The Liaison cannot be a candidate for any open leadership position. The
opportunity to serve as a Liaison to the NomCom is a great learning opportunity
for anyone considering other leadership positions, as it provides exposure to
the IETF’s selection process for IESG, IAB, IETF Trust Trustee, and IETF LLC
positions.
The Liaison is expected to represent the IAB neutrally and not to advocate for
particular candidates. All discussions and supporting information within the
NomCom are confidential and not to be shared outside of NomCom (including with
the IAB). The NomCom operational procedures and the responsibilities of the
IAB Liaison are described in RFC 8713.
The IAB Liaison to the NomCom has mainly two basic functions:
The Liaison participates as a non-voting member to represent the views of
the IAB and provide information about the duties involved in serving on the
IAB or the operation of the IAB when requested or when they believe it would
be helpful. As such, the Liaison is responsible for providing NomCom with
(1) a summary of desired expertise for the IAB Member position, (2) a list of
IAB open positions to be reviewed, and (3) an indication of who will or will
not run for that position. The Liaison is also responsible for conveying
questions to the IAB and for providing responses to the committee. The
IAB Job Description should be updated if needed.
The Liaison is responsible for providing the IAB with the NomCom’s list of
selected IESG candidates for confirmation and reporting back on the
confirmation. The IAB uses a separate mailing list for IESG confirmation that
excludes the IETF chair and IAB members who are candidates for any IESG
position. To advise the IAB that the NomCom process was properly followed, the
Liaison is also responsible for ensuring that the NomCom executes its assigned
duties in the best interests of the IETF community. Any concerns should be
reported to the NomCom Chair immediately or via the dispute resolution process
(see RFC 8713).
The Liaison should attend most NomCom meetings, both virtual and in-person.
Each NomCom sets its own schedule; based on past practice, a weekly call is
held during October-December. The Liaison may assist with (some) interviews;
however, it’s each NomCom’s decision whether to do so. During the IETF meeting
in November, the NomCom usually meets daily for breakfast meetings and
schedules most interviews during the week. When in-person IETF meetings are
held, the combination of IAB and NomCom commitments can create considerable
scheduling pressure. The intention is for the Liaison to attend the November
meeting in person; however, remote participation may be possible.
See IAB Nomcom for more details.