(New York, NY – February 26, 2019) – The Intelligent Community Forum (www.intelligentcommunity.org) announced today the appointment of Moez Chaabouni as Chair of the independent international jury that helps ICF select the Intelligent Community of the Year. Mr. Chaabouni, an entrepreneur and tech executive, is the former Deputy CIO of Columbus, and currently works as a senior account executive for Informatica, a world leader in enterprise cloud data management. He succeeds the Jury’s founding Chair Jagadish Rao, who retired from a long and distinguished career with IBM and lead the ICF jury since its inception.

The ICF jury consists of officials of previous Intelligent Communities of the Year and subject matter experts from government, business, academia and other organizations around the world. The responsibility of the jury each year is to review reports on the Top7 Intelligent Communities and rank the Top7 to help determine the year’s Intelligent Community of the Year. Combined with qualitative and quantitative assessment of written information by ICF Analysts, the result combines academic rigor with the Jury’s vote.

“We salute the extraordinary work of Jag Rao in founding and leading our international jury of experts and making the selection of the Intelligent Community of the Year one of the most anticipated events of the year, every year,” said ICF co-founder Louis Zacharilla. “We look forward to Moez’s leadership and his experience as a former municipal CIO.”

The Intelligent Community of the Year will be named on June 13 in New York City at the ICF Global Summit (www.icfsummit.com) from among the Top7 Intelligent Communities named in Quebec City on February 11.

“I am honored and humbled to accept this appointment and to follow in the footsteps of Jag Rao, who I have long admired and respected. The jury responsibilities of the Intelligent Community Forum are vital to its mission in recognizing those communities that have embraced and instituted programs that enrich the lives of their residents. I will strive to lead our group of International jurors with the integrity and diligence we have come to be known for,” Chaabouni said.

About the Intelligent Community Forum
The Intelligent Community Forum (www.intelligentcommunity.org), headquartered in New York, is a global movement of more than 180 cities, metro regions and counties with a think tank at its heart. ICF studies and promotes the best practices of the world's Intelligent Communities as they adapt to the new demands and seize the opportunities presented by information and communications technology (ICT). To help cities and regions build prosperous economies, solve social problems and enrich local cultures, the Intelligent Community Forum conducts research, hosts global events, publishes books, and produces its high-profile annual international awards program. The Forum sponsors research Institutes in North America dedicated to the study of the movement, and national organizations in Canada and Taiwan, both home to many Intelligent Communities. In 2012 ICF was invited to participate at the Nobel Peace Prize conference in Oslo and in 2014, its model and work was recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which, according to the American government, was "aimed at creating a more flexible and responsive system of workforce development to meet the needs of employers looking to fill 21st century jobs.” The Forum’s membership is made up of more than 160 designated Intelligent Communities worldwide. For more information, go to www.intelligentcommunity.org/icf_membership. For more details on the Intelligent Community Forum’s recent publications and programs, www.intelligentcommunity.org.

Intelligent Community Forum Contacts
Matthew Owen
Director of Operations, Intelligent Community Forum
Phone: 001-646-291-6166 x105
Email: [email protected] 

Louis Zacharilla
Co-Founder, Intelligent Community Forum
Phone: (M) 001-917-715-0711 (O) 001-212-249-0624
Email: [email protected]