The NAI Staff
Leigh Freund
President & CEO
As President & CEO of NAI, Leigh Freund leads the organization’s growth and helps set the agenda and strategic priorities. Leigh joined NAI in 2015 after an eleven-year career at AOL Inc., where she served as vice president & chief counsel for global public policy.
David LeDuc
Vice President, Public Policy
David is the Vice President of Public Policy at the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI), the leading self-regulatory association for the third-party advertising industry. In this position, David works closely with member companies and represents the industry to promote a strong and responsible ad tech industry.
Anthony Matyjaszewski
Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer
As Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer Anthony Matyjaszewski leads the NAI team in conducting the NAI’s annual privacy consultations of member companies, and manages the team in reviews and onboarding of new members. Anthony also oversees the drafting of updates to the NAI Code of Conduct and Guidance Documents, along with the NAI Board of Directors, culminating most recently in the publication of the 2020 NAI Code of Conduct.
Tony Ficarrotta
Vice President and General Counsel
Tony is Vice President and General Counsel for the NAI, the leading self-regulatory association for the third-party advertising industry. In this position, Tony works closely with member companies to develop strategies and resources to help them continue to thrive as advertising technology and the regulatory landscape evolve.
Julie Karasik
Director, Technology & Product
As the Director, Technology & Product at the NAI, Julie is responsible for the NAI/DAA central opt out, and has worked on several of its major upgrades. She works with member companies to onboard them to the opt out tool and diagnose problems if they arise. She lead the development and launch of the NAI email based (AMA) opt out.
Ryan Smith
Counsel, Compliance and Policy
As Counsel, Compliance and Policy, Ryan works with the NAI team in conducting the NAI’s annual privacy consultations of member companies, and assists in the reviews and onboarding of new members.
Kate Cox-Nowak
Director, Operations & Strategy
Kate is the Director, Operations & Strategy at the NAI. She manages the NAI’s operations and works closely with NAI’s policy and legal teams, communicates with internal and external stakeholders, and conducts public policy research.
Nick Meyer
Counsel, Compliance and Policy
As Counsel, Compliance and Policy, Nick works with the NAI team in conducting the NAI’s annual privacy consultations of member companies, and assists in the reviews and onboarding of new members.
Jason Snyder
Counsel, Compliance and Policy
As Counsel, Compliance and Policy, Jason works with the NAI team in conducting the NAI’s annual privacy consultations of member companies, and assists in the reviews and onboarding of new members.
Leigh Freund
As President & CEO of NAI, Leigh Freund leads the organization’s growth and helps set the agenda and strategic priorities. Leigh joined NAI in 2015 after an eleven-year career at AOL Inc., where she served as vice president & chief counsel for global public policy.
Leigh brings more than a decade of substantive expertise in privacy, advertising, and public policy in the digital sector to her work at NAI. She has first-hand knowledge of the tremendous contributions third parties have made in the digital advertising space and she is a passionate believer in strong self-regulation.
During her time at AOL, Leigh led the company’s public policy efforts and was a leading voice on global digital and technology policy. Prior to that role, Leigh headed up the AOL advertising legal team and worked with AOL’s privacy team to promote and develop responsible use and collection of data, and ensure compliance with the industry’s self-regulatory programs.
Before joining AOL in 2004, Leigh worked at K&L Gates and on Capitol Hill with Rep. Fred Upton from her home state of Michigan.
Leigh holds an undergraduate degree in political science from Kalamazoo College and a J.D. from Georgetown University. She is an active participant in several industry organizations devoted to compliance with key regulatory initiatives and principles, including the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA).
David LeDuc
David is the Vice President of Public Policy at the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI), the leading self-regulatory association for the third-party advertising industry. In this position, David works closely with member companies and represents the industry to promote a strong and responsible ad tech industry. David is a veteran of IT and public affairs, with extensive experience representing technology companies before the United States Congress, federal regulatory agencies, and state legislatures. Prior to joining NAI, David was the Senior Director for Public Policy at the Software & Information Industry Association, where he led the Association’s technology policy efforts for more than 15 years across a wide range of IT issues such as data privacy and security, cybersecurity, digital platform responsibility, and open data standards. David is a graduate of West Virginia University with a degree in political science.
