Julius Genachowski '85, a technology expert who was former legal counsel to ex-FCC chairman Reed Hundt, has been selected by President Barack Obama '83 to head that agency.

A key member of Obama's transition team, Genachowski also clerked for Supreme Court Justice David Souter and, before that, for retired Supreme Court Justice William Brennan. He also spent eight years in senior executive positions at Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp. and has served on the boards of The Motley Fool, Beliefnet, Website Pros, Mark Ecko Enterprises, Expedia, Hotels.com and Ticketmaster. He is a co-founder of Rock Creek Ventures and Launch Box Digital and a special adviser at General Atlantic.

Genachowski's presence on the Obama transition team was seen as an indication that technology will play an important role in the new administration. "Julius is a true believer in the power of technology to change lives, and I think it bodes well for the Obama administration that someone like him is part of the transition team," Rick Whitt, Google's Washington, D.C., telecom and media counsel, told The Washington Post.