<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">+1 from Mark<div><br></div><div><br><div><div>On Jul 31, 2013, at 12:06 PM, Jeff McKenna <<a href="mailto:jmckenna@gatewaygeomatics.com">jmckenna@gatewaygeomatics.com</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite">Still awaiting responses on this from Mark and Anne.<br><br>-jeff<br><br><br><br><br>On 2013-07-14 4:55 PM, Peter Batty wrote:<br><blockquote type="cite">Dear Board,<br><br>I (and the Nottingham LOC) just recently found out that Jeff was not<br>going to be able to make it to FOSS4G Nottingham because of lack of<br>funding. Steven and the LOC would really like to have Jeff there, and I<br>would too. While I support the growth of regional events, I think<br>there's something special about the global event and I think it's<br>important for OSGeo that our President is there. <br><br>We have talked to Jeff and he has indicated that he will be able to<br>attend if his expenses are covered. The LOC has budget for funding<br>keynote speakers as needed, and could just go ahead and fund Jeff's<br>attendance from that, which is a fallback option.<br><br>However, I'm raising this with the board as I think we should establish<br>a principle that OSGeo should pay the President's expenses to go to the<br>annual global conference every year (unless he or she is in a position<br>to fund travel by other means). I think this is a very reasonable thing<br>to do - like I said, I really think it's important for the Foundation<br>that the President should be there each year. But it's not reasonable to<br>expect whoever is President to fund that from their own pocket. I was<br>opposed to automatically funding the whole board to go, just because<br>that becomes a significantly larger expense for OSGeo and quite a number<br>of board members, myself included, work for larger companies who are<br>willing to fund them to attend. And while it's good to have a reasonable<br>number of board members there, I don't think it's critical to the event<br>to have all board members in attendance. But I do think it's really<br>important for the President to be there.<br><br>Financially of course, it would ultimately amount to the same thing for<br>OSGeo whether the LOC just approves the expense or whether the board<br>approves this. But I think we should agree to do it on an ongoing basis.<br><br>Procedurally I don't know if I should propose this as a motion at the<br>next board meeting, or whether we can just have a vote via email. Just<br>in case, I propose a tentative motion:<br><br>OSGeo will refund reasonable travel and living expenses for the OSGeo<br>President to attend the global FOSS4G conference each year. The<br>President has the option of declining this funding if he or she can<br>obtain funding from another source.<br><br>Please let me know what you think.<br><br>Cheers,<br> Peter.<br><br><br></blockquote>_______________________________________________<br>Board mailing list<br><a href="mailto:Board@lists.osgeo.org">Board@lists.osgeo.org</a><br>http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/board<br></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>