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Nominating Committee | Invitation for Statements of Interest and Suggestions for Candidates 2011

8 July 2011

For ICANN At Large Advisory Committee, ALAC – North America Interim Vacancy Only

This document is a comprehensive description of all of the information needed for the process of volunteering to serve in the governing bodies of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in forthcoming terms. It contains information for potential candidates, for people wishing to suggest candidates, and for the submission of statements of interest. It also provides links to other information on the ICANN website regarding the Nominating Committee (NomCom) process.

The call for candidates is now posted. Statements of Interest should be received before 25 July 2011 (23:59 UTC), and the selection of final selectee will be announced as soon as possible thereafter. Statements of Interest can be submitted using a web-based form at: http://nomcom.icann.org/apply/ and sent to nomcom2011@icann.org.

If you would like to volunteer and be considered as a candidate, click here, to read more about the process and to apply.

Send all comments/questions to: nomcom2011@icann.org.

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

NomCom encourages redistribution of this Invitation for Statements of Interest and Suggestions for Candidates provided it is transmitted in its entirety, without any changes.

NomCom encourages translation of this Invitation and grants permission to distribute a translation provided that (1) any distributed translation includes the full text of the Invitation in English in its entirety, without any changes, and (2) a copy of the translation with the identity and contact information for the translator is sent to NomCom at nomcom2011@icann.org.

Contents

  1. ICANN, the organization
  2. Important Opportunities to Contribute to this Global public private partnership
  3. Characteristics and High Qualifications Sought via the NomCom Process
  4. Criteria, Core Values and Timing for Positions to be Filled by NomCom
  5. Position Roles, Eligibility Factors, and Time Commitments
  6. Choosing to be a Candidate
  7. NomCom Process and Background
  8. Statement of Interest ICANN Nominating Committee 2011
  1. ICANN, the organization

  2. To reach another person on the Internet you have to type an address into your computer – a name or a number. That address has to be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN coordinates these unique identifiers across the world. Without that coordination we wouldn't have one global Internet. ICANN was formed in 1998. It is a not-for-profit corporation with participants from all over the world dedicated to keeping the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It promotes competition and develops policy on the Internet's unique identifiers.

    ICANN's mission is "to coordinate, at the overall level, the global Internet's systems of unique identifiers, and in particular to ensure the stable and secure operation of the Internet's unique identifier systems. In particular, ICANN:

    1. Coordinates the allocation and assignment of the three sets of unique identifiers for the Internet, which are:
      1. Domain names (forming a system referred to as "DNS");
      2. Internet protocol ("IP") addresses and autonomous system ("AS") numbers; and
      3. Protocol port and parameter numbers.
    2. Coordinates the operation and evolution of the DNS root name server system
    3. Coordinates policy development reasonably and appropriately related to these technical functions." http://www.icann.org/en/general/bylaws.htm#I

    ICANN is dedicated to preserving the operational stability of the Internet; to promoting competition; to achieving broad representation of global Internet communities; and to developing policy appropriate to its mission through bottom-up consensus-based processes.

    ICANN accomplishes its work through various entities: the Board of Directors; the three Supporting Organizations – Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO), country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) and Address Supporting Organization (ASO); and three Advisory Committees – At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC), Root Server System Advisory Committee (RSSAC) and Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC).

  3. Important Opportunities to Contribute

  4. The ICANN NomCom invites the participation of the Internet community in its ongoing process for selection of well qualified, accomplished individuals to serve in four sets of leadership positions within ICANN. The following seats are to be filled in the 2011 NomCom process:

  • Board of Directors (two seats)
  • At-Large Advisory Committee (three seats, Africa; Asia/Australia/Pacific; and Latin America/Caribbean regions)
  • Generic Names Supporting Organization Council (two seats)
  • Country Code Names Support Organization Council (one seat)

Those selected by NomCom will work with accomplished colleagues from around the globe to address Internet's technical coordination problems and related policy development challenges within diverse functional, cultural, and geographic dimensions.

They will make an important public service contribution and gain useful experience and perspective. Placing the broad public interest ahead of any particular interests, they will help ensure the stability and security of the Internet.

ICANN holds International Public meetings three times a year in locations around the world. These meetings constitute an essential part of ICANN's global consensus-development and outreach efforts; all NomCom selectees are expected to travel and participate in ICANN meetings. However, these meetings are only part of the responsibilities of the selectees. Much of the work of the ICANN Board, GNSO Council, ALAC, and ccNSO Council is done via e-mail and teleconference meetings of the respective groups.

Those who hold these positions serve without compensation but can receive travel expense reimbursement where authorized and where resources have been allocated within the ICANN budget.

The whole Internet community benefits from the voluntary commitment and efforts of the many individuals who serve in the organization. ICANN respects and appreciates this generous contribution of time, energy and effort. The NomCom selectees will join the numerous other hard working volunteers who help to further ICANN's policy activities.

We invite Statements of Interest from persons wishing to be considered. The NomCom looks upon all Statements of Interest equally.

