OSI’s board of directors in 2025: details about the elections
The OSI board of directors is renewing three of its seats with an open election process among its full individual members and affiliates. There will be two elections in March, running in parallel:
- The affiliate organizations will elect two directors
- Individual members will elect one director
UPDATE: We sincerely apologize for the error in our election materials regarding the number of seats available for election. OSI initially overlooked that Chestek was elected by Affiliates. Thankfully, a candidate caught the mistake in time, and we have corrected the ballots before elections opened. To prevent similar errors in the future, we have updated our procedures to improve accuracy. We appreciate your understanding and your participation in the process!
The results of elections for both Individual and Affiliate member board seats are advisory with the OSI Board making the formal appointments to open seats based on the community’s votes. Sign up before March 7 to become a full individual member (Supporting or Professional) and vote. Voting ends on Monday March 17, 1700 UTC. (Check for when polls close in your time zone).
2025 elections timeline
The role of the board of directors
The board of directors is the ultimate authority responsible for the Open Source Initiative as a California public benefit corporation, with 501(c)3 tax-exempt status. The board’s responsibilities include oversight of the organization, approving the budget and supporting the executive director and staff to fulfill its mission.
The OSI isn’t a volunteer-run organization anymore: Each director is expected to be a counsel and a guide for staff rather than an active contributor. Directors should guide discussions, support the vision and mission of the organization, and advocate for the OSI. They’re also asked to support the fundraising efforts however they feel comfortable doing.
The board is governed by the bylaws. Each board member is expected to sign the board member agreement before they’re seated. Depending on expertise and availability, directors are expected to serve on the active committees: the license, policy, fundraising and financial committees.
Candidates will be asked to share their ideas on how they’ll contribute to the vision and mission, and the 2025 strategic objectives.
The rules for how OSI runs the elections are published on our website. We’ll communicate more details in the coming weeks: stay tuned for announcements on our social media channels (Fediverse, LinkedIn, Bluesky)