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ICANN Extends Call for Expressions of Interest for 2020 Nominating Committee Chair and Chair-Elect through 5 July 2019

14 June 2019

Los Angeles – 14 June 2019 – The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) organization is seeking expressions of interest for leadership roles in the 2020 Nominating Committee (NomCom) - that of the 2020 NomCom Chair and Chair-Elect.

In September 2018, the ICANN Board appointed J. Damon Aschraft as the 2019 NomCom Chair and Cheryl Ann Miller as the 2019 NomCom Chair-Elect. (https://www.icann.org/resources/board-material/resolutions-2018-09-16-en#1.e.)  In the Spring of 2019, Ms. Miller stepped down from the position as Chair-Elect. Thereafter, in May 2019, the ICANN Board appointed Jay Sudowski as the NomCom Chair-Elect for the remainder of the 2018-2019 term. (https://www.icann.org/resources/board-material/resolutions-2019-05-03-en#1.h.)

Article 8, section 8.3(d) of the Bylaws states, "It is anticipated that upon the conclusion of the term of the Chair-Elect, the Chair-Elect will be appointed by the Board to the position of Chair." While it is anticipated that the 2019 NomCom Chair-Elect will become the 2020 NomCom Chair, in support of continuous improvement in its accountability and transparency, the NomCom will evaluate the performance of the current NomCom leadership, and the results of that evaluation will be available to the Board Governance Committee (BGC) before it makes a recommendation to the full Board on the 2020 NomCom leadership. These reviews will be conducted by an independent third party provider and will consist of interviewing other NomCom leadership, NomCom members, and designated NomCom staff. The BGC will utilize the outcomes of these reviews in their processes leading up to the Board's formal appointment of the 2020 NomCom Chair and Chair-Elect.

The NomCom Chair is responsible for organizing the NomCom in its activities to select certain ICANN Board members and individuals who will serve in key leadership positions within ICANN's supporting organizations (SOs) and advisory committees (ACs) in accordance with ICANN's Bylaws. The Chair is a non-voting member of the NomCom selected by ICANN's Board to serve until the conclusion of the next ICANN Annual Meeting.

The Chair-Elect, a position created as a result of an independent review of the NomCom, is not intended to fill an advisory role. Rather, the Chair-Elect will receive the benefit of training while serving alongside the Chair, gaining skills and knowledge to be applied for the Chair-Elect's anticipated succession into the role of the Chair.

Candidates for Chair-Elect should possess the same skills as candidates for the Chair.

Position Description

This position blends time management and negotiation skills with the practical aspects of conducting a worldwide search for individuals to fill various ICANN leadership positions. The NomCom Chair will be called on to schedule, organize and lead numerous in-person and telephonic meetings with a large committee of community members. The NomCom Chair is also responsible for managing the candidate identification and statement of interest process, with other committee members, and for managing the due diligence to be performed on nominated candidates, in cooperation with ICANN's General Counsel and any retained outside firm(s). Throughout all NomCom activities, the Chair is responsible for ensuring that all NomCom operating rules and procedures are followed, and that all required documentation and reports are prepared in a timely fashion and provided to the proper parties as necessary.

Skills and Experience

To properly serve as the NomCom Chair, the selected individual must have:

  1. adequate time available to undertake the role;
  2. excellent communication and negotiation skills to manage a committee of 20-21 members;
  3. a clear understanding of the duties and responsibilities of each position for which the NomCom is selecting candidates;
  4. experience on or with a Board of Directors of organizations with similar scale, scope and diversity as ICANN;
  5. strong organization and leadership skills;
  6. ability to remain unbiased;
  7. no conflicts of interest, and
  8. a thorough understanding of, and satisfy, all criteria set forth in ICANN Bylaws relating to the NomCom (see http://www.icann.org/general/bylaws.htm#article8).

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

  1. Plans and schedules NomCom meetings as required, including ensuring posting schedules for public review.
  2. Appoints non-voting Associate Chair if so desired.
  3. Reports to ICANN Board and the community on status of the NomCom.
  4. Prepares and publishes the NomCom report.
  5. Ensures that NomCom operating rules and procedures are followed.
  6. Manages NomCom Selection Process, including:
    1. Approves outreach/advertising methods for attracting candidates.
    2. Conducts outreach with ICANN Stakeholder groups, Constituencies, Advisory Committees and Supporting Organizations (with Chairs of those groups), ICANN Board, and others.
    3. With other committee members, reviews and evaluates candidate Statements of Interest (SOIs) and references submitted during the NomCom process.
    4. Coordinates due diligence on nominated candidates in cooperation with ICANN's General Counsel's office and any outside firm(s) retained to perform due diligence activities.
  7. Approves posting of NomCom announcements and schedules on ICANN org's website.
  8. Ensures NomCom records are properly established, maintained and archived.

Eligibility Exclusion

No person who is an employee of or is a paid consultant to ICANN org (including the Ombudsman) shall simultaneously serve as a member of the NomCom, including the post of Chair or Chair-Elect.

Expenses

All reasonable travel expenses and administrative costs incurred as a result of performing the duties as NomCom Chair or Chair-Elect in accordance with ICANN org's policies will be reimbursed by ICANN org upon the Chair or Chair-Elect's submission to ICANN org of valid receipts and invoices.

Expressions of Interest

Expressions of Interest, which will be maintained as confidential, should be sent to NomComChair2020@icann.org no later than 5 July 2019. A suggested form for submitting an Expression of Interest is available here.

For more information about the NomCom see http://nomcom.icann.org/.

About ICANN

ICANN's mission is to help ensure a stable, secure and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet, you need to type an address – a name or a number – into your computer or other device. That address must be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with a community of participants from all over the world.