For full consideration Statements of Interest should be received no later than 25 July 2011 (23:59 UTC).

  • Qualifications Sought in the NomCom Process

  • NomCom seeks women and men who have demonstrated the maturity, experience, knowledge, and skills to handle the tasks and make the judgments involved in fulfilling these important leadership roles.

    NomCom seeks persons of the highest integrity and capability with experience and talents for problem solving, policy development, and decision-making involving diverse perspectives regarding how best to accomplish the mission and responsibilities of ICANN. Those selected in the NomCom process will also be expected to place the public interest of the global Internet ahead of any particular interests.

    In NomCom's selections, such qualifications are more significant than is deep involvement in technical aspects of the Internet. The NomCom selectees are expected to be knowledgeable, or committed to becoming knowledgeable, about the environment in which ICANN operates and the technical functions for which it is responsible, but strong technical knowledge of the Internet is not the determining factor in the NomCom selections.

    ICANN also has complementary selection processes, based in the Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees that are designed to ensure that the needed technical expertise and knowledge of constituencies is present in the ICANN leadership bodies. Together, NomCom and these complementary selection processes yield, in the aggregate, the full range of skills and experience needed for the organization.

    NomCom will apply the criteria and terms of eligibility defined in the ICANN Bylaws to develop a pool of qualified candidates (see Section D below). In selecting from this candidate pool, NomCom will also take into account additional considerations related to the specific roles to be filled and will support implementation of ICANN's Core Values, including its commitment to seek and support broad functional, geographic, and cultural diversity of the Internet at all levels of policy development and decision-making. NomCom recognizes that the term cultural diversity is multifaceted, including gender, ethnic, religious, and other forms of diversity.

    NomCom encourages wide participation in this process, and is grateful for the valuable input it will receive from those who nominate themselves or others for the positions available.

  • Criteria, Core Values, and Timing for Positions to be Filled by NomCom

  • Criteria

    The NomCom will use the Criteria for Selection of ICANN Directors contained in Article VI, section 3 of the ICANN Bylaws for the selection of all candidates the NomCom is tasked with selecting. These Criteria are:

    1. Accomplished persons of integrity, objectivity, and intelligence, with reputations for sound judgment and open minds, and a demonstrated capacity for thoughtful group decision-making;
    2. Persons with an understanding of ICANN's mission and the potential impact of ICANN decisions on the global Internet community, and committed to the success of ICANN;
    3. Persons who will produce the broadest cultural and geographic diversity on the Board consistent with meeting the other criteria set forth in this Section;
    4. Persons who, in the aggregate, have personal familiarity with the operation of gTLD registries and registrars; with ccTLD registries; with IP address registries; with Internet technical standards and protocols; with policy-development procedures, legal traditions, and the public interest; and with the broad range of business, individual, academic, and non-commercial users of the Internet;
    5. Persons who are willing to serve as volunteers, without compensation other than the reimbursement of certain expenses; and
    6. Persons who are able to work and communicate in written and spoken English.

    NomCom welcomes and encourages participation from all members of the global Internet community. Although Candidates should be able to both work and communicate well in English, there is no requirement that English be the candidate's first language.

    Core Values

    In making its selections, NomCom will look for persons who can help implement ICANN's Core Values, stated in its Bylaws:

    "In performing its mission, the following core values should guide the decisions and actions of ICANN:

    1. Preserving and enhancing the operational stability, reliability, security, and global interoperability of the Internet.
    2. Respecting the creativity, innovation, and flow of information made possible by the Internet by limiting ICANN's activities to those matters within ICANN's mission requiring or significantly benefiting from global coordination.
    3. To the extent feasible and appropriate, delegating coordination functions to or recognizing the policy role of other responsible entities that reflect the interests of affected parties.
    4. Seeking and supporting broad, informed participation reflecting the functional, geographic, and cultural diversity of the Internet at all levels of policy development and decision-making.
    5. Where feasible and appropriate, depending on market mechanisms to promote and sustain a competitive environment.
    6. Introducing and promoting competition in the registration of domain names where practicable and beneficial in the public interest.
    7. Employing open and transparent policy development mechanisms that (i) promote well-informed decisions based on expert advice, and (ii) ensure that those entities most affected can assist in the policy development process.
    8. Making decisions by applying documented policies neutrally and objectively, with integrity and fairness.
    9. Acting with a speed that is responsive to the needs of the Internet while, as part of the decision-making process, obtaining informed input from those entities most affected.
    10. Remaining accountable to the Internet community through mechanisms that enhance ICANN's effectiveness.
    11. While remaining rooted in the private sector, recognizing that governments and public authorities are responsible for public policy and duly taking into account governments' or public authorities' recommendations.

