MURIEL BOWSER
MAYOR
May
22, 2024
The Honorable Phil Mendelson
Chairman
Council of
the District of Columbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 504
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Chairman M endelson:
In accordance with section
2 of the Confirmation Act of 1978, effective March 3, 1979 (D.C. Law 2-
142;
D.C. Official Code § 1-523.01), and pursuant to section 201 of the District of Columbia Public
Postsecondary
Education Reorganization Act, approved October 26, 1974 (88 Stat. 1424; D.C. Official
Code § 38-1202.01), I am pleased to nominate the following individual:
Ms. Mignon L.
Clyburn
G
Street, NW
Washington, DC 20024
(Ward 6)
for reappointment as member of the Board of Trustees of the University of the District of
Columbia,
f
or a term to end May 15, 2029.
Enclosed, you will find biographical information detailing the experience of the above-m entioned
nominee, together with a proposed resolution to assist the Council during the confirmation process.
I would appreciate the Council’s earliest consideration of this nomination for confirmation. Please
do not hesitate to contact me, or Steven Walker, Director, Mayor’s Office of Talent and
Appointments, should the Council require additional information.
Sincerely,
Muriel B owser
Mayor 1
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~~
k'hairmarr Phil Mendelson
at the request
of the Mayor
A PROPOSED RESOLUTION
10 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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12
13
14
15 To confirm the reappointment of Mignon L. Clyburn to the Board of Trustees of the University
16 of the District of Columbia.
17
18 RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that this
19 resolution may be cited as the "Board of Trustees of the University of the District of Columbia
20 Mignon L. Clyburn Confirmation Resolution of 2024".
21 Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia confirms the reappointment of:
22
23 Ms. Mignon L. Clyburn
24
G Street, NW
25 Washington, DC 20024
26 (Ward 6)
27
28 as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of the District of Columbia, established
29 by section
201 of the District of Columbia Public Postsecondary Education Reorganization Act,
30 approved October 26, 1974 (88 Stat. 1424; D.C. Official Code§ 38-1202.01), for a term to end
31 May 15, 2029.
32 Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia shall transmit a copy of this resolution,
33 upon its adoption, to the nominee and to the Office of the Mayor.
34 Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
MIGNON L. CLYBURN
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
MLC STRATEGIES, LLC
Principal and CEO January 2019 - Present
Independent consulting firm established to provide strategic advice and develop critical solutions for
entities in the technology, media (content), telecommunications and investor owned utility industries.
OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS (OSF)
Leadership in Government Fellow
June 2018 - January 2019
Awarded a leadership fellowship to make the business case for eliminating the predatory telephone rate
regime that exists for families and legal counsel who make calls to and from American detention and
correctional facilities.
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
Commissioner July 2009-June 2018
(Interim) Chair May 2013-October 2013
Appointed by the President and twice confirmed by the United States Senate to the five-member federal
commission responsible for the regulation of interstate and international communications by radio,
television, wire, satellite, and cable in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.
PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION OF SOUTH CAROLINA (SCPSC)
Commissioner, Sixth Congressional District July 1998 – June 2009
Chair July 2002 – June 2004
Elected by the General Assembly to three terms on the seven-member commission responsible for the
regulation of South Carolina’s investor owned utilities, including electric, gas, water and sewerage
companies, telephone companies, and certain transportation providers. Managed a staff of 88 with an
operating budget of $9 million.
THE COASTAL TIMES, CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA
Publisher and General Manager June 1984 – June 1998
Published, managed, edited and distributed a weekly newspaper in the low country of South Carolina.
MLC, Page 1
SIGNIFICANT DOCKETS AND DECISIONS CONSIDERED BY
THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
Directed A Highly Productive Federal Agency.Served as Acting Chair of the Federal Communications
Commission, an agency with more than 1,700 employees. During this timeframe, which included a
three-week federal government shut down, the agency adopted 1,185 orders or proposed rules. Led the
staff in the development of rules for three multi-billion dollar auctions and released orders to approve
several high-profile transactions including the $12.1 billion Soft Bank-Sprint merger and several other
asset transactions worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Force Behind the Establishment of the Connect2HealthFCC Task Force.The multi-disciplinary
effort is designed to ‘move the needle’ on broadband availability and advanced health care technologies.
