Advisory Council

Meeting agendas: 15 Feb 2018, 12 Mar 2018, 09 Apr 2018

Overview

Open source is a practice of transparency, collaboration, and meritocracy with the guarantee of licensing to back it up. Open source has developed over the past 20 years into ideals that many technologists aspire to. Open data is the next step in the evolution of the open source ideals. There are many experienced open data professionals that have been advancing the cause for years. The Open Data Initiative (ODI) means to enhance those efforts with an open data implementation community of professionals. However, ODI is only as strong as the people participating and backing up its mission. There are a few of us right now that are involved in the day to day operations of ODI: Garrett Johnson, Albert Suarez, and Sean Roberts. I want to broaden the ODI participation to additional people and organizations. To accomplish this I started with the Partner Member moniker, inviting organizations to participate in events and articles. Next, I want to create a group of shared responsibility to manage ODI strategic decisions.

I have developed an outline below of how this strategic, shared responsibility group would work:

Organizing the Open Data Initiative

  • The ODI community needs to have transparency and some say in how ODI is managed
  • We create a group of shared responsibility to manage ODI strategic decisions such as:
    • Establishing annual objectives
    • The Mission
    • IP and branding decisions
    • Participation definitions
    • When to become a corporate nonprofit. Bylaws will be created by a broader group to be designated, if and when the incorporation decision is made.
  • Right now, the Lincoln Network administers ODI and so funding flows through the Lincoln Network. Funding will continue this way, until ODI becomes a nonprofit corporation and ODI assets move from Lincoln Network into the ODI nonprofit corporation.
  • Technology decisions are the responsibility of the projects. The Advisory Council and Membership may impact those decisions by direct Contribution in those projects they want to influence.
  • There are two ODI employee roles at this time: Director and Program Manager
    • ODI Director is accountable for policy, project, membership, event, marketing, and administration decisions
    • ODI Program Manager is responsible for policy, membership, event, and marketing implementation
  • Advisory Council is informed monthly by the Director on policy, project, membership, event, marketing, and administration
  • Hold first Advisory Council meeting in February 2018 and then monthly
  • Publish agenda, invite ODI Individual Members to view the meeting via video and comment. Invite the ODI Partner Members to participate in the meetings, but without a vote. Plans for group structure must be published before the first meeting is scheduled.
  • Advisory Council meetings will follow a simple version of the Robert’s Rules of Order..
    • Chair Call to Order (Announce the Meeting is Starting)
    • Chair Verify a quorum exists (3 of 5 voting Advisory Council members present). If there not a quorum, postpone the meeting.
    • Chair starts the discussion business held over from the previous meeting
    • Chair starts the discussion on the current agenda
    • Any voting Advsiory Council member may motion to establish decisions (such as adopting an 2018 ODI objective): One person makes a motion. Another must second the motion. The chair asks if there is interest in discussion/debate. Followed by the chair calling a for a vote. Majority wins. Chair can ask if there are abstentions.
    • Chair can ask if there is any other business (if time is remaining)
    • Chair Closing the Meeting (Announce the Meeting is Ending)
  • Create an Advisory Council with 5 voting seats: 3 seats for Lincoln and 2 minority voting seats by ODI Director appointment
    • Appointed seats filled by Christian Hoehner Data Coalition Policy Director and Alex Howard Sunlight Foundation Deputy Director
    • Lincoln Network seats filled by Sean as ODI Director and Advisory Council Chair, Albert as ODI Program Manager, Garrett as Lincoln Network Executive Director
  • ODI Director decides voting seat members the first year. Voting seats annually renewed automatically for the first two years unless a voting seat steps down. After first year, contention for a voting seat determined by Partner Member vote.
  • Nonprofit corporate Board of Directors may replace this group

References

Published February 12, 2018