ARIN Election Education: Nominations 101

By Jason Byrne – Senior Customer Success Analyst

Each year the ARIN community engages in a process of recruiting and evaluating nominees and then electing candidates to the ARIN Board of Trustees and Advisory Council (AC). As you may have seen, this process is already underway for 2023 with the Call for Nominations having opened Friday, 16 June. The nomination period will remain open until 7:00 PM ET on 30 June.

Whether you’re thinking about running for a seat or just want to understand how the process works, read on for an overview of all the key information: Who can make nominations? What should a nominee expect throughout the timeline? How are nominees classified, and what qualifications are sought?

The Nomination Committee

Lesson one is a look at the Nomination Committee (or “NomCom,” as it’s often called). This special committee is chartered by the ARIN Board of Trustees to identify and recruit nominees for serving on either the Board or the AC. Initially, two Board members are appointed to the NomCom, and for 2023 those are Peter Harrison (2023 NomCom Chair) and Hank Kilmer. Those trustees then solicit volunteers from the community — who must be associated with General Members in Good Standing — to fill five additional seats on the NomCom and serve up to two-year terms. The following individuals are serving on the 2023 Nomination Committee:

Peter Harrison (Chair)
Hank Kilmer, ARIN Board Trustee
Andrew Gallo, General Member representative ¹
Brian Jones, General Member representative ¹
Christine Marion, General Member representative ²
Christopher Quesada, General Member representative ²
Donovan Smith, General Member representative ²

¹ Term is for 2023 – 2024 Election Cycles
² Term is for 2022 – 2023 Election Cycles

The Motivations

Next up, let’s discuss the “why” of running for a seat on the ARIN Board or AC. Serving the ARIN community in a leadership role is one of the best ways to contribute to ARIN’s mission to support the operation and growth of the Internet. By participating as an elected representative, you help guide and strengthen the community-driven, multistakeholder approach to Internet governance and policy development and maintain a secure, stable, and inclusive internet ecosystem.

ARIN AC and 2023 NomCom member Brian Jones shared his perspective:

“As the Internet continues to expand and grow, it is more important than ever to ensure that fair and equitable policy is developed and maintained by open and transparent methods. One of the best ways to accomplish this is by participating in Internet governance — getting involved with ARIN by running for a seat on the Board or Advisory Council and volunteering for support committees. Your voice and participation matter.”

ARIN Advisory Council Member Brian Jones’ quote and headshot

We hope you’ll consider submitting a self-nomination to the Board if you have:

Institutional knowledge of ARIN.
Experience in related industry sectors (e.g., Internet or telecommunications).
Experience dealing with legal or risk management situations.
Ability to understand risks, opportunities, and external and internal issues that may affect ARIN and the community it serves.
Familiarity with, and experience in, the field of cybersecurity.

And if you have experience in the following areas, we strongly encourage you to consider submitting a self-nomination to the AC:

Legal matters in related industry sectors (e.g., Internet or telecommunications)
Internet governance
Public speaking and presenting

The Qualifications

There are separate sets of qualifications, requirements, and responsibilities for the Board of Trustees and the Advisory Council, along with some areas of overlap, including the Conflicts of Interest Policy which applies to all nominees for the Board and AC.

Board of Trustees

For the Board of Trustees, the following also applies either as a requirement or as something that will be considered in the evaluation process:

Board of Trustees Nominee Questionnaire, which details a nominee’s background and qualifications.
Expected Qualifications and Responsibilities, which provides an overview of Trustee responsibilities, generally desired skills and experience, and provides information on the time commitment involved in serving on the Board.
Board’s Guidance Letter to the Nomination Committee, which highlights specific relevant experience, background, and skills that the Board is looking for in its new members.
Article V of the ARIN Election Process.

Advisory Council

The AC’s specific requirements focus mainly on the Advisory Council Requirements and Responsibilities, and the Advisory Council Nominee Questionnaire summarizes the background information and qualification details that will be taken into consideration during evaluation. Like the Board, the AC provides a Guidance Letter to the Nomination Committee outlining Highly Recommended, Recommended, and Mandatory attributes.

The Submission of Nominations

Any individual may submit a self-nomination for the Board or AC, whether they are associated with a General Member organization or not.

All nominees are still required to complete the nominee questionnaire within the published nomination period, and Board nominees must allow an independent third party to conduct a background check. Nominees who do not complete these required steps will not be eligible for consideration. Contact information and the details of the background check are all kept strictly confidential.

The Evaluation and Classification

Once the nomination period closes, the nominees will be evaluated by a third-party vendor, and all qualified nominees will appear on the ballot with a classification of Well Qualified, Qualified, or Qualifications not Demonstrated.

The third-party vendor engaged by ARIN will have the sole responsibility to review and assess each nominee. This includes reviewing the nomination questionnaire responses and Guidance Letters and determining qualification categories for all nominees. For all Board nominees, the vendor will also conduct background checks and interviews.

With the completion of the candidate slate development process, the NomCom will provide an Initial Slate of Candidates for the Board and AC. The only nominees not included on this initial slate will be individuals classified as “Unable to Qualify” based on the evaluation criteria. If any individuals are assessed as being unable to qualify, they will be offered an opportunity to petition the community to be added to the ballot.

The Summation

The information provided here is just an overview of an intricate series of procedures and processes described in detail in the following source documents:

The nominations process is just the start of all this. For information on petitions, the final slate of candidates, and actual voting procedures, be sure to check out the links above.

Take the Next Step!

Are you interested in running for the Board or Advisory Council? Watch our Leadership Development Series of two short, on-demand videos to learn more about the roles of the Board and AC and how you can get involved. Then select one of the links below to take the next step and submit a nomination before 7:00 PM ET on 30 June 2023.

This year’s elections will fill three full-term seats and a one-year term seat on the Board of Trustees for terms starting on 1 January 2024. For the Advisory Council, there will be five full-term seats and an additional seat with a one-year term to fill.

Stay tuned to the ARIN website, subscribe to the ARIN Announce and General Members mailing lists, and follow us on social media for updates on 2023 ARIN Election processes and participation opportunities.

Post written by:

Jason Byrne
Senior Customer Success Analyst

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