UA Alumnus, U.N. Technology Expert to Discuss Cybersecurity in UA Lecture

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Gary Fowlie, a University of Alabama alumnus and an expert on cybersecurity, will present the Helen Crow Mills and John Carroll Mills Lecture Thursday, Oct. 24 at 11 a.m. in room 120 of Farrah Hall on The University of Alabama campus.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

His talk, “Cybersecurity or Cyberthreat? – Balancing Human Rights and Economic Growth in our Virtual World,” will address how the Internet is rewriting the relationship between individuals and their governments.

According to Fowlie, the Internet, and its associated technologies, is rapidly changing the face of diplomacy, security and economic development. In his lecture, he will discuss the challenges of making sure everyone on the planet has access to global cyber commons, while respecting the principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

Fowlie, a 1978 UA graduate with a major in communicative disorders, is head of the Liaison Office of the International Telecommunication Union to the United Nations. The ITU is the U.N. specialized agency for information and communication technology. His work at the United Nations focuses on cybersecurity, Internet connectivity, and technology as a catalyst for socio-economic development.

During his time with the U.N., Fowlie has been responsible for communications for the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society. He was also the chief of media liaison for the U.N. from 2005 until 2009.

Prior to joining the United Nations system in 2001, Fowlie worked as an account director in the technology practice of the global consulting firm Hill and Knowlton. He has also worked as an economist and journalist. Fowlie was a network news producer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. for 10 years and a freelance reporter for The Economist. He has written extensively on communication topics ranging from the importance of early childhood language development and intervention to cybersecurity and the Internet as a global economic utility.

The Mills lectureship was endowed in UA’s College of Arts and Sciences by Helen Crow Mills Pittman and the late Dr. John Mills of Birmingham to bring successful and distinguished alumni and citizens to campus to speak as a way to motivate and inspire students.

Helen Mills Pittman received a bachelor’s degree from the College of Human and Environmental Sciences at UA in 1959. She is president of Crow Real Estate and Insurance Co. in Birmingham and a longtime member of the Leadership Board of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences.

The late John Mills received his bachelor’s degree in pre-dental studies from the College of Arts and Sciences in 1955 and a dentistry degree from UA’s School of Dentistry in Birmingham in 1958. He practiced endodontics for 29 years and was a diplomat of the American Board of Endodontics. Mills was a pioneer in endodontics in Alabama and the only board certified endodontist in private practice in Alabama for many years. After leaving private practice, Mills became director of the endodontic program at UA’s School of Dentistry in Birmingham.

UA’s College of Arts and Sciences is the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.