{"id":226613,"date":"2025-07-04T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/?p=226613"},"modified":"2025-12-15T17:41:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T17:41:24","slug":"from-experience-to-curiosity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/blog\/2025\/07\/from-experience-to-curiosity\/","title":{"rendered":"From Experience to Curiosity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When Cheryl Langdon-Orr began her learning journey with the Internet Society, she wasn\u2019t a new learner in the traditional sense. With a career spanning decades in science, psychology, and international business and a history of shaping Internet governance through leadership in Australia\u2019s Internet Society chapter, Cheryl has long been part of the global conversation on how the Internet evolves. Yet, despite her experience, she enrolled in course after course. Why? For Cheryl, learning is more than professional development; it\u2019s a way to lead with credibility and care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I won\u2019t recommend something I haven\u2019t tried myself,” she says. That principle is what led her to complete multiple Internet Society courses on topics like digital footprints, encryption, and impact briefs, sometimes even retaking updated versions as the platform evolved. It\u2019s also what underpins her broader philosophy as a leader in Internet governance: influence begins with understanding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Life of Leadership and Learning<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A self-described \u201cretired but overcommitted volunteer,\u201d Cheryl has dedicated much of her post-career life to strengthening public interest advocacy in Internet policy. For over 25 years, she\u2019s served on the board of Internet Australia, and she continues to be a force within ICANN\u2019s policy development processes. Whether advising governments, mentoring early-career fellows, or sitting on selection panels for fellowships, she leverages her deep experience and continuous learning to shape meaningful conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHuman networking goes alongside internetworking,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen I understand how people are trained, whether they\u2019re regulators or telecom executives, I can engage more effectively in the rooms where decisions happen.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of those rooms is AUDA, Australia\u2019s country code top-level domain (ccTLD) regulator. Cheryl recalls how Internet Australia was involved in shaping AUDA\u2019s governance from its earliest days when the .au name server was still housed under a desk at a Melbourne institute. Today, she and her colleagues continue to ensure that Internet governance processes in Australia remain transparent, participatory, and accountable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Courses like \u201cHow to Develop an Impact Brief\u201d or \u201cInternet Advocacy\u201d may not directly change Cheryl\u2019s career trajectory, she\u2019s long since built that. But they do add to her representational toolkit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Being able to quote Internet Society\u2019s research or Pulse insights in consultations is just good practice. It strengthens the credibility of what we say in government and regulatory spaces.\u201d\u00a0<\/div>