Elections: Overview of the Board of Directors

GNOME Foundation Overview

The GNOME Foundation will work to further the goal of the GNOME project: to create a computing platform for use by the general public that is completely free software.

To achieve this goal, the Foundation will coordinate releases of GNOME and determine which projects are part of GNOME. The Foundation will act as an official voice for the GNOME project, providing a means of communication with the press and with commercial and noncommercial organizations interested in GNOME software. The foundation may produce educational materials and documentation to help the public learn about GNOME software. In addition, it may sponsor GNOME-related technical conferences, represent GNOME at relevant conferences sponsored by others, help create technical standards for the project and promote the use and development of GNOME software.

For more information, see the GNOME Foundation Web Site.

Who makes the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is elected annually by the Foundation membership. Any member of the Foundation can be a candidate for the elections.

Before deciding to run for the elections, we encourage you to contact a current or past director to help you take an informed decision.

The following resources list current and past directors:

• current Board of Directors.
• history of the Board of Directors.

Becoming a Candidate for the Board of Directors

If you would like to become a candidate for the Board of Directors, please:

1. Read this document.
2. Read the GNOME Foundation charter.
3. Read the GNOME Foundation by-laws.
4. Make sure you will have adequate time and interest in performing the tasks described below.
5. Announce your candidacy by sending an email to foundation-announce@gnome.org AND to foundation-list@gnome.org with a description of how you have contributed to GNOME and why you want to be on the Board of Directors.

Partial List of Tasks of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors must perform a broad set of both technical and non-technical tasks including:

1. Help set overall direction for GNOME.

2. Identify and resolve problems in GNOME. Identify weak points and opportunities for improvement and work toward improving GNOME in these areas.

3. Identify areas in which GNOME needs organizational improvement and appoint committees or individuals to work on these areas. Work with and help these teams to ensure the projects move forward succesfully. Some common examples are the release team, GUADEC organizing committee, membership and elections committee, and the fundraising committee.

4. Identify areas where GNOME needs improvements in policy, draft new policies, and go through revision and concensus-building of the policies with the GNOME community and Board. Some common examples include the GNOME Foundation charter, the membership policy, the GNOME accounts policy, and the software license policy.

5. Determine where and when GNOME conferences should be held and appoint individuals to coordinate the conferences.

6. Make announcements and press releases on behalf of GNOME.

7. Address any legal issues which come up (trademarks branding, licensing, copyright assignment, etc.).

8. Develop the GNOME Foundation.

9. Administer GNOME Foundation funds.

10. Hire, oversee, and work with any GNOME Foundation staff.

11. Maintain a web page and mailing lists. Post public parts of Board meeting minutes to foundation-list. Discuss them on the mailing list as necessary to guarantee all non-confidential Board activities are public and clear.

12. Arbitrate technical disputes between maintainers.

13. Act as a liaison with other open source projects.

14. Work with GNOME Foundation Advisory Board. Act as a liason with advisory board members, updating them to the state of GNOME, helping them to integrate into the GNOME community, and helping to bring their suggestions before the Board.

15. Work with companies who would like to learn more about GNOME and define how they can help and work with GNOME.

Diversity of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors should reflect the diversity of the GNOME project, including leaders of the core GNOME technologies, volunteer contributors as well as representatives of companies which are making major contributions to GNOME, individuals from various geographic regions, and representatives of other aspects of GNOME. The Board is tasked with addressing a diverse set of problems and challenges and will function best if the Board members are equally diverse in their skill set and expertise.

Qualities of a Good Director

A good director will have the following characteristics:

• Be a good leader.
• Be willing and able to dedicate a significant amount of time to GNOME Foundation work.
• Be an active GNOME contributor who tracks the day-to-day happenings of GNOME.

Director Requirements

All directors must be willing to:

• Respect confidentiality of private discussions with corporations who are interested in working with the GNOME Foundation.
• Contribute a significant amount of time to working on various GNOME Foundation projects and tasks.
• Participate in biweekly meetings which are held over a telephone conference call.
• Attend an annual in-person meeting of the Board of Directors (travel expenses would be covered by the Foundation).
• Act on behalf of all GNOME contributors in the best interest of GNOME, and not solely represent the interests of a specific company or constituency.