[Chapter-delegates] ANNOUNCEMENT: Internet Society Board of Trustees Meeting Highlights

[Wende Cover]

Below is a communication from the Internet Society Board of Trustees that highlights the topics of discussion, key initiatives addressed, and expected outcomes from the recent Board meeting in Berlin. 

UPDATE FROM THE INTERNET SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES:
The Internet Society Board of Trustees held its 103rd meeting in Berlin, Germany on 3-4 April 2013. All Board members were in attendance. The following are highlights from the meeting, and more details on the meeting agenda and related documents can be found on the Internet Society website, http://www.internetsociety.org/who-we-are/board-trustees/meetings.

1. Board Elections: During the meeting, the new Board was seated and Robert Hinden was elected Chair. More details on the new Board can be found here: http://www.internetsociety.org/news/internet-society-board-trustees-elects-new-chair-0
 
2. Advisory Council Update: Scott Mansfield, Advisory Council Co-Chair, reported that the AC encourages a focus on educating people in the evolving CIS region about the Internet. In addition, he suggested that developing a "peering for beginners" program would be very helpful. He also reported that the AC discussed ideas to enhance its interaction with the Board.

3. IAOC & IETF Trust Updates: Bob Hinden, representing the IAOC, reviewed strategic developments and key directions within the organizations. Hinden reported that the IETF meeting in Berlin had very high attendance with 1,435 participants, the highest number since IETF 63 in Paris (1,450).  A survey was conducted to better understand the impact of meeting locations on attendance, and found more than 70% would attend an IETF meeting in Latin America. Chris Griffiths provided, and the Board discussed, an update on the activities of the IETF Trust.  The reports are available here: http://www.internetsociety.org/sites/default/files/IASA-Report-ISOC-BoT-August2013-00%20pptx.pdf and http://www.internetsociety.org/sites/default/files/Trust%20Report%20-%20ISOC%20Board%20Trustee%20-%20IETF87-Final.pdf

4. Chapter Presentation: Hans Peter Dittler and Jan Moenikes provided the Board with a presentation on the history, status, and current work of the Internet Society Germany Chapter.  There was an excellent exchange of ideas to enhance Chapter engagement in ISOC and ways to help Chapters translate the mission and vision of the Internet Society locally. The Board thanked Hans Peter and Jan for their report and excellent work, and asked staff to further strengthen its engagement with Chapters. To read the report, visit http://www.internetsociety.org/sites/default/files/ISOC-DE.pdf

5. CEO Report: Lynn St. Amour provided the CEO report and reviewed 2013 year-to-date programmatic and financial performance vs. the business plan.  She also discussed some of the challenges facing the Internet, Internet organizations, and ISOC. There was also discussion on the 2014 budget planning process.  Staff noted that the revised By-Laws were now in effect and the Board thanked the members of the By-Laws Working Group for their contributions.  The Q2 2013 President and CEO report is available here: http://www.internetsociety.org/sites/default/files/Q2%202013%20CEO%20Dashboard.pdf
 
6. Policy Discussion: Staff reported on the organization's Open and Sustainable Internet Campaign, which will structure our engagement in the upcoming Internet governance discussions (IGF 2013, WTDC 2014, and WSIS+10).  ISOC's core message on topics related to technology, development, or policy on a regional or global scale is that a healthy and sustainable Internet is based on the principle of openness. ISOC's Spam initiative demonstrates how resiliency is possible through open and multistakeholder processes. In addition, ISOC recently launched a "Multistakeholder participation in Internet Governance" survey to gather evidence of the value of open governance processes.

7. Appointment of Committees: During the Board meeting, appointments were made for the Executive Committee, Audit Committee, Finance Committee, Compensation Committee, Nominations Committee, Elections Committee, CEO Appointments Committee, and ISOC Liaison to the IETF Nominations Committee.  Members of those committees can be found on the ISOC website.  http://www.internetsociety.org/who-we-are/board-trustees

8. Strategic Planning Update: Staff presented an update and summary on the Strategic Planning work, draft 2020 positioning, and key capabilities for implementing the Board's Strategic Guidance, which had been previously agreed at the April 2013 meeting. A summary version is available at: http://www.internetsociety.org/sites/default/files/ISOC%20BoT%20Strategic%20Planning%20Update%20Summary%20Draft%20Presentation%20PV1.pdf
 
It was noted that input from the ISOC community, Chapters, Members, and other stakeholders and partners played a central role, and staff looks forward to further engagement. The Board discussed the strategic framework, and supported the proposed 2020 positioning while requesting that ISOC's development objectives be more clearly represented. The Board requested further information and clarification on how the concepts would be operationalized within ISOC and, in this regard, the Board agreed to provide further comments to staff in the coming weeks.

The next Internet Society Board of Trustees meeting will be held in Buenos Aires, 22-23 November 2013.