The OpenID Foundation plays an important role in the interoperability of Internet identity.  This is to announce the OpenID Foundation individual community board member 2017 election schedule.  Those elected will help determine the role the Foundation plays in facilitating the creation and adoption of open identity standards. Per our bylaws, three individual community board members are elected.  The terms of John Bradley and Mike Jones are expiring this year.  George Fletcher has an additional year remaining in his 2-year term.  I want to thank John and Mike for their service to the OIDF and the community at large.  Both John and Mike are eligible to be re-elected, should they choose to run again. The individual community board member election will be conducted on the following schedule:

• Nominations open:  Friday, January 6, 2017
• Nominations close:  Friday, January 20, 2017
• Election begins:  Saturday, January 21, 2017
• Election ends: Saturday, February 4, 2017
• Results announced by: Friday, February 10, 2017
• New board terms start: Friday, February 17, 2017

Times for all dates are Noon, U.S. Pacific Time. All members of the OpenID Foundation are eligible to nominate themselves, second the nominations of others including those who self-nominated, and vote for candidates. If you’re not already a member of the OpenID Foundation, we encourage you to join now at https://openid.net/foundation/members/registration. Voting and nominations are conducted on the OpenID Foundation web site. If you are already a member, you have received an email from me at director@oidf.org advising you that the election is open and how to participate. You will need to log in at https://openid.net/foundation/members/ to participate in nominations and voting. If you experience problems participating in the election or joining the foundation, please send an email to help@oidf.org right away. Board participation requires a substantial investment of time and energy. It is a volunteer effort that should not be undertaken lightly. Should you be elected, expect to be called upon to serve both on the board and on its committees. If you’re committed to open identity standards and work well with others, we encourage your candidacy. You are encouraged to publicly address these questions in your candidate statement:

1. What are the key opportunities you see for the OpenID Foundation in 2017?
2. How will you demonstrate your commitment in terms of resources, focus and leadership?
3. What would you like to see accomplished in 2017; how do you personally plan to make this happen?
4. What other resources can you bring to the foundation to help the foundation attain its goals?
5. What current or past experiences, skills, or interests will inform your contributions and views?

Candidates can address these questions in their election statements on various community mailing lists, especially openid-general@lists.openid.net. Please forward questions, comments and suggestions to me at director@oidf.org.   Regards, Don Thibeau Executive Director The OpenID Foundation