    These core values are deliberately expressed in very general terms, so that they may provide useful and relevant guidance in the broadest possible range of circumstances. Because they are not narrowly prescriptive, the specific way in which they apply, individually and collectively, to each new situation will necessarily depend on many factors that cannot be fully anticipated or enumerated; and because they are statements of principle rather than practice, situations will inevitably arise in which perfect fidelity to all eleven core values simultaneously is not possible. Any ICANN body making a recommendation or decision shall exercise its judgment to determine which core values are most relevant and how they apply to the specific circumstances of the case at hand, and to determine, if necessary, an appropriate and defensible balance among competing values."

    Timing

    By 26 June 2011, the NomCom expects to make its final selections for individuals to serve the terms that are associated with the following positions:

    • ICANN Board of Directors (two seats, three year terms)
    • Generic Names Supporting Organization Council Member (two seats, two year terms)
    • At-Large Advisory Committee Members (three seats, two year terms; Africa; Asia/Australia/Pacific; and Latin America/Caribbean)
    • Country Code Names Supporting Organization Council Member (one seat, three year term)

    As provided in the ICANN Bylaws, the starting date for terms for these positions is following the end of the 2011 Annual General Meeting, which is scheduled for 22 October 2011 in the Africa region. The ending date is the conclusion of a specific later ICANN Annual Meeting, depending on the length of term applicable.

  • Position Roles, Eligibility Factors, and Time Commitments

  • Position: Board of Directors (http://www.icann.org/en/general/board.html)

    Number of Seats: Two (2)

    Start of Term: After conclusion of Annual Meeting 2011

    End of Term: Conclusion of Annual Meeting 2014

    The Board of Directors supports ICANN's mission and core values through, among other things, oversight and establishment of strategic policies, unless the Bylaws or Articles of Incorporation state otherwise. Directors shall serve as individuals who have the duty to act in what they reasonably believe are the best interests of the organization.

    The Nominating Committee will use the Selection Criteria for Directors, set forth in the Bylaws, for these positions.

    Pursuant to the current Bylaws, ICANN Directors, except for the Chair of the Board, are not entitled to receive compensation for their services as Directors. The Board may, however, authorize the reimbursement of actual and necessary reasonable expenses incurred by Directors performing their duties as Directors. [Bylaws Article VI, Section 22, see http://www.icann.org/en/general/bylaws.htm#VI-22]

    Board Eligibility Factors

    1. No person who serves on the Nominating Committee in any capacity is eligible for selection by any means to any position on the Board or any other ICANN body having one or more membership positions that the Nominating Committee is responsible for filling, until the conclusion of an ICANN annual meeting that coincides with, or is after, the conclusion of that person's service on the Nominating Committee. [Bylaws, Article VII, Section 8, see http://www.icann.org/en/general/bylaws.htm#VII-8]
    2. Nominating Committee shall seek to ensure that the ICANN Board is composed of members who in the aggregate display diversity in geography, culture, skills, experience, and perspective, by applying the criteria set forth above in this document. [Bylaws, Article VI, Section 2(2), see http://www.icann.org/en/general/bylaws.htm#VI-2.2]
    3. At no time shall the Nominating Committee select a Director to fill any vacancy or expired term whose selection would cause the total number of Directors (not including the President) who are citizens of countries in any one Geographic Region to exceed five; and the Nominating Committee shall ensure through its selections that at all times the Board includes at least one Director who is a citizen of a country in each ICANN Geographic Region. [Bylaws, Article VI, Section 2(2), see http://www.icann.org/en/general/bylaws.htm#VI-2.2]
    4. No official of a national government or a multinational entity established by treaty or other agreement between national governments may serve as a Director. [Bylaws, Article VI, Section 4(1), see http://www.icann.org/en/general/bylaws.htm#VI-4.1]
    5. No person who serves in any capacity (including as a liaison) on any Supporting Organization Council shall simultaneously serve as a Director or liaison to the Board. [Bylaws, Article VI, Section 4(2), see http://www.icann.org/en/general/bylaws.htm#VI-4.2]
    6. Term limits: No ICANN Directors selected by the NomCom whose terms expire at the ICANN Annual General Meeting of 2010 shall have exceeded the three term limit as defined in the Bylaws.

    The current composition of the Board of Directors is available here http://www.icann.org/en/general/board.html

    Time Commitment and Working Practice

    The basic responsibilities of an ICANN Director require a minimum commitment of time which when averaged out over the year could reach up to 20 hours each week. This includes participation in three ICANN International Public meetings/year, two Board retreats/year and work on Board Committees. The time spent in these basic responsibilities is typically clustered around Board meetings and monthly teleconferences, but there is a constant flow of information requiring attention on a near daily basis.

    Directors are generally expected to attend three ICANN International Public meetings each year, two Board retreats per year and work on Board Committees. Depending on the location and including travel time and preparation, an International Public meeting could be a commitment of up to ten (10) days per meeting and retreats could range from three to five days per meeting. In addition, the Board occasionally holds shorter face-to-face meetings such as retreats.

    Directors spend additional time in connection with their work on Board Committees, a commitment that varies in relation to the number of Committees on which they serve; the scope of the Committee's responsibilities, and their role as Chair or Member of the Committee.

