Vinton Gray “Vint” Cerf is an American computer scientist, who is recognized as one of “the fathers of the Internet”, sharing this title with American computer scientist Bob Kahn. His contributions have been acknowledged and lauded, repeatedly, with honorary degrees and awards that include the National Medal of Technology, the Turing Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and membership in the National Academy of Engineering.

Vinton Cerf was instrumental in the funding and formation of ICANN from the start. Cerf waited in the wings for a year before he stepped forward to join the ICANN Board. Eventually he became the Chairman of ICANN. Cerf was elected as the president of the Association for Computing Machinery in May 2012 and in August 2013 he joined the Council on CyberSecurity’s Board of Advisors.

Cerf is active in many organizations that are working to help the Internet deliver humanitarian value in our world today. He is supportive of innovative projects that are experimenting with new approaches to global problems, including the digital divide, the gender gap, and the changing nature of jobs. Cerf is also known for his sartorial style, typically appearing in three-piece suit—a rarity in an industry known for its casual dress norms.

Cerf also went to Van Nuys High School along with Jon Postel and Steve Crocker; he wrote the former’s obituary. Both were also instrumental in the creation of the Internet as we know it.