The Board of Directors of the Python Software Foundation is issuing this call for nominations of new Directors. Self-nominations are the norm, so don't wait for somebody else to nominate you. If you are interested in serving as a Director, please write to psf@python.org. Directors need not be PSF members.
Since the PSF is a small organization, the Directors and Officers are the PSF's executive in more than name: we not only discuss the work to be done, we also initiate and oversee the work (through committees), and we get a lot of the work done ourselves. It is therefore beneficial to have a large number of active Directors. As Tim Peters eloquently put it,
This is pragmatic: volunteer time is hard to come by for PSF busy work, and, overall, directors seem to feel more compelling obligation in this regard than non-director PSF members. So, the bigger the board, the more gets done.
At the annual Members' Meeting in 2004 nine people stood for election to the Board, but there were only seven positions, so two candidates were not elected. This was a mistake; we cannot afford to turn away volunteers. In 2005, when eight people stood for election, the Board was first increased to eight positions, allowing all the candidates to serve. The size of the Board can change again. (Section 5.4 of the PSF bylaws states: "the number of directors shall be fixed by the members at each annual meeting of members.")
The PSF's Directors and Officers conduct business via monthly meetings (one hour on IRC) and an active mailing list. We discuss the work being done and the work to be done, and Directors vote on resolutions.
David Goodger, PSF Secretary
On behalf of the PSF Board of Directors