    Position: GNSO Council

    Number of Seats: Two (2)

    Start of Term: After conclusion of Annual Meeting 2011

    End of Term: Conclusion of Annual Meeting 2013

    The Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) is a policy-development body responsible for developing and recommending to the ICANN Board substantive policies relating to generic top-level domains. The GNSO consists of four Stakeholder Groups that include various Constituencies representing defined groups of stakeholders and a GNSO Council, responsible for managing the policy development and administrative processes of the GNSO. The GNSO Stakeholder Groups and Constituencies choose the majority of the Council members; the NomCom chooses three Council members with staggered terms. The GNSO Council also includes one liaison each from the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) and the Country Code Supporting Organization (ccNSO)

    The GNSO council is divided into two houses for voting purposes only. The Contracted Party House is currently made up of two stakeholder groups: the gTLD Registrars SG and the gTLD Registries SG. The Non-Contracted Parties House is made up of two Stakeholder Groups: the Commercial SG and the Non-Commercial SG. One NomCom selectee is assigned as a voting member to each house and the third selectee to the Council as a whole as a non-voting member.

    GNSO Council Members receive no compensation for their services as GNSO Council Members. ICANN provides administrative and operational support necessary for the GNSO to carry out its responsibilities through the GNSO Secretariat. ICANN also provides staff support for policy development. As stated in the ICANN Bylaws, such support shall not necessarily include an obligation for ICANN to fund travel expenses incurred by GNSO participants for travel to any meeting of the GNSO or for any other purpose. However, ICANN has customarily furnished limited travel expenses for Stakeholder Groups and Constituencies to use at their discretion and for NomCom appointed Council members to attend ICANN meetings. This custom is planned to continue, but is subject to availability of funds and ongoing refinement of the ICANN travel policy.

    NomCom will use the Criteria for Selection of ICANN Directors (see above) in choosing selectees for the GNSO Council. GNSO Council members are expected to support the ICANN mission and the implementation of ICANN's Core Values.

    Role of the NomCom Selectee

    As mentioned above the majority of the GNSO Council members are appointed by the Stakeholder Groups and Constituencies and represent those constituencies in the Council. NomCom selectees, on the other hand, are not the representatives of any specific group, though they may choose to represent the interests of groups that are not currently represented in Council. Most importantly, NomCom selectees should be people chosen, often from outside the GNSO constituencies and sometime from outside ICANN, who bring a fresh perspective into the council and who accept the responsibility to do their best to support ICANN in its mission and core values. Selectees should be people who can help the GNSO council to perform its duties; sometimes this may involve filling gaps in the skill set, at other times it may involve achieving diversity or other demographic balance or may involve bringing a necessary perspective into the Council that is not already present. Generally, a selectee needs to fulfill several of these needs at the same time.

    The Nominating Committee will also take into account the following eligibility factors and additional considerations.

    GNSO Council Eligibility Factors

    No person who serves on the Nominating Committee in any capacity is eligible for selection by any means to any position on the Board or any other ICANN body having one or more membership positions that the Nominating Committee is responsible for filling, until the conclusion of an ICANN annual meeting that coincides with, or is after, the conclusion of that person's service on the Nominating Committee. [Bylaws, Article VII, Section 8, see http://www.icann.org/en/general/bylaws.htm#VII-8]

    No more than one officer, director, or employee of any particular corporation or other organization (including its subsidiaries and affiliates) shall serve on the GNSO Council at any given time. [Bylaws, Article X, Section 3(5), see http://www.icann.org/en/general/bylaws.htm#X-3.5]

    Additional Considerations

    For the GNSO Council position, specific experience related to the scope of the GNSO's work with the Domain Name System would be advantageous.

    The current composition of the GNSO Council is available here http://gnso.icann.org/council/members.shtml

    The Bylaws limit the number of consecutive terms GNSO Council members may serve to two.

    Time Commitment

    The basic responsibilities of a GNSO Council member involve a minimum of 20 hours per month on Council related activities, with those chairing or participating in committees or task forces spending up to 60 hours a month or more. Depending on work load, for example during the weeks before the 3 face-to-face meetings, this can sometimes escalate to as much as 20 hours per week or more. The commitment for the 3 face-to-face meetings generally run about 7 days with Council members sometimes having extensive responsibilities on most days. For those involved in Task Forces or Working Groups, there may occasionally be additional face-to-face interim meetings.

    Council members are not compensated for either time or teleconference costs, though ICANN makes toll free numbers available whenever practical.

    Additional GNSO criteria:

    There are various criteria that should be considered when judging GNSO candidates. The first set of criteria is general and should be present in anyone appointed to the GNSO Council, while the second set of criteria reflects a diversity of skills that may be necessary. Depending on the composition of the current Council, these skill based criteria will vary from year to year.

