and the consequences of inequities in access to information technology. He helped define the scope of and bring to public attention to the digital divide
Digital divide
The Digital Divide refers to inequalities between individuals, households, business, and geographic areas at different socioeconomic levels in access to information and communication technologies and Internet connectivity and in the knowledge and skills needed to effectively use the information...
, a term referring to the gap between people with effective access to digital and information technology and those with very limited or no access at all. He was named one of the 50 most influential persons in the “Year of the Internet” by Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine in 1994. Irving is a 1976 B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
graduate of Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in Chicago, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, and holds the degree of J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in Palo Alto, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where he was class president.
Prior offices
Before becoming head of NTIA, Irving was a Senior Counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance. While working for the committee, he helped draft and negotiate the Cable Television Consumer Protection Act, the Children’s Television Act and Television Decoder Circuitry Act.He has also served as Legislative Director and Counsel for U.S. congressman Mickey Leland
Mickey Leland
George Thomas "Mickey" Leland was an anti-poverty activist who later became a congressman from the Texas 18th District and chair of the Congressional Black Caucus...
, a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
from the 18th District in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Irving was active with the Congressional Black Caucus
Congressional Black Caucus
The Congressional Black Caucus is an organization representing the black members of the United States Congress. Membership is exclusive to blacks, and its chair in the 112th Congress is Representative Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri.-Aims:...
while Leland was its chair. He was an Associate with the law firm Hogan and Hartson, the oldest major law firm headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Other activities
He also sits on the board in an official or adviser capacity for a variety of organizations, including Reliability First Corporation, Waggener Edstrom, the Education Development Center, Annenberg School of the University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, Stanford Law School and the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences of Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
.