WASHINGTON — November 13, 2026 -- Internet2 has elected Cynthia Larive, chancellor of the University of California, Santa Cruz, chair of its Board of Trustees, and M. Brian Blake, president of Georgia State University, vice chair. Both began their terms in November 2026.
Larive moves up from vice chair. Blake joined the board in 2025, so he reaches the vice chair post after one year as a trustee, by FairsOnline's calculation. Gregory Washington, president of George Mason University, chaired the board and is one of two outgoing trustees. The other is Jennifer Cowley, former president of the University of Texas at Arlington.
Four of the eight trustees named in the release lead universities
The release names eight trustees. Four run universities: Larive, Blake, Marc Parlange (president, University of Rhode Island) and Ellen Granberg (president, George Washington University). The other four are:
- Louis Fox, president and CEO of CENIC, the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California
- Ewa Deelman, research professor of computer science and principal scientist at the University of Southern California Information Sciences Institute
- Aimee Heeter, senior vice chancellor for finance and administration at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Michele Norin, senior vice president and chief information officer at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
Internet2 did not disclose the total number of board seats, so the named trustees cannot be set against the full board.
Parlange won the annual election; Fox and Granberg joined by appointment
Parlange was the only new trustee chosen in the board's fall election. He serves a three-year term from November 2026 through October 2029.
Fox and Granberg were appointed earlier this year to fill two mid-term vacancies. Their terms end in October 2027, less than a year after the new officers took office.
Three trustees start second terms running through October 2029
Deelman, Heeter and Norin each begin a second term from November 2026 through October 2029. Together with Parlange, that puts four of the six trustee seats in this round on 36-month terms. The other two expire after about 12 months.
The board provides strategic direction and oversight for an organization that counts 520 member organizations, among them universities, federal agencies, regional research and education networks and industry. Tripti Sinha is president and CEO. The board's new officers take over in the year Internet2 marks its 30th anniversary; the organization was founded in 1996.