Passing the Baton: A New Chapter for Ethernet Alliance Leadership

When Peter Jones became Chair of the Ethernet Alliance in late 2019, he described Ethernet’s story as one that was still being written and looked forward to whatever the “next chapter” might bring.

Several years later, another new chapter is beginning.

As the Ethernet Alliance celebrates its 20th anniversary, Peter is passing the leadership baton and becoming our Chair Emeritus. A familiar face, David J. Rodgers, is stepping up as our new Chair and President, while Dave Estes, who has been part of the Ethernet Alliance story for years, takes the reins of the Events & Conferences Committee.

We’re excited to see what comes next, but after nearly seven years with Peter at the helm, we’d be lying if we said the moment wasn’t a little bittersweet. Luckily, it’s a change of title and not a goodbye.

Quite a Ride

Given how fast it moves, seven years is a long time in Ethernet’s world.

During Peter’s tenure as Chair, the Ethernet Alliance found new ways to look both backward and forward. 2021 saw the launch of the Voices of Ethernet oral history archive, preserving the stories of the people who helped build a technology that has become so much a part of everyday life that it’s easy to forget there are people behind it. He took a very personal hand in the project, sitting down with many of Ethernet’s pioneers and helping them to unspool their stories in their own words.

But preserving Ethernet’s history was only part of the picture; there was plenty of work to be done in the here and now, too. Peter wasn’t long into his new role as Chair when the Ethernet Alliance launched its Gen 2 Power over Ethernet (PoE) Certification Program, building on the original program introduced in 2017 and helping users more easily identify PoE products designed to work together. The goal was simple: less guesswork and greater confidence that certified products from different manufacturers would “just work” together.

And then there was TEF.

Along Came AI

With one eye on Ethernet’s history and so much happening in the present, there was still the question of what might be coming down the road. The Ethernet Alliance’s Technology Exploration Forum returned in 2021 – aptly named TEF 2021: The Road Ahead – and has been gaining steam ever since.

Along the way, TEF has again become a place for the Ethernet community to come together and wrestle with some very big questions. And during Peter’s time as Chair, few questions have gotten bigger, faster than AI. What began as Ethernet in the Age of AI in 2024 became Ethernet for AI just a year later. Now, The AI Future: Ethernet is taking the discussion even further.

Peter has had quite the vantage point to watch it all unfold. He’s helped make sure TEF continues to do what it does best: spark conversations, challenge assumptions, and give the Ethernet ecosystem room to explore what might come next.

The Next Round

There are no strangers at this round table. David J. Rodgers and Dave Estes have both been part of the Ethernet Alliance story for years. What is new are the roles they’ll play in the chapters yet to be written.

David J. Rodgers has been part of the conversation around this table for years, sharing his perspective on everything from test and measurement to interoperability and Ethernet itself. As Chair and President, he’ll simply have a different role to play.

Anyone who’s spent much time around Dave Estes knows that he brings plenty of knowledge (and his trademark smile!) to the table. He has a knack for connecting with people and kickstarting conversations, a combination that will serve him well as Chair of the Events & Conferences Committee.

As for Peter, he isn’t going far.

As Chair Emeritus, he’ll still be very much a part of the Ethernet Alliance. And we wouldn’t have it any other way. There are more stories to tell, more things to discover, and a whole lot of Ethernet history still waiting to be made.

Thank You, Peter

Leadership can be measured in years and titles…but those aren’t really the things that stay with us, are they?

What stays are the conversations, the ideas, the laughter (something Peter has always brought in abundance), the time freely given, and the countless moments when someone simply showed up and made a difference. For nearly seven years, he’s given the Ethernet Alliance all of that and more.

He has helped us celebrate where Ethernet has been, think hard about where it’s going, and never lose sight of the people behind the technology. And throughout those years, he has given us his time, his curiosity, his enthusiasm, his humor, and a generous measure of himself.

So, from all of us at the Ethernet Alliance, we have just one thing left to say:

Thank you, Peter, for seeing and believing in what the Ethernet Alliance can be. Thank you for the energy and heart you’ve brought to it, for the people you’ve encouraged along the way, and for the indelible mark your leadership has left on this organization.

Twenty years into the Ethernet Alliance story, there’s still so much ahead of us. We’re grateful for the seven years you spent leading the way. And even more grateful that, as Chair Emeritus, you’ll still be right here with us to see whatever comes next.