KAREN SOBEL LOJESKI, PHD, is a Professor at Stony Brook University in the Department of Technology and Society, author, and founder of Virtual Distance International (VDI), an advisory firm specializing in virtual teams, leadership, innovation and learning in the new millennium. Prior to launching VDI and joining Stony Brook, Karen spent eighteen years in corporate America. She held leadership positions at Chase Manhattan Bank N.A., Mercer Consulting Group, and Stratus Computer, Inc. She was Chief Operating Officer for Prolifics, a JYACC company, and Vice President of North America for Xansa. She is a popular speaker on Virtual Distance and other unintended consequences of technology in the wired workplace, school systems, families, and society as a whole.