    Baseline Criteria for anyone selected as a NomCom selectee:

    • Demonstrated experience working effectively in collaborative environments involving diverse interests.
    • Ability to lead, or otherwise assist, a multi-stakeholder group in reaching consensus
    • Basic knowledge of DNS systems and the industry structure (registries, registrars, registrants). The goal is not to find technical DNS experts, but a basic understanding of the DNS is needed to effectively function on the Council. For example selectees should understand something along the lines of "do you know what happens in the DNS when you send an email, or access a webpage". This requires an understanding of the general process of name resolution without requiring precise technical knowledge.

    Variable Criteria that are useful to the GNSO

    Part of the role of NomCom selectees is to fill gaps in the skill set of the Council. Some, but not all, of the skills that are highly useful in the process of GNSO Council work are listed below. The skills needed will vary year by year.

    • Knowledge of ;
      • International Law
      • Competition law
      • Anti-trust law
      • Public interest issues
      • Consumer rights
      • Human rights
      • Economics, especially market analysis
      • Market mechanisms and dynamics
      • Business principles
    • Intergovernmental expertise
    • Understanding of the special needs of financial services businesses
    • IDN expertise
    • DNS security expertise
    • Setting up of dispute and objection processes
    • Enforcement procedures and processes
    • Application software development - e.g multi-lingual support
    • Online collaborative work and consensus building technologies - wiki's etc
    • Statistics and survey analysis
    • Project management and document control processes

    Additionally consideration may be given to Candidates who can improve the geographical or gender balance on the Council as needed, as long as other necessary attributes and skills are also present.

    Position: ccNSO Council

    Number of Seats: One (1)

    Start of Term: After conclusion of Annual Meeting 2011

    End of Term: Conclusion of Annual Meeting 2014

    The Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) is a policy-development body which is responsible for developing and recommending to the Board global policies relating to country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs), nurturing consensus across the ccNSO's community, including the name-related activities of ccTLDs; and coordinating with other ICANN Supporting Organizations, committees and constituencies.

    In addition to the above core responsibilities, the ccNSO may also engage in other activities authorized by its members, including: seeking to develop voluntary best practices for ccTLD managers, assisting in skills building within the global community of ccTLD managers, and enhancing operational and technical cooperation among ccTLD managers. The ccNSO consists of ccTLD managers that have agreed in writing to be members of the ccNSO, and a ccNSO Council responsible for managing the policy-development process of the ccNSO. Some ccNSO Council members are chosen by the ccNSO members within each of ICANN's Geographic Regions; NomCom chooses three Council members with staggered terms.

    ccNSO Council members receive no compensation for their services as ccNSO Council members. Upon request of the ccNSO Council, ICANN shall provide administrative and operational support necessary for the ccNSO to carry out its responsibilities. As stated in the ICANN Bylaws, such support shall not include an obligation for ICANN to fund travel expenses incurred by ccNSO participants for travel to any meeting of the ccNSO or for any other purpose. However, ICANN has customarily furnished travel expenses for Nominating Committee appointed Council members to ICANN meetings. This custom is planned to continue, but is subject to the Bylaw statement. [Bylaws Article IX, Section 7, see http://www.icann.org/en/general/bylaws.htm#IX-7]

    NomCom will use the Criteria for Selection of ICANN Directors in choosing selectees for the ccNSO Council. CCNSO Council members are expected to support the ICANN mission and the implementation of the ICANN Core Values. Nominating Committee will also take into account the following eligibility factors and additional considerations.

    ccNSO Eligibility Factors

    1. No person who serves on the Nominating Committee in any capacity is eligible for selection by any means to any position on the Board or any other ICANN body having one or more membership positions that the Nominating Committee is responsible for filling, until the conclusion of an ICANN annual meeting that coincides with, or is after, the conclusion of that person's service on the Nominating Committee. [Bylaws, Article VII, Section 8, see http://www.icann.org/en/general/bylaws.htm#VII-8]

    Additional Considerations

    For the ccNSO Council positions, while no specific considerations are reflected in the Bylaws, basic knowledge of the DNS, experience or knowledge of ccTLDs and issues of importance to the global Internet, would be advantageous. Additionally, familiarity with the global environment in which ICANN operates and perspectives not otherwise reflected in the ccTLD community would be advantageous. Experience in international organizations and in developing new organizations is likewise valuable for these positions.

    Time Commitment

    An average ccNSO Council member would spend at least 12 hours per month on Council related activities, with those chairing committees or task forces spending at least 30 hours a month. (The commitment involves a minimum of 6 hours per month based on an average of 1.5 two-hour teleconferences (or physical meetings) per month plus about two hours of preparation for each meeting for reading task force reports and potentially discussing with the community. Participation in committees of the council and/or task forces could easily double that minimum time commitment.)

    NomCom had some discussion about what "basic knowledge of the DNS" meant, concluding that it was along the lines of "do you know what happens in the DNS when you send an email, or access a webpage". This is not a precise technical description, but rather an understanding of concepts of resolution.

