[Board] Support for OSGeo officers (Re: My attendance in Portland)

[Frank Warmerdam]

On Thu, Jul 17, 2014 at 10:22 AM, Michael P. Gerlek <mpg at flaxen.com> wrote:

> I realize that Arnulf and Jeff have both done a lot during the tenure, but
> I might humbly suggest they are taking on more work than I’d expect them
> to. I would love to see a list of the events/responsibilities/etc that Jeff
> and Arnulf have covered over the years: I bet it is way more than anyone
> realizes, and that’s just wrong: not fair to them, and out of scope for the
> job (I claim).
>

Folks,

I would like to second Michael's point here.  While I am very impressed by
all they have done, Arnulf and Jeff have taken more on as President than
they need to.  We are a volunteer organization and work needs to be shared
around, and people should not be taking on more than they feel comfortable
with.

I know there can be a perception that the President is somehow special and
needs to be the face of the organization, but I don't buy that.  We don't
need to do that.  It is our choice.

I am speaking as a past president who was quite selective in what
responsibilities he took on.

That said, I have no problem with providing some travel support for Jeff or
others on occasion.


> We have a large contingent of people who can do meet-and-greets and
> evangelism and such (and I know many of us already do). Where someone
> invites formal OSGeo participation, a designated committee (perhaps a
> couple board members or similar) should be able to assist in finding the
> right person: it should not default to the President.
>
> Such opportunities should be done with the expectation that the inviting
> organization help to cover costs. This should include hotel/airfare/food
> plus perhaps a modest, fixed per diem.
>
> I might even go so far as to say the role of President should abolished,
> reverting instead to a simple board chair position. We are a grass-roots,
> volunteer-driven organization. This means that no one should be expected to
> sacrifice career/family/etc for OSGeo duties, and it also means that if a
> particular function can’t be done via a volunteer and can’t be largely
> funded “organically” then we should not do it.
>
> (Also, I would argue strongly against going back to hiring an Executive
> Director. We’ve shown over the years that we’re Not That Kind of
> Organization, let’s just stick with the things we know we can be successful
> at.)
>

+1

I'd like to see some modest paid administrative support, but I am not ready
to go back down the executive director road again.

Best regards,
Frank


>
> -mpg
>
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-- 
---------------------------------------+--------------------------------------
I set the clouds in motion - turn up   | Frank Warmerdam,
warmerdam at pobox.com
light and sound - activate the windows | http://pobox.com/~warmerdam
and watch the world go round - Rush    | Geospatial Software Developer
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