Subject: Nominations for ISOC Board of Trustee seats

From: John Klensin <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 12 Mar 2002 15:56:16 -0500

IETF,

As many of you know, ISOC, which provides organizational and
financial support for the IETF (see
http://www.isoc.org/isoc/related/), modified its
organizational structure in December.  One major change has a
direct impact on the IETF community: the voting structure for
Trustees is significantly changed.  As a result, the IETF is
expected to appoint three trustees (two immediately, one next
year), for three year terms.  For those interested in the
details, the new structure is described at
http://www.isoc.org/isoc/membership/newmembers.shtml.

Many of the same issues apply here that applied to the
nominations we make to the ICANN Protocol Council for
consideration as ICANN Board members.  If one looks at the
problem in one way, positions of this type are analogous to
representatives or liaisons from the IETF to other
organizations and hence fall within the IAB's responsibilities
as specified in BCP 39.  From a different perspective, they
are part of the IETF leadership and should be handled by the
Nomcom in parallel with IAB and IESG membership.

For this year, time is relatively short (we need to name our
Trustees before May).  In a discussion with the Nomcom Chair,
we concluded that, were the Nomcom to do it, they should not
be asked to start until after the current IAB and IESG
selection process had concluded.  The IAB separately concluded
that this announcement should not be sent out before the
Nomcom process concluded, in order to avoid confusing that
process.  ISOC has only very recently completed what should be
the final draft of its procedures and specifications for the
Trustees and selection process, so, while we have a reasonable
understanding of what is needed, we still lack an exact job
description (and the role may evolve as the new Trustee
arrangements are put into place).

For this transitional year, and reflecting the "external
representation" model of BCP 39, unless the community strongly
disagrees, the IAB will make the appointments, but will ask
the Nomcom, using its usual conditions of anonymity, to assist
us in identifying and selecting candidates.  Given the short
time before the new IAB is seated, and the short time between
the Minneapolis IETF and the date at which the appointments
must be made to ISOC, the present IAB is issuing a call for
nominations and volunteers (see below).  The actual
appointments will be made by the incoming IAB.

Once those Board members are seated and have accumulated some
experience, we recommend a discussion, including the two
appointees, the IAB, and the community via the post-Poisson
process, as to how these positions should be filled in the
longer term.

As a safeguard against problems and further transitions, the
IAB will ask candidates to agree to serve at the IAB's
pleasure, i.e., to resign if asked to do so.  This provision
is intended to permit a recall procedure should one be needed
and to permit a rapid transition to the longer-term mechanism
should the community conclude that is desirable.

Call for nominations (self-nominations are permitted):

        Nominations for these ISOC Board of Trustees seats
        should be sent to [email-masked] and should include the
        name and contact information for the candidate and brief
        statements about candidate background and why the
        candidate would be suitable for this position.

 John Klensin
 For the IAB