    Position: ALAC

    Number of Seats: One (1)

    One (North America)

    Start of Term: Immediately

    End of Term: Remainder of the current term, ending at the ICANN Annual General Meeting in 2012.

    (for a definition of ICANN's geographic regions see http://www.icann.org/en/meetings/montreal/geo-regions-topic.htm)

    The role of the ALAC is to provide a mechanism for individual user participation in ICANN, through user organizations as At-Large Structures (ALS) and Regional At Large Organizations (RALOs). The ALAC also performs a role to consider and provide advice on the activities of ICANN, insofar as they relate to the interests of individual Internet users. Individual users may be consumers, non-for-profit or profit or business users but the key term is that they are 'individuals'.

    ALAC members, like members of other ICANN Advisory Committees, receive no compensation for their services as Committee members. The Board may, however, authorize the reimbursement of the actual and necessary expenses incurred by Advisory Committee members performing their duties as Advisory Committee members. [Bylaws Article XI, Section 6, see http://www.icann.org/en/general/bylaws.htm#XI-6]

    NomCom will use the Criteria for Selection of ICANN Directors (see above) in choosing selectees for ALAC. ALAC members are expected to support the ICANN mission and the implementation of the ICANN Core Values. NomCom will also take into account the following eligibility factors and additional considerations.

    ALAC Eligibility Factors

    1. No person who serves on the Nominating Committee in any capacity is eligible for selection by any means to any position on the Board or any other ICANN body having one or more membership positions that the Nominating Committee is responsible for filling, until the conclusion of an ICANN annual meeting that coincides with, or is after, the conclusion of that person's service on the Nominating Committee. [Bylaws, Article VII, Section 8, see http://www.icann.org/en/general/bylaws.htm#VII-8]
    2. The five members of the ALAC selected by the Nominating Committee shall include one citizen of a country within each of the five Geographic Regions (Europe; Asia/Australia/Pacific; Latin America/Caribbean; Africa; and North America) established according to Bylaws Article VI, Section 5, see http://www.icann.org/en/general/bylaws.htm#VI-5. Only Citizens of the Africa; Asia/Australia/Pacific; and Latin America/Caribbean regions as defined in ICANN's definition of geographic regions http://www.icann.org/en/meetings/montreal/geo-regions-topic.htm are eligible for ALAC vacancies in 2011.

    Additional Considerations

    For the ALAC positions, experience and skills that bear on gathering, understanding, and communicating the interests of individual users would be advantageous. Perspectives not otherwise reflected in the existing ALAC membership would be advantageous, as well as basic knowledge of the DNS. NomCom's selections for ALAC are intended to diversify the skill and experience sets of the ALAC, including in such areas as group decision-making.

    Current composition of the ALAC is available at http://www.icann.org/en/committees/alac/

    The Bylaws do not state a limit on the number of terms ALAC members may serve.

    Time Commitment

    The basic responsibilities of an ALAC member demand a time commitment of approximately 20-26 hours per month on Committee related activities. This includes participating in online (e-mail) discussions, commenting on/contributing to documents/proposed actions (drafted in English), participating in monthly ALAC telephone conferences (in English), held on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 1400UTC and meeting with/making presentations to, local and regional organizations. ALAC members serving as liaisons to other Supporting Organizations can expect to spend more than these basic hours per month.

    ICANN has traditionally reimbursed expenses incurred by ALAC members for attending ICANN meetings.

    The NomCom had some discussion about what "basic knowledge of the DNS" meant, concluding that it was along the lines of "do you know what happens in the DNS when you send an email, or access a webpage". This is not a precise technical description, but rather an understanding of concepts of resolution.

  • Choosing to be a Candidate

  • Choosing Among the Positions

    You may apply for any of the available positions set out in the Statement of Interest for which you are eligible and in which you would be willing to serve. You may apply for up to four positions; however, you are encouraged to read and consider carefully the background materials on each position prior to filling out the Statement of Interest form below.

    Liability/Indemnification

    ICANN Directors, GNSO Council members, ALAC members and ccNSO Council members enjoy several types of protection from liability for their activities in service to ICANN. These may be summarized as follows:

    (a) Indemnification by ICANN. Under its Bylaws, ICANN indemnifies members of ICANN bodies against expenses, judgments, fines, settlements, and other amounts that actually and reasonably arise in a proceeding because those persons are acting or have acted as agents of ICANN. There are various conditions to this indemnity, including that the indemnified person's acts were in good faith and done in a manner reasonably believed to be in ICANN's best interests and not criminal. [Bylaws Article XIV.]

    (b) Insurance. ICANN carries insurance covering liabilities (including defense expenses) that ICANN and its Directors, volunteers, and Committee members may incur by reason of acts or omissions solely in their capacities as Directors, volunteers, and Committee members acting on behalf of ICANN. The insurance policy includes deductibles, exclusions, and conditions that are ordinary in a liability policy covering directors, officers, and volunteers of a non-profit corporation.