The Task Force uses public and private stakeholder input and collaboration to promote effective policy
and regulatory solutions to encourage broadband adoption to advance telehealth, mobile applications and
telemedicine. The goal is to enable robust connections on-demand so that patients and caregivers will
have ubiquitous, interactive, fully integrated and affordable levels of seamless health and wellness care.
Effectively Advanced U.S. Communications Policy Internationally Through Formal Agreements
and Bi-Lateral Meetings.Signed landmark agreements with Canada and Mexico to address
cross-border interference issues, which resolved key obstacles to the success of the world’s first ever
reverse voluntary incentive auction of broadcast TV spectrum. Met with communications regulators
during international fora in 16 countries in Africa, Asia and the European Union. Established strong
relationships with international colleagues by stressing that wealthy and developing nations can improve
by learning from each other.
Successful At Driving Solutions for Industry Wide Technical Bottlenecks.Brokered the negotiations
for the initiation of a proceeding to adopt technical rules to restore interoperability in the lower 700
megahertz band. In the history of United States wireless service, this was the first spectrum band for
commercial service that lacked an interoperable solution which meant that devices from smaller wireless
carriers could not roam on the networks of larger nationwide providers for more than five years. By
spearheading an industry wide solution, instead of mandating a regulatory solution that likely would have
been appealed to a court, more rapid investment by dozens of small wireless companies in the areas they
served was spurred.
Successfully Led Reform of Wireless Auction Rules to Create Opportunities for Small Businesses.
Persuasively advocated for the repeal of rules that prevented small businesses from leasing their spectrum
to large companies. These rules kept them from attracting sufficient capital to acquire commercial
wireless spectrum at FCC auctions and from effectively competing against larger companies. Also helped
to establish a rural service bidding credit that could spur economic growth in 90 percent of the 353
persistent poverty counties in our country.
MLC, Page 2
SIGNIFICANT DOCKETS AND DECISIONS, con’t.
Negotiated Deal Between Wireless Industry and Local Governments to Streamline Tower Siting
Approvals.Persuaded CTIA and PCIA -- top lobbying organizations for the commercial wireless
industry -- to help resource constrained cities and local governments which will result in faster approval
times for wireless company applications to collocate new towers and other equipment on previously
approved infrastructure.
Inmate Calling Services Reform.In July of 2013, led the passage of historic reforms to the exorbitant
interstate inmate calling system. For decades, the high cost of long-distance calls from prisoners to their
loved ones across state lines has detrimentally impacted parents and children, especially among
low-income and minority families. Ten years after this proceeding began at the FCC, those efforts led to
final rules.
SIGNIFICANT CASES CONSIDERED BY
THE SOUTH CAROLINA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
State Universal Service Fund, Docket No. 1997-239-C.In an order issued June 6, 2001, the
Commission funded South Carolina’s Universal Service Fund through assessments on communications
carriers. The state Universal Service Fund has resulted in significantly lower access rates for carriers in
the state.
Generic Proceeding to Address Abuse of Market Position and Inflation Based Index for Local
Exchange Carriers, Dockets No. 2002-367-C and 2003-656-C.As Chair, I presided over generic
proceedings in which the Commission interpreted statutory terms governing certain rates charged by local
exchange carriers operating under alternative regulation.
PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS
National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved (NHIT) and Healthcare Information and
Management Systems Society (HIMSS), March 2018, Las Vegas, NV
Leveraging health IT and good regulatory policies to address health disparities in the U.S.
