In 2009, the USTTI celebrated a momentous benchmark when we honored our 8,000th graduate Ms. Irene Niyonambaza, an engineer and ICT expert from Rwanda's Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA). By honoring Ms. Niyonambaza, we also highlighted the enlightened ICT vision, effective spectrum management and pro-competitive policies of Rwanda's President, who, like many leaders from the developing world, recognize that ICT deployment can generate unlimited economic development and humanitarian benefits for even the poorest developing countries.

During our 27th training year, USTTI received an all-time record number of applications - 12,579 - for our diverse, 77 tuition-free courses. This overwhelming response to the USTTI's 2009 curriculum confirmed the compelling need and popularity of USTTI's training for women and men who are working in 168 developing countries to make modern communications a reality for their countrymen.

In 2010, the federal and corporate members of the USTTI Board of Directors have expanded the USTTI's curriculum so that we can continue to empower officials and entrepreneurs who are aggressively working to maximize ICT deployment in their developing countries. The USTTI's ability to maintain our energetic global outreach is made possible through the support of hundreds of "USTTI volunteer professors" - communications experts who year-after-year donate their time and expertise to making the USTTI's training possible. To these dedicated members of the USTTI team, we say a sincere "thank you."

Michael R. Gardner
Chairman, USTTI