    (c) Statutory Immunity. United States federal law and California law contain provisions shielding volunteers to non-profit organizations (such as ICANN) from liabilities for their volunteer work, with some conditions. The U.S. Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 protects volunteers (i.e. those serving without compensation) to non-profit organizations from liability for harm caused by their acts and omissions while acting within the scope of their responsibilities in the organization and not in a willful, criminal, grossly negligent, reckless, etc. manner. [42 United States Code §§14501-14505] California law provides similar liability protections to volunteer directors. [California Corporations Code §5239]

    Although there are various conditions and limits on each type of protection, in the aggregate these protections provide significant protection to ICANN volunteers acting in good faith and in the scope of their responsibilities to ICANN.

  • NomCom Process and Background

  • Process

    Central to the Nominating Committee's process are the Statements of Interest received from individuals who agree to be considered for service in any of the open positions. A person who has submitted a complete Statement of Interest is considered a Candidate for selection by the NomCom. NomCom will begin its review of Candidate information contained in the completed Statement of Interest shortly after it is received and confirmed to have all the required information. If the Statement of Interest is missing required information, the individual will not be considered a Candidate for selection by the NomCom.

    The NomCom will evaluate Candidates in a fair and consistent manner, considering the Statement of Interest, references, interviews as needed, consultations, and third-party information sources. While doing so, it will adhere to its Code of Conduct, which includes procedures regarding Confidentiality and Conflicts of Interest.

    To ensure open and frank communication with the NomCom, we have paid particular attention in our procedures to safeguarding confidentiality. Specifically, under our procedures all NomCom members will safeguard all internal NomCom communications concerning candidates and treat them as strictly private, confidential, and for the use of the immediate committee members and NomCom staff only, without exception.

    NomCom members will not disclose outside of the Committee the identities of Candidates under consideration by the NomCom, nor any discussions about them, unless both the Candidate and the NomCom as a whole have given explicit authorization to disclose the information. Nor will NomCom disclose the identity of those who suggested candidates or whether a specific candidate has been suggested. For more information about the procedures NomCom members follow regarding security and confidentiality of information, please refer to the Code of Conduct agreed by all members and the NomCom's Procedures.

    Note that because NomCom will need to check references and consult selected third-party sources on a confidential basis before making its final selections, those wishing to be considered as Candidates are required to confirm this understanding of the confidentiality arrangements when they submit a Statement of Interest.

    When NomCom has completed its selections, it will publish the identities of the Selectees. Statistical information, such as the size and nature of the candidate pool, will be published at the close of the process. No other personally identifiable information will be publicized or retained after the selection process has been completed.

    It should be noted that this Nominating Committee process differs from an election, although the goal is the same: to elicit the Internet community's participation in a thoughtful process leading to the selection of very well-qualified individuals to fulfill the specific roles of their positions.

    NomCom's selections are final; no further approval or ratification will take place.

    While considerable care has been taken to ensure the accuracy and completeness of this Invitation, the NomCom reserves the right to make additions and corrections. If any changes are made, they will be posted on the NomCom webpage (http://nomcom.icann.org/). The full Invitation is listed here. The webpage, including announcements and answers to frequently asked questions, will be updated as the committee's work progresses.

    Background

    NomCom operates independently from the ICANN Board, the Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees. The functional and geographic diversity and independence of NomCom members enables and encourages it to select persons who are not beholden to any particular interests and are capable of representing the broader view of the Internet community.

    NomCom members act only on behalf of the interests of the global Internet community and within the scope of the ICANN Mission and the responsibilities assigned to NomCom by the ICANN Bylaws.

    NomCom seeks widespread participation, through submission of suggestions for candidates and Statements of Interest, to find the talent and experience needed for these roles, to inform NomCom's decisions, and to generate the confidence and respect of the community for those whom NomCom selects.

    Further information about NomCom's origin, role, responsibilities, procedures, composition, and biographical information about its members have been placed on the NomCom webpage.

  • Statement of Interest ICANN Nominating Committee 2011

  • The 2011 NomCom is using a web-based form, click "How to Apply" at the top of the page (or click here) to access the web-form. (Application Period closes on 25 July 2011)

    Please use these Notes to help you answer the questions in the SOI. You should read the Notes carefully before answering.

    NOTE 1. Section A. Identifying Information.

    Section A asks for information about your personal background, the type of information typically provided in a CV or resume; however, please do not attach your CV to this statement.

    NOTE 2. Preferred positions.

    ALAC interim vacancy is for citizens of countries from the ICANN North America region only; see http://www.icann.org/en/meetings/montreal/geo-regions-topic.htm for a description of ICANN's geographic regions.

    NOTE 3. Information about Employment.

    Please provide your current job title and name of your employer. If self-employed, mention your area of work. Briefly describe your current job and your duties.

    NOTE 4. Education and professional background.

    Summarize your educational background, such as degrees achieved and the university(s) where you studied, and the three most recent places of employment and positions held.