Regional Smart Cities Forum, February 2018, Washington, DC
Intelligent transportation systems, the Internet-of-Things, and big data analytics, can replace failing
infrastructure, cut costs and generate new revenue, while dramatically improving the lives of residents.
#Solutions2020 Policy Forum, October 2016, Washington, DC
Culmination of a #ConnectingCommunities tour which explored the opportunities and challenges of
bringing affordable, diverse and competitive communications services to all Americans. #Solutions2020
focused on proposing answers to some of the toughest challenges facing the communications sector.
Action Plan delivered March 2017
Cleveland Clinic’s Medical Innovation Summit, “Broadband Powering the Next Generation of
Health and Care: A World of Connected Health,” October 26, 2015, Cleveland, Ohio
Highlighted the transformative power of technology and connectivity and how it could bring about
personalized “smart care” systems to the market to address specific health needs and risks.
MLC, Page 3
Competitive Carriers Association – Annual Convention, October 8, 2015,
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Shared updates and insights on how innovative regulatory approaches and consensus building among
carriers can spur innovation and competitive opportunities for smaller providers, particularly those in
rural America.
PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS, con’t.
American Enterprise Institute, “Reforming the Federal Lifeline Telecommunications Program for
the Broadband Era,” November 12, 2014, Washington, DC
Laid out a comprehensive vision on cleaning up, overhauling and modernizing one of the nation’s most
politically vulnerable programs using strong fiscal and managerial protocols so that it will be on track to
finally meet the needs of those unable to afford broadband and other telecommunications services.
Hearing on the President’s Fiscal Year 2014 Funding Request and Budget Justification for the
Federal Communications Commission, September 2013
As Acting Chair, testified before the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government
Committee on Appropriations in the U.S. Senate.*
FCC National Broadband Plan Staff Workshop, “Smart Grid, Broadband and Climate Change,”
MIT, Boston, MA, August 25, 2009
The panel discussed how broadband and communications infrastructure can accelerate efforts to build a
smarter electricity infrastructure, also known as the Smart Grid.
National Foundation of Women Legislators, “Transformative Power of Broadband: Key Issues
During Challenging Times,” November 23, 2008, Sarasota, Florida
Provided a regulator’s perspective on how to increase the awareness of broadband services and how they
can solve those critical problems that negatively impact women’s lives.
Florida Conference of Black State Legislators Issues Conference, “Energy Roadmap for the
Future: What Can Policy Makers Do? November 20, 2008, Kissimmee, Florida
Mapped out regional and regulatory realities and gave insight as to how lawmakers can educate, motivate
and initiate policies to benefit underserved communities.
*Appeared and testified before the U. S. House Energy and Commerce and the Senate Commerce, Science and
Transportation Committees and their Oversight and Sub-Committees more than 20 times.
MEDIA APPEARANCES
The Communicators, CSPAN; Marketplace Media, Here & Now and All Things Considered, NPR;
NewsHour, PBS; Veshi and Ruhle and AMJoy, MSNBC
PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS
• Charleston, SC Chapter of The Links, Inc.
