ICANN Nominating Committee | Open Leadership Positions 2020

Candidates for all ICANN positions should be individuals with a high level of qualifications and experience with an international outlook including some familiarity with the Internet

ICANN's Nominating Committee (NomCom) selects candidates to fill various leadership positions that will make a valuable public service contribution towards the continued function and evolution of an essential global resource, the Internet. Those candidates will work with accomplished colleagues from around the globe, address the Internet's intriguing technical coordination issues and related policy development matters within diverse functional, cultural, and geographic dimensions, and gain valuable insights and experience from working across boundaries of knowledge, responsibility and perspective.

The NomCom invites candidates to apply for the following positions:

• Two members of the ICANN Board of Directors.
• One member of the PTI Board of Directors.
• Two regional representatives to the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) – one from the European region and one from the North American region.
• One member of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Council.
• One member of the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) Council.

Position: ICANN Board of Directors

Number of Seats: Two

Start of Term: After conclusion of Annual Meeting 2020

End of Term: Conclusion of Annual Meeting 2023

The NomCom will be seeking to provide ICANN with members of the Board who reflect the global diversity of the Internet community and the wide range of technical, commercial and public interest, activities that are impacted by the domain name system (DNS).

The ICANN 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 and the public interest.

Pursuant to the ICANN Bylaws, all Board members are entitled but not required to receive compensation for their services. The Board may also authorize the reimbursement of actual and necessary reasonable expenses incurred by any Board members performing their duties. (Bylaws Article 7, Section 7.22, see https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/governance/bylaws-en/#article7). Presently, Board members have the option to receive fixed compensation (currently equivalent to US$45,000 for Directors and Liaisons (except GAC Liaison), or US$75,000 for the Board Chair) in accordance with the resolution passed by the Board on 30 July 2014 (see https://www.icann.org/resources/board-material/resolutions-2014-07-30-en#2.b) and reimbursement of certain reasonable and documented expenses.

Board Eligibility Factors

1. No person who serves on the Nominating Committee in any capacity shall be eligible for nomination 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 8, Section 8.8, https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/governance/bylaws-en/#article8.)
2. The Nominating Committee shall ensure that the Board is composed of Directors who, in the aggregate, display diversity in geography, culture, skills, experience, and perspective, by applying the criteria set forth in Section 7.3, Section 7.4 and Section 7.5. At no time when it makes its nomination shall the Nominating Committee nominate a Director to fill any vacancy or expired term whose designation would cause the total number of Directors (not including the President) from countries in any one Geographic Region to exceed five; and the Nominating Committee shall ensure when it makes its nominations that the Board includes at least one Director who is from a country in each ICANN Geographic Region ("Diversity Calculation"). For purposes of this Section 7.2(b), if any candidate for director maintains citizenship of more than one country, or has been domiciled for more than five years in a country of which the candidate does not maintain citizenship ("Domicile"), that candidate may be deemed to be from either country and must select in his or her Statement of Interest the country of citizenship or Domicile that he or she wants the Nominating Committee to use for Diversity Calculation purposes. For purposes of this Section 7.2(b), a person can only have one Domicile, which shall be determined by where the candidate has a permanent residence and place of habitation. (Bylaws, Article 7, Section 7.2(b).)
3. No official of a national government or a multinational entity established by treaty or other agreement between national governments may serve as a Director. As used herein, the term "official" means a person (i) who holds an elective governmental office or (ii) who is employed by such government or multinational entity and whose primary function with such government or entity is to develop or influence governmental or public policies. (Bylaws, Article 7, Section 7.4(a).)
4. 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. If such a person is identified by, or presents themselves to, the Supporting Organization Council or the At-Large Community for consideration for nomination to serve as a Director, the person shall not thereafter participate in any discussion of, or vote by, the Supporting Organization Council or the committee designated by the At-Large Community relating to the nomination of Directors by the Council or At-Large Community, until the Council or committee(s) specified by the At-Large Community has nominated the full complement of Directors it is responsible for nominating. In the event that a person serving in any capacity on a Supporting Organization Council is considered for nomination to serve as a Director, the constituency group or other group or entity that selected the person may select a replacement for purposes of the Council's nomination process. In the event that a person serving in any capacity on the At-Large Advisory Committee is identified as or accepts a nomination to be considered for nomination by the At-Large Community as a Director, the Regional At-Large Organization or other group or entity that selected the person may select a replacement for purposes of the At-Large Community's nomination process. (Bylaws, Article 7, Section 7.4(b), see https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/governance/bylaws-en#article7.)
5. No Director may serve more than three consecutive terms. For these purposes, a person designated to fill a vacancy in a term shall not be deemed to have served that term. (Bylaws, Article 7, Section 7.8(e).)

