[ARIN-consult] Reminder: Consultation on Increasing the size of the ARIN Board of Trustees

[David Farmer]

I agree with Jason and Rob, simply expanding the number of board seats
without some mechanism to ensure that the new seats actually expand
diversity is not helpful, and I can not support such a change.  I will note
it is theoretically possible that, the membership will fill the new Board
seats with a more diverse set of board members, but it is equally, if not
more, likely that they will not, and the board will look much as it does
today but slightly larger.  A slightly larger board that has more diversity
is a fair trade-off and I support such a change if it includes a mechanism
to ensure that the new seats actually expand diversity.

I don't think a regional representation system would be helpful over all,
it wouldn't necessarily help increasing the number of women on the board,
and it would formalize a constituency for some board members that isn't the
whole membership, and I'm not sure that would be a healthy change either.

As an alternative, I would propose that the board earmark the additional
seat in each class for candidates with particular divers properties that
are underrepresented on the board.  Currently, I see the most pressing lack
of diversity being women in general and anyone from the Caribbean.  So I
would propose that the extra seat for the 1st and 3rd class of broad
members be earmarked for women, and the extra seat in the 2nd class be
earmarked for someone from the Caribbean.  Overtime if the make up of the
board changes the earmarks could be changed to select candidates with other
divers properties or if in the future it is felt that sufficient diversity
can be maintained without earmarks, the earmarks could be eliminated.

Under this proposal, there would be two(2) general seats with the current
qualifications, and one special diversity seat per class with the current
qualifications plus additional diversity qualifications specified by the
board, maybe with input from the community and/or the nomcom.

Thanks.


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David Farmer               Email:farmer at umn.edu
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