Sidney Drell is a respected member of the technology community.

Question: Who should be America's chief technology officer?

Nancy Pelosi: I think there are many people, and I hesitate to name some at the exclusion of others. But that would be very good news, that the President would recognize that we need a chief technology officer.

Many who could fill bill, the first name I think that would not offend anyone, because he's so great and everyone knows it, would be Sid Drell, who was the former director of the Linear Accelerator [Center] at Stanford, and now his daughter is [Persis Drell]. He is a respected person in the technology field.

I'd be interested in who Sid Drell thought would be good.

But it would be a giant step forward for our country, because the investments that we must make in technology hold the answers for our issues that relate to healthcare, innovation, global warming, rebuilding infrastructure of America, everything depends on investments in science and technology.

Recorded on: June 24, 2008