Reminder: Run for the 2016 PSF Board of Directors

As we announced last week, the Python Software Foundation is seeking candidates for this year's directors. Nominations are open now until the end of May 15 Anywhere on Earth.

Candidates from anywhere in the world are welcome; members of the Board do not need to be residents or citizens of the United States. There are 11 directors, elected annually for a term of one year. Directors are unpaid volunteers.

The list of nominees is on the PSF wiki:

Candidates in the 2016 PSF Board Election.

If have a passion for the Python language and community, add yourself to the list! If someone you know would make a great member of the board, ask if they'd like you to nominate them.

We Want You to Run for the 2016 Board of Directors

You don't have to be an expert, or a Python celebrity. If you care about Python and you want to nurture our community and guide our future, we invite you to join the Board.

Nominations are open for the Python Software Foundation's Board of Directors now through the end of May 15. Nominate yourself if you are able and inspired to help the PSF fulfill its mission:

"The mission of the Python Software Foundation is to promote, protect, and advance the Python programming language, and to support and facilitate the growth of a diverse and international community of Python programmers."

If you know someone who would be an excellent director, ask if they would like you nominate them!

What is the job? Directors do the business of the PSF, including:

• Appoint PSF officers.
• Manage the budget, allocate funds, and award grants.
• Raise money and recruit sponsors.
• Manage public relations, education, and outreach.
• Perform the PSF's legal duties as a non-profit corporation.
• Administer the PSF membership program and serve its members.
• Protect Python’s intellectual property rights and licenses: logos, trademarks, and open source licenses.

Read "Expectations of Directors" for details.

There are 11 directors, elected annually for a term of one year. Directors are unpaid volunteers. Candidates from anywhere in the world are welcome; members of the Board do not need to be residents or citizens of the United States.

The deadline for nominations is the end of May 15, Anywhere on Earth ("AoE"). As long as it is May 15 somewhere, nominations are open. A simple algorithm is this: make your nominations by 11:59pm on your local clock and you are certain to meet the deadline. Ballots to vote for the board members will be sent May 20, and the election closes May 30.

If you're moved to nominate yourself or someone else, here are the instructions:

How to nominate candidates in the 2016 PSF Board Election.

While you're on that page, check if your membership makes you eligible to actually vote in the election.

For more info, see the PSF home page and the PSF membership FAQ.

Finding global voices

On the psf-members mailing list today, current Director David Mertz expressed some sentiments about increasing diversity in the governance of the foundation that I'd like to share.  Making the Python community, and the Python Software Foundation itself, more diverse, globally and across dimensions of privilege is something we have been striving for very consciously for years. Here's what he wrote (re-posted with his permission):

This year, as for the last bunch of years, I'll be the election administrator in the upcoming election. This will have some candidates for the Board of Directors of the PSF, and probably a few other issues like Sponsor Members approvals or membership resolutions.
    This year, as in past Board elections, I will use "approval voting" again. This will be explained again when you get ballots and announcements here. But the general idea is that each voter can cast as many Approve votes as they wish to for the 11 seats. A voter might vote for only the one candidate they really like to avoid diluting that vote. Or they might vote for every candidate except the one they really don't like as an "anyone but" vote. Or, in most cases, voters will vote for some number of candidates whom they feel generally comfortable with or prefer, and skip voting for any others.
    I give this preface to explain how I intend to vote. I am a white, male, middle-class, middle-aged, cis-gendered, American who has been on the Board for a long while. I may or may not run for it again (my name is on the wiki now with no candidate description, but mostly as a placeholder to get some permission issues sorted out for editing the wiki).
    But what I REALLY want is to have a PSF Board that is less American, less white, less male (and ideally represents diversity along other dimensions also: religious, sexual identities, linguistic, disability, etc). So I earnestly urge any or all PSF members, or their friends and colleagues, or other members of the Python community, or general supporters of Free Software, who might consider serving on the Board to place themselves in nomination, or allow themselves to be so placed.
    Serving on the Board is a genuine commitment of time and effort, and carries a fiduciary obligation. It's not just an item to put on a resume, and I don't want names of Directors from subaltern* groups there just as names alone. But I really do want those names as people who actively participate in making our community both more vigorous and more diverse.
    Which is to say, that for MY own vote, I can pledge to vote Approve to any candidate with a minimal indication of commitment to the selfless, volunteer tasks involved who doesn't look or sound quite so much like myself.
    Please, wonderful potential candidates, step up and let me cast these votes!