• Washington Action Committee for the National Association of Regulatory Utility
Commissioners (NARUC ), Chair, 2005-2009
• S. C. Advisory Council of the United States Commission on Civil Rights , Chair, 2008
• Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, Past Chair , 2003-2004
• South Carolina Cancer Center Board, Palmetto Richland Hospital, SC
• South Carolina Energy Advisory Council
• Trident Technical College Foundation, Charleston, SC
• Columbia College, Board of Visitors , Columbia, SC
MLC, Page 4
• The Palmetto Project (Secretary/Treasurer ), SC
• YWCA of Greater Charleston (former Board President), SC
• Edventure Children’s Museum , Columbia, SC
• City of Columbia Reform and Restructuring Commission, SC
• Reid House of Christian Service , Charleston, SC
• Trident United Way (Board and Allocations Committee ), SC
• Trident Urban League, Charleston, SC
• S.C. Common Ground Initiative of the S.C. Education Oversight Committee
• Black Women Entrepreneurs, past President
HONORS
Greenlining Institute, Disruptive Advocate Award, May 2018
Competitive Carriers Association, (CCA), Hall of Fame Award , March 2018
CTIA, The Wireless Foundation, Mobile Life Award, Washington, DC, May 2017
National Telehealth Champion Award for South Carolina, March 2017
Southeast Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (SEATOA ),
Legislator of the Year Award, 2017
United Church of Christ Office of Communication, Inc., Newton Minow Award, 2016
National Black Caucus of State Legislators, National Nation Builder Award ,
Los Angeles, CA, 2015
Walter Kaitz Foundation, Diversity Advocate Award, New York, NY, 2014
The National Consumers League, Trumpeter Award , Washington, DC, 2013
Phoenix Center, Jerry Duvall Public Service Award, Washington, DC, 2013
Consumer Electronics Association, Digital Patriots Award , Las Vegas, NV, 2013
Alliance for Women in Media, “Women Who Represent” Award, Washington, DC, 2013
Crittenton Services of Greater Washington, Award for Leadership , Washington, DC, 2012
College of Charleston, Distinguished Communicator Award, SC, 2011
National Hispanic Media Coalition, Impact Award , Washington, DC, 2011
National Foundation for Women Legislators and the National Organization for Black Elected
Legislative Women, Commitment to Minority, Underserved, Rural and Economically Challenged
Communities, 2009
Columbia, South Carolina Urban League, Lincoln C. Jenkins Award for Business and Community
Contributions, 2007
James C. Bonbright Honoree, Southeastern Energy Conference , Terry School of Business, Georgia
2006
MLC, Page 5
EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA 1980-1984
Columbia, South Carolina
B.S. Business Administration
Major in Banking and Finance and Economics
MLC, Page 6
Executive Office of the Mayor – Mayor’s Office of Talent and Appointments
John A. Wilson Building | 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 600 | Washington, DC 20004
Mignon L. Clyburn
Ms. Mignon L. Clyburn served as a Commissioner on the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) from 2009 to 2018 and as acting
chair from May to November of 2013. She is a current member of the
Board of Trustees of the University of the District of Columbia
During her nearly nine years at the FCC, Ms. Clyburn was committed
to closing persistent digital and opportunity divides that continue to
challenge rural, native, and low wealth communities. Specifically, she
pushed for the modernization of the agency’s Lifeline Program, which
assists low-income consumers in defraying the cost of voice and
broadband service, championed diversity in media ownership, initiated
inmate calling services reforms, emphasized diversity and inclusion in STEM opportunities, and
fought to preserve a free and open internet.
Previously, Ms. Clyburn served 11 years on the South Carolina Public Service Commission. Prior
to that, she was the publisher and general manager of the Coastal Times, a family-founded,
Charleston-based weekly newspaper focusing on issues affecting the African American
community.
Ms. Clyburn is currently the Principal and CEO of MLC Strategies, LLC, an independent
consulting firm established to provide strategic advice and develop critical solutions for entities in
the technology, media, telecommunications, and investor-owned utility industries.
A Ward 6 resident, Ms. Clyburn earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from
the University of South Carolina.
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Executive Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser
Office of the General Counsel to the Mayor
______________________________________________________________________________
The John A. Wilson Building • 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW • Suite 300 • Washington, D.C. 20004 • Office (202) 724-7681
To: Tomas Talamante, Steve Walker
From: Betsy Cavendish
Date: May 13, 2024
Subject: Legal sufficiency review of Resolution nominating Mignon Clyburn as a member
of the Board of Trustees of the University of the District of Columbia
This is to Certify that this office has reviewed the above-referenced resolution and
found it to be legally unobjectionable. If you have any questions in this regard, please do not
hesitate to call Erika Satterlee, Deputy General Counsel, Executive Office of the Mayor, at 202-
724-1303, or me at 202-724-7681.
______________________________
Elizabeth A. (Betsy) Cavendish