Internet2 announced recently that Upper Arlington, Ohio, resident Paul Schopis, director of networking for the Ohio Academic Resources Network (OARnet), has been reappointed by its board of trustees to serve a three-year term on the national networking consortium’s Architecture & Operations Advisory Council.

“Having an opportunity to influence the direction of the national infrastructure, as well being exposed to the views of other thought leadership, will help Ohio maintain its leadership position in networking in the nation and the world,” said Schopis.

Schopis also chairs the Internet2 Network Technical Advisory Committee, which provides ideas, feedback and counsel to the Internet2 community on technical matters relating to the design, planning, implementation and operation of the Internet2 Network. Additionally, Schopis was selected in 2007 to serve on the executive committee of The Quilt, a national coalition of advanced regional network organizations, and was elected chair of the board of directors in 2008.

Representing leaders from academia, research, and industry, Internet2’s board and advisory councils provide strategic guidance, direct the setting of priorities, and ensure that Internet2 continues to meet the needs of the research and education community.

“We are very grateful to all the candidates for their willingness to stand for election and their demonstrated commitment to the Internet2 community,” said David Lassner, chair of the Internet2 Governance & Nominations Committee and vice president for information technology and CIO at the University of Hawaii. “Internet2 member participation is an essential part of making our governance structure function well and reflect the needs and priorities of the communities we serve.”

At OARnet, located on the west campus of The Ohio State University, Schopis is responsible for the operation and ongoing strategic development of the nation’s leading statewide, high-speed network dedicated to education, research and economic competitiveness.

Schopis previously served as senior engineer for Ohio’s Internet2 Technology Evaluation Center (ITEC-Ohio), a consortium of Ohio universities, government agencies, and corporate partners whose purpose is to examine critical new applications, infrastructure problems and emerging technologies. Schopis was a founding member of the Advanced Testing and Monitoring Team, developed in partnership with several networking and supercomputing organizations to conduct independent network testing for a variety of institutions and technology vendors.

Schopis holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and physical science from The Ohio State University.