    NOTE 5. Section C. Internet Involvement and Interest in ICANN

    The purpose of the questions in Section C is to help us understand the skills and experience you would bring to ICANN, how you would help ICANN achieve its mission, and how you meet the criteria for the leadership positions the NomCom will fill. Please refer to the "Leadership Positions" document for details of these criteria. The NomCom needs to understand why you are the right person for the position(s) you are applying for.

    Please be bold in telling the committee about yourself and your ideas.

    NOTE 6. Satisfying eligibility and other selection criteria.

    See "Leadership Positions" document for eligibility criteria and other selection factors. Describe how your work and other experience helps you meet the criteria for the position(s) you are applying for. You may wish to describe how your previous experience is relevant to your candidacy.

    NOTE 7. Familiarity with the Internet, its naming and addressing infrastructure and issues related to its security and stability, and other Internet technical functions coordinated by ICANN.

    The NomCom would like to know about your familiarity with the Internet's naming and addressing infrastructure, the Domain Name System and other Internet technical functions coordinated by ICANN, both in technical and policy matters. Please describe any involvement with the operation of ccTLD, gTLD registries or registrars, IP address registries, or relevant DNS technical or policy development process, including Internet technical protocols and standards. Your answer should include details of any involvement with ICANN, its policy development processes including its creation and evolution, Supporting Organizations, Councils and Advisory Committees. Your answer may overlap with your response to question C.1.

    NOTE 8. Contribution to ICANN and its mission.

    Please state clearly how you see yourself contributing to ICANN and its mission (ICANN's mission is defined in the Bylaws http://www.icann.org/en/general/bylaws.htm#I). Please highlight your personal skills and experience that would be beneficial to the organization. You should mention specific past or current contributions in fields such as board experience, international relations, technical leadership, managerial skills, languages, etc., as well as goals for your contribution in the desired position.

    NOTE 9. Conflicts of Interest.

    Please refer to the ICANN Conflicts of Interest policy http://www.icann.org/en/committees/coi/coi-policy-30jul09-en.htm). This document is aimed at conflicts for ICANN Directors and Officers, but should provide guidance for all ICANN leadership positions. If you have had any relationship with an ICANN accredited registry or registrar (other than registering a domain name) or any organization that has been in dispute with ICANN, please describe that relationship here. Conflicts of interest are not necessarily disqualifying, since we anticipate that many experienced people may have such relationships.

    NOTE 10. Selecting references.

    You must ask the people you select as for their agreement to do so before submitting their names to the NomCom as references. They should know they will be asked by the NomCom to provide a reference and should understand the purpose of the reference and NomCom process. You may wish to provide them with your SOI so that they can respond knowledgeably to our request for information. We recommend that you choose your references carefully so the NomCom has a broad view of your experiences and abilities.

    The NomCom will not consult as a reference anyone who is also a Candidate under consideration for the same position, but because of our confidentiality commitment, NomCom will be unable to advise Candidates about another person's presence in the Candidate pool. Your candidacy will not be adversely affected by such a collision should it occur.

    NOTE 11. Due diligence and third party references.

    ICANN will employ a professional firm to conduct due diligence on selected nominees. Due diligence will be confidential and conducted according to global industry standards. In some circumstances the NomCom may ask a third party for additional reference information under a condition of confidentiality. If there is any person or persons you would like us not to contact for any third party checks, please let us know in your SOI.

    Domain Name System
    Internationalized Domain Name ,IDN,"IDNs are domain names that include characters used in the local representation of languages that are not written with the twenty-six letters of the basic Latin alphabet ""a-z"". An IDN can contain Latin letters with diacritical marks, as required by many European languages, or may consist of characters from non-Latin scripts such as Arabic or Chinese. Many languages also use other types of digits than the European ""0-9"". The basic Latin alphabet together with the European-Arabic digits are, for the purpose of domain names, termed ""ASCII characters"" (ASCII = American Standard Code for Information Interchange). These are also included in the broader range of ""Unicode characters"" that provides the basis for IDNs. The ""hostname rule"" requires that all domain names of the type under consideration here are stored in the DNS using only the ASCII characters listed above, with the one further addition of the hyphen ""-"". The Unicode form of an IDN therefore requires special encoding before it is entered into the DNS. The following terminology is used when distinguishing between these forms: A domain name consists of a series of ""labels"" (separated by ""dots""). The ASCII form of an IDN label is termed an ""A-label"". All operations defined in the DNS protocol use A-labels exclusively. The Unicode form, which a user expects to be displayed, is termed a ""U-label"". The difference may be illustrated with the Hindi word for ""test"" — परीका — appearing here as a U-label would (in the Devanagari script). A special form of ""ASCII compatible encoding"" (abbreviated ACE) is applied to this to produce the corresponding A-label: xn--11b5bs1di. A domain name that only includes ASCII letters, digits, and hyphens is termed an ""LDH label"". Although the definitions of A-labels and LDH-labels overlap, a name consisting exclusively of LDH labels, such as""icann.org"" is not an IDN."