Anthony Matyjaszewski
As Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer Anthony Matyjaszewski leads the NAI team in conducting the NAI’s annual privacy consultations of member companies, and manages the team in reviews and onboarding of new members. Anthony also oversees the drafting of updates to the NAI Code of Conduct and Guidance Documents, along with the NAI Board of Directors, culminating most recently in the publication of the 2020 NAI Code of Conduct. Prior to joining the NAI, Anthony researched and wrote about the issues at the intersection of law and technology. He has clerked at both the NAI and the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). Before pursuing his legal career, Anthony managed customer relations at an international travel company, where he played a key role in the transition from an offline to an online business model, focusing on data protection, web and email integration, and the implementation of an intuitive and customer friendly user interface.
He received his B.A. cum laude in Psychology from the University of Maine at Farmington, where he was a member of the Psi Chi Honor Society. Anthony earned his J.D. cum laude from the University of Maine School of Law. Anthony is a Certified Information Privacy Professional and is fluent in English, French, and Polish.
Tony Ficarrotta
Tony is an experienced privacy lawyer specializing in issues affecting digital advertising and media. Most recently, he served as Assistant General Counsel at the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), where he played a pivotal role in coordinating with stakeholders across the digital advertising industry to develop state law compliance frameworks and strategies. Before his tenure at the IAB, Tony served as an attorney at ZwillGen, a privacy and technology specialist firm, where his practice focused on guiding ad-tech platforms, social media companies, and digital publishers on data strategy and privacy compliance. Tony began his legal career advising financial services companies on privacy and other compliance matters at the international law firm Eversheds Sutherland US LLP. In addition, Tony previously served on the staff of the Network Advertising Initiative as counsel for compliance & policy, where he helped drive member initiatives for responding to new requirements under the CCPA, and worked on updates to the NAI’s privacy-focused Code of Conduct and related industry guidance. Tony holds a B.A. from the University of Colorado, Boulder, an M.A. from Georgetown University, and a J.D. from Duke University School of Law, where he graduated cum laude.
Julie Karasik
As the Director, Technology & Product at the NAI, Julie is responsible for the NAI/DAA central opt out, and has worked on several of its major upgrades. She works with member companies to onboard them to the opt out tool and diagnose problems if they arise. She lead the development and launch of the NAI email based (AMA) opt out. She also participates in several industry efforts collaborating on a post-cookie future in online advertising. Her background includes coding, managing servers, databases, and directing web design and development. Julie received a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University, where she was pre-med before deciding to pursue her interest in technology. She grew up in NYC, and is based in San Francisco.
Ryan Smith
As Counsel, Compliance and Policy, Nick works with the NAI team in conducting the NAI’s annual privacy consultations of member companies, and assists in the reviews and onboarding of new members.
Ryan received his J.D. from the George Washington University Law School and has been admitted to practice in the District of Columbia. While in law school, Ryan interned with the NAI and clerked with the United States Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, where his work focused on data privacy law and policy. Ryan additionally served as a student attorney with the Health Rights Law Clinic. Prior to law school, Ryan worked for the Michigan House of Representatives and the litigation department of a multinational law firm.
Kate Cox-Nowak
As Director, Operations & Strategy, Kate manages NAI’s day to day operations, prepares short, medium and long term strategies to meet the organizations goals. Prior to joining the NAI, Kate worked at multinational corporations and SMEs in Germany and Singapore consulting clients and executives across various industries, including finance, engineering, and manufacturing. With a passion for continuous learning and a keen understanding of the broader business and industry landscape, Kate consistently demonstrates her commitment to gaining comprehensive insights. Kate holds a B.A. in Business Management from the University of Sunderland (UK), a M.Sc. in Management Consulting from FOM University of Applied Economics and Management Sciences (Germany), and is a certified Privacy Professional (CIPP/US).
Nick Meyer
As Counsel, Compliance and Policy, Nick works with the NAI team in conducting the NAI’s annual privacy consultations of member companies, and assists in the reviews and onboarding of new members.
Nick received his J.D. from the American University Law School and most recently worked as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Judge Laura A. Cordero at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. While in law school, Nick interned with the Federal Communications Commission and served as a student attorney with the Glushko-Samuelson Intellectual Property Law Clinic. Prior to law school, Nick spent over five years working in the AdTech industry.
Jason Snyder
As Counsel, Compliance and Policy, Jason works with the NAI team in conducting the NAI’s annual privacy consultations of member companies, and assists in the reviews and onboarding of new members.
Jason received his J.D. from Northeastern University. While in law school, Jason interned at Ascend Learning and the Future of Privacy Forum, where he gained experience in key privacy and compliance issues. At FPF, he worked on projects analyzing legislative developments, privacy risks in emerging technologies and Global Privacy Control mechanism. His work at Ascend Learning included research and audits on marketing practices such as session replay technology and children’s advertising, supporting the development of compliant and ethical privacy practices.