Schacht to Usher in Next Chapter for IDESG

The Identity Ecosystem Steering Group (IDESG) announced today that Sarah Schacht will now serve as the organization’s Operations Manager.  In her new role, Schacht will work to increase the capacity of the IDESG, support the growth of its registry (https://www.idefregistry.org/), and usher in the next phase of the organization.

In early June, IDESG launched the Identify Ecosystem Framework (IDEF) Registry, an online listing service where organizations showcase their commitment to providing trusted digital identity services by reporting their self-attested status against the IDEF baseline requirements. Schacht will work to help position the registry in the marketplace—as well as develop partnerships with companies, government agencies, and civil society organizations in the privacy, security, and identity realms.

Schacht's background in open government, government technology, and data standards make her ideally suited to promote positive growth for the IDESG as it evolves. She specializes in building strategies to reduce bureaucratic challenges, developing partnership opportunities, and creating effective outreach strategies. Having worked with and advised governments, philanthropy, and technology firms—and having led an open government technology nonprofit—Schacht is skilled at prototyping products and programs.

“We are excited to have Sarah onboard and look forward to leveraging her social media, community engagement, open data and government expertise to advance the IDESG,” said Sal D’Agostino, IDESG President.

Michael Garcia, NIST’s director for implementing the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace and IDESG member, said, “We’re very excited to have Sarah join the IDESG as Operations Manager. Following the successful release of the Identity Ecosystem Framework and its accompanying self-attestation program and registry, this move strengthens the IDESG's operations as it solidifies its permanent role in the market for digital identity solutions.”

“The need for a more secure online digital identity has never been more pressing,” said Schacht. “In a 2015 TRUSTe survey of U.S. Internet users, 92% of those surveyed were worried about their privacy online, with 45% being more concerned about their privacy than a year ago.  I believe the IDEF Registry can help increase confidence in doing business online and I am very excited to be a part of IDESG and doing my part to create a more trusted digital environment.”