Susan Estrada
Award Name : Internet Hall of Fame
Year of Award : 2014
Award for : Computers and Internet
Location : San Diego, California, United States
Susan Estrada was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2014 for her pioneering work on Internet technologies beginning in the late 1980s. Named a "thinking nerd" by colleagues, Susan has a deep interest in emerging technologies and the ability to make those technologies work to solve real-world problems – specializing in the intersection of technology, policy and politics of the Internet.
An Internet pioneer and strategic thinker, she relishes working on novel and challenging issues that further the growth of the Internet. With deep understanding of technology, Internet policy, and the politics of the Internet, she has been a pioneer and leader in the Internet community since 1988 through direct employment and volunteer/honorary positions. She has international and academic experience in technical standards and policy development, which has enabled her to become a leader in the areas of Internet/broadband architecture, policy and adoption.
Susan founded CERFnet in 1988. CERFnet was one of the original regional IP networks in the US state of California. It served the academic and commercial communities in California. As executive director, she took the initial NSF funding and successfully commercialized the network for both the academic and private sector users, growing from 25 sites to hundreds of sites within California.