The current composition of the Board of Directors is available here: https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/board-of-directors

The NomCom will use the Criteria for Selection of ICANN Directors contained in Article 7, Section 7.3 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 7.3;
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; and
5. Persons who are able to work and communicate in written and spoken English.

Time Commitment and Working Practice

The successful candidates will be appointed to the ICANN Board following the end of the 2020 Annual Meeting, which is currently scheduled between 17 and 22 October 2020, through the end of the 2023 ICANN Annual Meeting.

The basic responsibilities of an ICANN Director require a substantial commitment of time which when averaged out over the year, could reach up to 50% of available time each working day of the week. The time spent in these basic responsibilities is typically clustered around Board meetings, Board workshops, ICANN Public meetings and teleconferences, as well as a fair amount of travelling. In addition, there is a constant flow of information requiring regular attention on almost a daily basis.

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

For further details of the work of the ICANN Board see https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/board-of-directors

Position: PTI Board of Directors

Number of Seats: One

Start of Term: After conclusion of Annual Meeting 2020

End of Term: Conclusion of Annual Meeting 2023

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

Pursuant to the current Bylaws, PTI Directors will not be compensated for services rendered to PTI as Directors, except that Directors shall be reimbursed for reasonable expenses (including travel) incurred solely in connection with their work on the Board. [See Article 5, Section 5.16].

The current composition of the PTI Board of Directors is available here: https://pti.icann.org/pti-board-of-directors

The NomCom welcomes and encourages Applications 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.

Candidates for PTI Board positions should be individuals with a high level of qualifications and experience with an international outlook including some familiarity with the Internet.

Criteria

The NomCom will use the criteria for selection of the PTI Director contained in Article 5, Section 5.2.3 of the PTI Bylaws. 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 the Corporation's purposes and the potential impact of the Corporation's decisions on the global Internet community, and committed to the success of the Corporation;
3. Persons who, collectively, have executive management, operational, technical, financial and corporate governance experience;
4. Persons who, in the aggregate, have personal familiarity with the operation of generic top-level domain registries and registrars; with country code top-level domain name registries; with IP address registries; with Internet technical standards and protocols; and with policy-implementation procedures; and
5. Persons who are able to work and communicate in written and spoken English.

 Additional Qualifications

The NomCom will also use the following qualifications for the selection of PTI Directors.

1. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, no official of a national government or a multinational entity established by treaty or other agreement between national governments may serve as a Director. As used herein, the term "official" means a person who (a) holds an elective governmental office or (b) is employed by such government or multinational entity and whose primary function with such government or entity is to develop or influence governmental or public policies.
2. No person who serves in any capacity (including as a liaison) on any Supporting Organization Council (as used in the ICANN Bylaws) or Advisory Committee (as used in the ICANN Bylaws) shall simultaneously serve as a Director of the Corporation.
3. No person who serves on the Nominating Committee in any capacity shall be eligible for nomination by any means to any position on the Board.
4. No person who serves on the EC Administration (as used in the ICANN Bylaws) while serving in that capacity shall be considered for nomination or election to the Board, nor serve simultaneously on the EC Administration and as a Director.
5. The Nominating Committee Directors must not be, and for at least the previous three years, must not have been, (a) an employee of ICANN or the Corporation, (b) a director of ICANN, or (c) an external consultant or advisor retained by ICANN (either directly in his or her individual capacity or indirectly as an employee of an organization retained by ICANN).
6. In carrying out its responsibility to nominate the Nominating Committee Directors for election by the Member, the Nominating Committee shall seek to ensure that the Board is composed of Directors who, in the aggregate, display diversity in geography, culture, skills, experience and perspective, by applying the criteria set forth in Section 5.2 and Section 5.3.

