Media Information
Press Releases
ISOC Extends Call for PIR Board Member Nominations
The Internet Society (ISOC) seeks a maximum of three highly qualified individuals to serve on the Board of Directors of the Public Interest Registry (PIR) for the period 2008-2010. PIR's business is managing an international registry of .org domain names. The Board meets in person 3-4 times per year. The time commitment is approximately 14-18 full days per year with travel on either side of the meeting, plus additional phone calls and e-mail.
Qualifications sought include:
- Demonstrated business acumen with significant entrepreneurial, non-commercial and/or marketing skills;
- understanding and engagement in the retail domain name space;
- known contributor to the ICANN processes;
- financial literacy;
- expertise in the application of Internet technologies to support non-commercial organizations; and
- experience with the operation and policies of TLD registries.
- Global diversity in candidates is desired.
Please forward a statement of interest and qualifications, three references, and a curriculum vitae highlighting relevant experience, expertise, and contact information to:
Lynn St. Amour, President and CEO, Internet Society
Email: pir-nomcomm@isoc.org.
Please submit materials in attached documents (pdf, .doc, .txt)
For full consideration, please apply by June 28th, 2007. Applications will be evaluated as they are received.
Selection Process
The PIR board members are appointed by the Internet Society Board of Trustees after reviewing a proposed slate from the ISOC selection committee. See Resolution 06-19
This is expected to be complete by the end of July and all candidates will be contacted as appropriate once the selection process is complete.
About PIR
Public Interest Registry - www.pir.org - is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit corporation created by the Internet Society (ISOC) to manage the .ORG domain. PIR's mission is to manage the .ORG domain in an exemplary manner, while educating and empowering the global non-commercial community to use the Internet more effectively and, concurrently, to take a leadership position among Internet stakeholders on policy and related issues within the Domain Name arena. PIR is based in Reston, VA, USA.
About .ORG
The .ORG domain, which has come to be associated with noncommercial activities, is the Internet's third largest "generic" or non-country specific top-level domain with more than 6 million domain names registered worldwide. In 2002, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
(ICANN) Board of Directors selected ISOC's proposal from among 11 organizations bidding to operate the .ORG top-level domain. PIR assumed control of the registry on 1 January 2003.
Desired Characteristics of Board Members
Time Commitment
PIR Board Members are required to dedicate a significant amount of time and this should be carefully vetted with new board members. A firm commitment must be in place to attend meetings in person as it is imperative that a small board have full participation.
Board Meetings: four per year, 1.5 days in length plus travel time. One in Reston, VA in January and the other three collocated with ICANN meetings around the world.
Strategic Planning Retreat: one per year, generally 3 days plus travel time, can be anywhere in the world.
Advisory Council Meeting: one per year, generally 3 days in the fall plus travel time, can be anywhere in the world.
Conference calls: as needed, currently weekly.
Email correspondence: daily.
Because the board is intentionally small, it is also important for the board members to seriously consider their role as an officer. Currently, we have five elected officer positions: Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, and Assistant Secretary, two of which will be filled with non-board members.
Skills
The priority skills are as follows:
- General business acumen with either significant entrepreneurial, non-profit and/or marketing (not sales) skills
- Known as a contributor in ICANN - Understanding and engagement in the retail domain name space
Additional useful skills are:
- Long term strategic thinker
- Financial acumen; PIR is a $40M/yr. enterprise
- Familiarity with the non-commercial enterprise world
- Geographical diversity
Please also note that without current exposure/involvement with the highly volatile name space business arena, it will take board member 6-12 months to get up-to-speed. With two new members next year, it will be crucial to make sure at least one new member is actively engaged in the name space arena.
Personal Qualities of a Board Member
The personal qualitites of a board member are important to a high-functioning small board:
- High ethical standards/integrity
- Motivator
- Strong communication skills
- Passionate and energetic
- Collaborative and consensus builder
PIR - Do Well, Do Right, Do Good
PIR
The Public Interest Registry is the Internet domain registry for all .ORG Top Level Domains. PIR has a particular focus on acting in the public interest. Working together with Afilias, its business partner and back-end provider, PIR seeks to:
Do Well - PIR performs its role as a registry well, serving its registrars and the users of .org names with predictable, reliable, and efficient registration services and name resolution. It seeks to meet and exceed the requirements set by ICANN for registry operation and meet or exceed the expectations of its registrars and the public who use .org names. In this respect, PIR seeks to be an exemplary registry in its operations. PIR is a serious business entity seeking to earn the maximum surplus possible consistent with its other missions below and by doing so, provide the funding that makes the other missions possible.
Do Right - PIR has a particular focus in the Internet name space to envision, develop consensus around, and lead in the implementation of registry and namespace policies that serve the wider interests of registrants and the Internet and therefore its stability as a whole. In this respect, PIR acts in the public interest and seeks to be an exemplary registry in its policies and values.
Do Good - The .org namespace is the natural home of non-commercial organizations on the Internet. PIR has a special role in fostering effective and efficient use of the Internet by non-commercial organizations, and seeks to leverage the benefits non-commercial organizations can provide to society by helping them make innovative and constructive uses of the Internet. In this respect, PIR acts in the public interest and wishes to magnify the good that these non-commercial organizations can provide to society. PIR also seeks to serve the broader goals of Internet education, standards development, and Internet policy stewardship represented by the Internet Society, and uses the vast majority of its surplus to serve the public interest in the Internet in this way.