[*] In critical theory and postcolonialism, subaltern is the social group who are socially, politically and geographically outside of the hegemonic power structure of the colony and of the colonial homeland. In describing "history told from below", the term subaltern derived from Antonio Gramsci's work on cultural hegemony, which identified the social groups who are excluded from a society's established structures for political representation, the means by which people have a voice in their society.

I would love to hear from readers. Please send feedback, comments, or blog ideas to me at msushi@gnosis.cx. 

PSF Members Meeting to be held at PyCon 2011

The Python Software Foundation will hold a meeting for current and nominated members on March 11, 2011, from 12:30 pm to 1:20 pm local, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta hotel.

Agenda

The agenda for the meeting is still being set. It includes time for newly nominated members to introduce themselves, and for members running for the Board of Directors to present their positions. If you have another topic you would like added to the agenda, please contact PSF Secretary Pat Campbell before the meeting.

Elections

In the past, participants at the meeting elected the new board, approved new members of the foundation, and conducted other voting in person. However, last year the PSF switched to an online voting system. That system will be used again this year, with the ballots being sent out on Friday, March 25, 2011.

Proposals that need to be voted on by the PSF membership should be submitted in the form of resolutions. Initial discussions on the members mailing list is encouraged to craft the language for the resolution.

The deadline for nomination of new members and proposal of resolutions to be voted on by the membership is Tuesday, March 22.

Call for Nominations of Directors

Please nominate candidates for the PSF Board of Directors by sending email to the PSF Board. Self-nominations are welcome. Current directors should also indicate whether they will stand for election again. Candidates should post brief bios and position statements in the PSF wiki.

Call for New Member Nominations

New members are nominated to the PSF by current members. To nominate a regular member, first confirm that they are interested in taking on the responsibility, and then post your nomination to the members mailing list.

The prospective member must also complete and submit a membership application form. See the PSF Membership FAQ for details

2010 Q2 Community Service Award Nominations

The Python Software Foundation is soliciting nominations for the second quarter 2010 community awards.

The PSF Community Awards are a way for the PSF Board of Directors to recognize contributions by community members that significantly improve the Foundation's fulfillment of its mission and benefits the broader Python community.

Recognition takes the form of an award certificate plus one of the following:

1. A cash award of $500; or
2. Free registration at PyCon, with optionally a contribution of up to $500 towards the recipient's travel and accommodation expenses.

Awards are normally made quarterly, although the Board may choose to consider awards at other times. Membership in the Foundation is not required to receive an award.

PSF members should submit confidential nominations to the Board by sending email to psf@python.org.

Call for Board Nominations

Under the PSF bylaws, in order to become a voting member you must be nominated by an existing member.

The bylaws do not, however, require that directors be members. Board elections are coming up soon, and so anyone interested in becoming a director is invited to nominate themselves, by editing this Wiki page. There is a link on that page to an outline of the duties and responsibilities of being a PSF director.

As chairman (at least until after the elections) I would be happy to see more competition for the places on the Board - I think a change of lineup from time to time is a very healthy thing, and makes it more likely that new ideas and approaches will emerge. A board seat should be more than just a line to add to your resume - it is also an opportunity to serve the Python community and take a broader role in the open source world.

Nominations close on Friday February 5, so think about nominating yourself, or (with their permission) somebody else you think would be active in managing the Foundation. If you want to discuss the possibility before moving ahead with a nomination please feel free to email me as chairman at python dot org for more information.