Pursuant to the current Bylaws, the Corporation shall not pay any compensation to Directors for services rendered to the Corporation as Directors, except that Directors shall be reimbursed for reasonable expenses (including travel) incurred solely in connection with their work on the Board.(See Article 5, Section 5.16).

In filling this position, the NomCom will be seeking to provide PTI with Board members who reflect the global diversity of the Internet community and the wide range of technical, commercial and public interest, activities that are impacted by the domain name system (DNS).

Time Commitment and Working Practice

The successful candidate will be appointed to the PTI Board following the end of the 2020 Annual Meeting, which is currently scheduled to take place between 17 and 22 October 2020, through the end of the 2023 ICANN Annual Meeting.

The basic responsibilities of a PTI Director requires a commitment of time which when averaged out over the year, could reach 10-15 hours each month. The time spent on these basic responsibilities includes preparing for and participating in telephonic Board meetings throughout the year. There is a regular flow of information requiring attention on a fairly consistent basis. Directors may also spend additional time in connection with their work on Board Committees, of which there is a currently one (Audit), a commitment that could vary in relation to their role as Chair or Member of the Committee. Based on current workflow, the 10-15 hour/month commitment is inclusive of Committee participation.

Position: ICANN At-Large Advisory Committee

Number of Seats: Two

• One (Europe)
• One (North America)

Start of Term: After conclusion of Annual Meeting 2020

End of Term: Conclusion of Annual Meeting 2022

For a definition of ICANN's geographic regions see https://meetings.icann.org/en/regions.

The At-Large Community provides a mechanism for individual user participation in ICANN and ensures that the interests and needs of Internet users are duly considered in ICANN discussions and decisions. Individual users may be consumers, registrants, non-for-profit or profit or business users but the key term is that they are 'individuals'. Users typically participate through user organizations called At-Large Structures (ALS), or as individual members, all of which are grouped into Regional At Large Organizations (RALOs). The ALAC is the entity that oversees all of this and is the formal voice of the At-Large Community within ICANN.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 12, Section 12.6.)

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

ALAC Eligibility Factors

No person who serves on the NomCom in any capacity is eligible for selection by any means to any position on the ALAC (the Board or any other ICANN body having one or more membership positions that the NomCom 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 NomCom. (Bylaws, Article 8, Section 8.8, see https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/governance/bylaws-en/#article8)

The five members of the ALAC selected by the NomCom shall include one citizen of a country within each of the five Geographic Regions (Africa; Asia/Australia/Pacific Islands; Europe; Latin America/Caribbean Islands; and North America) established according to Bylaws Article 7, Section 7.5. Only citizens Africa; Asia/Australia/Pacific Islands; and Latin America/Caribbean Islands regions as defined in ICANN's definition of geographic regions https://meetings.icann.org/en/regions are eligible for ALAC vacancies in 2017.

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. The NomCom's selections for ALAC are intended to diversify the skill and experience sets of the ALAC.

Current composition of the ALAC is available at https://atlarge.icann.org/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 25-30 hours per month on Committee related activities, although some ALAC members report spending more time than that. This includes participating in online (email) 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, participating in ICANN Working Groups outside of the ALAC and meeting with/making presentations to, local and regional organizations.

