PHILADELPHIA, Pa. and SEATTLE, Wash. (Sept. 24, 2026) – The Quilt, a consortium of regional Research and Education (R&E) networks throughout the United States, today announced at their annual Fall Member Meeting in Philadelphia that Amy Philipson, Executive Director of the Pacific Northwest GigaPoP (PNWGP), is this year’s recipient of the Dave Reese Distinguished Service Award.
This esteemed award is named in honor of Dave Reese (1958-2019), a founding member of The Quilt who served in several leadership roles for the organization including chairman of the board and treasurer. He set the bar high with his extraordinary sense of community, and this award recognizes others who have shown the same level of leadership, support and service to The Quilt and the national R&E networking community.
“Amy is an exceptional leader whose career reflects a deep commitment to the mission, values and collaborative spirit of The Quilt community,” said Jen Leasure, president and CEO of The Quilt. “Like Dave Reese, Amy has built a legacy rooted in service, innovation and connection. Her ability to bring people together, share knowledge and create opportunities for collaboration has been invaluable, and her impact is felt widely across institutions, initiatives and individuals nationwide. She is highly deserving of this recognition.”
As executive director of PNWGP, Philipson has consistently advanced research and education networking at both regional and national levels. Her vision and leadership have been instrumental in expanding PNWGP into a critical hub providing high-performance network services that connect universities and research institutions across multiple states. Furthermore, she played a key role in developing the Western Regional Network (WRN), creating a vital resource that enables infrastructure to directly support education and scientific discovery.
Philipson’s career path provides her with a unique perspective on the needs of research and education networks, combining technical infrastructure insight with a strong background in business and financial management from her 20-year tenure as Associate Vice President and Executive Director at the University of Washington. Prior to joining PNWGP, she also served as CEO of the ResearchChannel, where she pioneered real-time, high-definition internet television transmissions and expanded the reach of academic and research content to broader audiences. Beyond organizational leadership, she is a generous mentor, trusted collaborator, and passionate advocate for broadening participation in information technology, notably supporting initiatives such as Workforce in Networking at SC (WINS).
Philipson received this recognition in Philadelphia this week during The Quilt 2026 Fall Member Meeting. She joins a respected list of IT innovators who have received this award over the last six years including: Pankaj Shah (2025), Ron Hutchins (2024), Wendy Huntoon (2023), Jim Stewart (2022), and Marla Meehl (2021).
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About The Quilt
The Quilt is the national coalition of non-profit U.S. regional research and education networks representing 43 networks across the country. Members of The Quilt provide advanced network services and applications to over 900 universities and thousands of other educational and community anchor institutions. Through the collaborative forum of The Quilt, member organizations have access to a broader set of expertise and knowledge than any single organization working on its own. Only through working together do we collectively advance our common public service mission. Visit www.thequilt.net and follow on LinkedIn and X @TweetTheQuilt.
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