<div dir="ltr"><span id="gmail-docs-internal-guid-8c252b61-ad8f-d1cc-2883-35076d5745a6"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Dear FOSS4G Community,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">We, the FOSS4G NA Core Committee, are looking for a volunteer to chair the conference committee for the FOSS4G North America 2018 conference. The Conference Committee Chair (CCC) will be responsible for working with the Logistical Organizer (LO) to run a successful conference in 2018. The CCC ultimately shapes the conference, and the success of the conference largely relies on his or her passion and hard work. The North America geospatial community needs someone who is willing to commit themselves to making this FOSS4G NA the best ever, for the benefit of and with the gratitude of all of us. If this sounds like you or someone you know, please get in touch!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Some details:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The CCC chooses, organizes and leads the conference committee. The conference committee will work with the LO to run the conference. The FOSS4G NA core committee, as part of our responsibilities, have chosen the Eclipse Foundation/LocationTech as the Logistical Organizer. The Eclipse Foundation was the LO for past two FOSS4G NA conferences, and has been organizing conferences professionally for 14 years.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The responsibilities of the LO and CCC are described in the FOSS4G NA governance document here: </span><a href="https://goo.gl/NJAHUj" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">https://goo.gl/NJAHUj</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">. In short, the CCC and the conference committee are responsible for all conference content and any activities that fall outside the scope of the Logistical Organizer. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Eclipse Foundation will be on the forefront of selecting a city and venue for the 2018 conference, based on a well trodden process that they as conference organizers have been doing for many years with a lot of success. This includes  FOSS4G NA 2015 (San Francisco) and FOSS4G NA 2016 (Raleigh), which have seen the highest attendee numbers for FOSS4G NA conferences with very positive attendee feedback. The CCC, core committee, and general public are invited to participate in the city/venue/date selection process by suggesting and making cases for cities and venues in open discussion. The date of the conference and the venue will come down to where the LO can support and a final decision by the core committee.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">While the CCC should reside in North America, the CCC is not required to live in the city which is chosen to host the event; in fact the city will not be chosen until after a CCC has been selected. However, the CCC is expected to work with local organizations and volunteers (such as OSGeo local chapters, local geo meetup groups, etc) in order to ensure the conference includes local participation. Participation by local volunteers has been a key element in the success of past conferences. The core committee, the LO, and the general community can and will help with this task of recruiting local involvement, but the responsibility of organizing local involvement lies with the CCC. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">If you would like to volunteer for CCC, please make a post to the </span><a href="https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/foss4gna_selection" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">foss4gna_selection</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> google group describing why you want to be involved. If you have any questions, please feel free to post to the foss4gna_selection list or contact the core committee at <a href="mailto:foss4gna.core.committee@gmail.com">foss4gna.core.committee@gmail.com</a>.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Sincerely,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The FOSS4G NA Core Committee</span> </p></span></div>