ALAC members serving as liaisons to other Supporting Organizations, ALAC Members who comprise the ALAC Leadership team (1 per region) or ALAC members who take on specific working group responsibilities can expect to spend more than these basic hours per month. In person attendance at three ICANN meetings per year is not included in this monthly time estimate. ICANN has traditionally reimbursed expenses incurred by ALAC members for attending ICANN meetings.

ICANN At-Large Advisory Committee

The At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) is the ICANN body responsible for representing the voice of the end user in policy and operational discussions. For more information on the work of the ALAC, see https://atlarge.icann.org/alac.

To fill vacancies on the ALAC, the NomCom is seeking accomplished persons of integrity, objectivity and intelligence who have:

• a commitment to ICANN's mission and an understanding of the potential impact of ICANN decisions on the global Internet community
• an understanding of the DNS and the impact of ICANN policy on end-users
• demonstrated capacity for thoughtful group decision-making and sound judgment
• an interest in bottom-up consensus policy building in a real-life environment
• an ability to chair or otherwise provide leadership and support for a multi-stakeholder group working to reach consensus
• the following knowledge, qualities and experiences are specifically sought:
  • A strong advocate for the needs and interest of end-users not only those of the region they will represent, but globally.
  • Experience and skills that bear on gathering, understanding, and communicating the interests of individual users and in group decision-making.
  • Consumer protection and or consumer advocacy experience particularly in communications/telecommunication sector.
  • Specific experience and/or expertise in internet-related policy development.
  • An interest in and knowledge of internet governance issues.
  • Leadership experience in local or regional internet-related or DNS policy experience in gTLD or ccTLD activities including issues relating to Internationalized Domain Names.
  • Ability to work as a team leader bringing perspectives not otherwise reflected in the existing ALAC membership and is intended to diversify the skill and experience sets of the ALAC.
  • Strong local networks that will positively enhance the current ALAC and Regionally focused strategic and project planning as they relate to the wider ICANN Strategic plan and ALAC Improvement Implementation.
  • Ability and interest to work in a multi-cultural environment.
• a willingness to serve as a volunteer, without compensation other than the reimbursement of certain expenses
• an ability to work and communicate effectively in English (although there is no requirement that English be the candidate's first language)

In filling these positions, the NomCom will be seeking to identify ALAC members who reflect the global diversity of the Internet community and the wide range of technical, commercial and civil society activities that are impacted by the DNS.

Time Commitment and Working Practice

The successful candidates will be appointed to ALAC following the 2020 ICANN Annual Meeting, through the end of the 2021 ICANN Annual Meeting.

The basic responsibilities of an ALAC member involve a minimum of 25-30 hours per month on Committee related activities. This includes participating in online (email) 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, participating in ICANN Working Groups outside of the ALAC and meeting with/making presentations to local and regional organizations.

ALAC members chairing or participating in working groups, taking on an ALAC Leadership Team position or serving as liaisons to other Advisory Committees or to Supporting Organizations, can expect to spend more than these basic hours per month. ALAC members are expected to make a commitment to attend all Committee meetings and to participate actively in policy-related issues and other working groups.

The ALAC operates in a transparent manner and publishes participation statistics on its website. Committee members also will be expected to attend three face-to-face meetings each year held during the ICANN Public Meetings, which generally run about seven days with potentially extensive responsibilities on most days for ALAC members. There may occasionally be additional face-to-face interim meetings or regional meetings.

Position: Generic Names Supporting Organization Council

Number of Seats: One

Start of Term: After conclusion of Annual Meeting 2020

End of Term: Conclusion of Annual Meeting 2022

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 Council is responsible for managing the policy development process in the GNSO. For more information on the work of the GNSO Council, see https://gnso.icann.org/en/.

