Long Bio
 Jayne Lytel was born and raised in the steel town of Lorain, Ohio, and attended the University of Florida where she majored in political science. She began her journalism career in college and rose to become a nationally syndicated columnist for United Media Inc.
In between, she founded NetWeek Inc. and published several Internet-related publications. Lytel is best known for the creation of The Internet Letter in 1993, a newsletter that covered the rise of the Internet as a commercial medium. Its popularity led her to embark on other Internet-related publishing ventures. She formed a joint venture with the National Journal to publish a directory of federal government websites and wrote an Internet software guide for beginners.
As editor-in-chief of The Internet Letter, Lytel was widely quoted in numerous national publications, including The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today and Fortune. She appeared on the Bloomberg Forum and the TV show Extra. The Internet Companion by Tracy LaQuey documents her story as a “Legend of the Internet.” Indeed, her legacy can be found on servers around the world. [Search Jayne Levin or The Internet Letter.] Her article, “Getting Caught Up in the Internet,” was the first article about business use of the Internet to appear in a major national daily (See The Washington Post’s special business-technology section, May 17, 1993). The article’s theme was quickly picked up by many other reporters around the world.
Lytel also was selected by the Fulbright Commission in Nicosia, Cyprus, through the U.S. Information Agency, to help Cypriot business executives use the Internet to increase online trade.
Her speaking engagements include Comdex, Internet World, the U.S. Library of Congress and U.S. Consulates in Japan. Lytel also judged the first National Information Infrastructure awards in 1995 and distance education proposals for a U.S. Commerce Department grant program.
After her youngest son was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in 2001, Lytel set aside her career as a journalist and writer to recover him. Today, her son is no longer considered on the autism spectrum and thrives as a happy, if temperamental, child.
In 2007, Lytel founded the nonprofit The Early Intervention Network: Enabling Families to Act Early Against Autism. The network is dedicated to expediting treatment for children who are newly diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder by providing their families with bridge services until treatment under publicly funded programs becomes available.
She also served on the Executive Committee of the Autism Society of America’s Northern Virginia chapter and was director of marketing for ZERO TO THREE, a national nonprofit focused on early childhood development. She is a former member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, and despite her lack of qualification in either category, Lytel is listed in Seth Godin's E-mail Addresses of the Rich and Famous.
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