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RALOs Start Possible Petition Process to Suggest Additional ICANN Board Director Candidates Selected by the At-Large Community

As per Section 19.9 of the ALAC Rules of Procedure, the Board Member Selection Process Committee (BMSPC) is informing RALOs their opportunity to start possible petition process and suggest adding to the Board Candidate Evaluation Committee (BCEC) Slate other Candidates who have submitted Expression of Interests (EoIs) for the ICANN Board Director position. The successfully petitioned Candidates, who have received support through a formal vote of at least three of the five RALOs, will be included in the Final Slate. As the culmination of the ICANN Board Director selection process, the BMSPC will organize an election among the Final Slate of Candidates, and the electorates will be At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) Members and Regional At-Large Organization (RALO) Chairs. 

 

Background

Seat number 15 of the ICANN Board of Directors is dedicated to a member selected by the At-Large Community. This seat is currently occupied by Rinalia Abdul Rahim, who assumed the position at the end of ICANN51 (2014 AGM). Her 3-year term will be completed at the closing of ICANN60 (2017 AGM).

Pursuant to Section 19 of the ALAC Rules of Procedure (version adopted on 20 September 2016), the At-Large Community process for selecting the next Board Director began in September 2016, with the appointment of the Chairs and Members of the BCEC and the BMSPC.

The BCEC is responsible for outlining Candidate requirements and expectations, calling for and evaluating EoIs, and compiling the (initial) BCEC Slate of Candidates for the Board Director position. The BMSPC oversees the entire selection process for the At-Large Board Member, including the development of the selection timeline and the election finalizing the process. To learn more information, please visit their workspace.

This selection process is planned to be completed by Friday, 21 April 2017, with the announcement of the successful Candidate on that date. The successful Candidate will serve for a 3-year ICANN Board Director term starting at the end of ICANN60. View the detailed timeline here.  

 

List of All Applicants & BCEC Slate of Candidates 

By the deadline of 18 November 2016 at 23:59 UTC, the following six Applicants have submitted completed EoIs. The Applicants, listed in alphabetical order of the last name, are: 

  • Sebastien Bachollet (France)
  • William Michael Cunningham (United States)
  • Hago Dafalla (Libya)
  • Alan Greenberg (Canada) 
  • Nigel Phair (Australia)  
  • Leon Felipe Sanchez Ambia (Mexico)

On 16 December 2016, the BCEC concluded its Candidate Evaluation process and announced that the following Candidates will be named as the (initial) BCEC Slate of Candidates, be automatically included in the Final Slate, and go forward to the next stage of the selection process organized by the BMSPC. The Candidates, listed in alphabetical order of the last name, are: 

  • Alan Greenberg (Canada) 
  • Leon Felipe Sanchez Ambia (Mexico)

 

Possible RALO Petition Process 

Pursuant to Section 19.9 of the ALAC Rules of Procedure (version adopted on 20 September 2016), the BMSPC process involves the option of possible petitions by RALOs to suggest adding Candidates to the Final Slate. RALOs can only suggest Candidates who had previously submitted an EoI to the BCEC during the current selection process; namely, the six Applicants listed above. Candidates will be added only if they receive support through a formal vote of at least three of the five RALOs; each RALO shall vote according to its respective rules. Subsequently, the Final Slate of Candidates will proceed to an election by the ALAC Members and RALO Chairs, which is culmination of the ICANN Board Director selection process. 

Possible RALO Petition Process starts from now. Please note the following two deadlines: 

  • By Thursday, 19 January 2017 at 23:59 UTC, each RALO willing to add Candidates to the Slate should have identified additional Candidates and notified the BMSPC. 
  • By Sunday, 29 January 2017 at 23:59 UTC, in case of petition, all RALOs should have decided whether they support any suggested additional Candidates and notified the BMSPC. 

Kindly note that RALOs have the option to identify and/or support additional Candidates but are not required to do so, if they believe that only the BCEC Slate of Candidates should be in the Final Slate.

On Tuesday, 31 January 2017, the Final Slate of Candidates, who will proceed to the election, will be announced and their EoIs will be published without disclosing their personal/private information. 

 

Next Steps 

On 12 January 2017, a Single Purpose Cross RALO call will be organized for RALOs to discuss the BCEC Slate of Candidates and the option of suggesting additional Candidates. Call details and other relevant information will follow. 

Any questions regarding the process should also be directed by email to program-admin@atlarge.icann.org. They will be answered as quickly as possible.

 

On Behalf of Tijani BEN JEMAA, BMSPC Chair

Heidi Ullrich, Ariel Liang, Terri Agnew, and Yesim Nazlar 
At-Large Board Member Selection Program Admin Staff