Steve became the first Chief Executive Officer of the World Wide Web Foundation in September 2008. He is leading the launch of the Foundation, and working to fund and start high-impact initiatives to advance both the Web itself and the its ability to empower all people on the planet.

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Steve has held leadership and research positions within for-profit and not-for-profit, international organizations. His previous position was as CEO of the World Wide Web Consortium -- the standards organization responsible for the technologies that make the Web work. From 1997 through 2001, Steve served as the first Coordinator of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty International Data Centre in Vienna, Austria. There he was responsible for establishing the data center, global communications infrastructure, and standards for data exchange between more than 300 world-wide sensors and 170 nations. From 1984 to 1997, Steve led research initiatives -- first at Science Applications International Corporation and then as a program manager at Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency -- to develop advanced concepts for real-time sensor monitoring, intelligent analysis and international data communications. Since 1993, Web technologies have played the central role in support of the sharing of data, information and knowledge within the complex systems that he has designed and deployed.

Steve received his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his B.S. from the Pennsylvania State University.

Gregg Vanderheiden is a professor of Industrial and Biomedical Engineering, and director of Trace R&D Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has worked in technology and disability for more than 38s years and currently directs the NIDRR Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Information Technology Access, and co-directs the RERC on Telecommunications Access (joint with Gallaudet University).

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Dr Vanderheiden was a pioneer in the field of Augmentative Communication (a term taken from his writings in 1979), and worked with people having physical, visual, hearing and cognitive disabilities. His work with the computer industry led to many of the access features that are standard today. For example, access features developed by Dr. Vanderheiden and his team (e.g., StickyKeys, MouseKeys, etc.) have been built into the Macintosh OS since 1987, OS/2 and the UNIX X Window system since 1993, and more than half a dozen were built into Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, XP, Vista and now System 7. His work is also found in the built-in access features in ATMs, Point of Sale terminals, and cross-disability accessible USPS Automated Postal Stations, as well as the accessible Amtrak ticket machines, and in airport terminals.

Dr. Vanderheiden has served on numerous professional, industry and government advisory and planning committees including those for the FCC, NSF, NIH, VA, DED, GSA, NCD, Access Board and White House. Dr. Vanderheiden served on the FCC's Technological Advisory Council, was a member of the Telecommunications Access Advisory committee and the Electronic Information Technology Access Advisory Committee (508 and 255 refresh) for the US Access Board, and served on the steering committee for the National Research Council's Planning Group on "Every Citizen Interfaces," and the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine Committee on the Future of Disability in America.

He has received over 30 awards for his work on technology and disability include the ACM Social Impact Award for the Human-Computer Interaction Community, the Ron Mace Award, the Access award from AFB, the Yuri Rubinski Memorial World Wide Web Award (WWW6), and the Isabelle and Leonard H. Goldenson Award for Outstanding Research in Medicine and Technology (UCPA).

William Loughborough has been associated with San Francisco's Smith-Kettlewell Institute of Visual Science since 1963. He was the youngest member of the class of 1946 at MIT but never re-matriculated after service in World War II. He holds no degrees.

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His developments at SKIVS included a touch-pad screen reader, a miniature light probe, and the system of Remote Infrared Audible Signage marketed as "Talking Signs" which are installed around the world.

He was the keynote speaker at the Disability Summit in Charleston, SC in 2003 and currently resides in Madrid where he is a diversity evangelist.