To fill a vacancy on the GNSO Council, the NomCom is seeking accomplished persons of integrity, objectivity and intelligence who have:

• a good understanding of the GNSO Policy Development Process, GNSO structure as much as possible, existing ICANN consensus policies and contracts between ICANN and registries and registrars 
• a commitment to ICANN's mission and an understanding of the potential impact of ICANN decisions on the global Internet community
• an understanding of the Domain Name System (DNS) and the industry structure of the domain name market
• demonstrated capacity for thoughtful group decision-making and sound judgment
• expertise in the possible impacts (including costs and benefits) of new policies relating to gTLDs on stakeholders, including commercial and non-commercial users, Internet infrastructure providers, and ICANN contracted parties.
• a willingness, ability and commitment to travel to and actively participate in ICANN's three Public Meetings per year, attend all monthly Council meetings and serve as a volunteer on the Council throughout the term, without compensation other than the standard ICANN reimbursement of certain expenses, and
• an ability to work and communicate in written and spoken English (although there is no requirement that English be the candidate's first language)

Meeting the criteria above is of more importance than where the candidate hails from (e.g., within versus outside the ICANN community, from a particular Supporting Organization or Advisory Committee, etc.). However, in filling this position, the NomCom will be seeking to select a Council member who reflects the diversity of the global Internet community and the wide range of policy, technical, commercial and non-commercial activities that are impacted by the DNS.

Time Commitment and Working Practice

The successful candidate will be appointed to the GNSO Council following the 2020 ICANN Annual General Meeting (AGM), which is currently scheduled for 17-22 October 2020, through the end of the 2022 ICANN Annual Meeting.

The basic responsibilities of a GNSO Council member involve an estimate of 20 hours per month on Council-related activities, with those chairing or participating in Working Groups spending up to 60 hours a month or more. Depending on workload, this may escalate; for example, during the weeks before ICANN's three face-to-face Public Meetings per year, this can sometimes be as much as 20 hours per week or more. The commitment during ICANN's three Public Meetings generally runs to three full days, although Council members sometimes have extensive responsibilities on most days. For those involved in Working Groups, there may occasionally be additional face-to-face interim meetings, and likely telephonic meetings throughout the year. In addition, in recent years, the GNSO Council has conducted a three day face-to-face Strategic Planning Session (SPS) during the January following the AGM; all Councilors are expected to participate in person, as the SPS is critical to aiding the Council in understanding its core responsibilities as well as planning strategically for the coming year.

In addition, a NomCom appointee is intended to be independent and free to participate in Council activities according to their own conscience and views. Voting appointees are encouraged to engage with the Council representatives of their appointed House in order to understand their concerns and views, so that the NomCom appointee may be an informed and effective Councilor.

Position: Country Code Name Supporting Organization Council

Number of Seats: One

Start of Term: After conclusion of Annual Meeting 2020

End of Term: Conclusion of Annual Meeting 2023

The Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) is a policy-development body 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, Advisory Committees, and constituencies. For more information on the work of the ccNSO Council, see https://ccnso.icann.org/. To fill one vacancy on the ccNSO Council, the NomCom is seeking accomplished persons of integrity, objectivity and intelligence who have:

• a commitment to ICANN's mission and an understanding of the potential impact of ICANN decisions on the global Internet community
• an understanding of the ccTLD issues
• demonstrated capacity for thoughtful group decision-making and sound judgment
• a willingness to serve as a volunteer, without compensation other than the reimbursement of certain expenses
• an ability to work and communicate in written and spoken English (although there is no requirement that English be the candidate's first language)

In filling one position, the NomCom will be seeking Council members who reflect the global diversity of the Internet community and the wide range of technical, commercial and public interest activities that are impacted by the DNS.

Time Commitment and Working Practice

The successful candidate will be appointed to the ccNSO Council immediately following the end of the 2020 Annual Meeting, which is currently scheduled to take place between 17 and 22 October 2020, through the end of the 2023 ICANN Annual Meeting.

An average ccNSO Council member would spend at least 12 hours per month on Council related activities, with those chairing Working Groups or Task Forces spending at least 30 hours a month. (The commitment involves a minimum of six hours per month based on an average of 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.)