[OSGeo-Discuss] New OSGeo President and Board Election Results

[Tyler Mitchell (OSGeo)]

The Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) recently added two new  
directors to its board and updated its officer positions, including a  
new President.

New President

The OSGeo Board of Directors selected Arnulf Christl as its new  
President. Mr. Christl brings years of experience in the geospatial  
industry, including a strong perspective on the use of free and open  
source software within a business context through his company  
WhereGroup in Bonn, Germany. He has served on OSGeo's Board from its  
inception and been involved in several aspects from Marketing to Web  
management as well as in leading the Mapbender web mapping project.  
He is committed to seeing OSGeo continue its global advocacy efforts  
to help organizations continue to adopt free and open source  
solutions across all domains.

He explains, "I'm pleased to be able to help in my new role as OSGeo  
President. I have three main goals on my personal agenda. First,  
further support for emerging local chapters, encouraging them to  
develop meetings/conferences that complement our global FOSS4G  
effort. Second, improve our support for businesses using and  
supporting Open Source Geospatial software. Our organization is now  
so strong and healthy that we need to tell the world about it in the  
press and at conferences. Third, and most challenging, bridging the  
extremes of proprietary businesses and thorough grassroots  
volunteerism. If it is possible, then OSGeo is the organization  
capable of bridging this gap."


New Treasurer

After two years in the position, Frank Warmerdam stepped down as  
President to focus on others aspects of the organization and to make  
space for new ideas and vision in the leadership role. He was chosen  
as the new Treasurer of OSGeo, taking over from Dave McIlhagga who  
held the position previously.

Mr. Warmerdam describes the change, "I really enjoyed being President  
and am thrilled with the progress we've made. Arnulf's enthusiasm and  
experience make him a ideal President. I have been interested in  
helping more on the financial management side of the organisation, so  
it's great to be able to do so in the official role as Treasurer."

As a leader of the GDAL/OGR Project, Mr. Warmerdam has been closely  
tied to the finances of OSGeo, collecting over $30,000 (USD) in  
sponsorships for that project. He will help to streamline financial  
processes and oversee financial reporting, while working alongside  
the current Finance Committee.


New Board

In July, 2008, elections for 4 (out of 9) Board of Director positions  
were completed. The results saw two new directors join and two others  
re-elected to previously expired positions. The new board consists of:

Robert (Bob) Bray (USA)
Howard Butler (USA) - New director
Arnulf Christl (Germany) - Re-elected
Ari Jolma (Finland) - New director
Markus Neteler (Italy)
Paul Ramsey (Canada)
Jeroen Ticheler (The Netherlands)
Jo Walsh (Spain)
Frank Warmerdam (Canada) - Re-elected

About the Open Source Geospatial Foundation

The Open Source Geospatial Foundation, or OSGeo, is a not-for-profit  
organization whose mission is to support and promote the  
collaborative development of open geospatial technologies and data.  
The Foundation provides financial, organizational and legal support  
to the broader open source geospatial community. It also serves as an  
independent legal entity to which community members can contribute  
code, funding and other resources, secure in the knowledge that their  
contributions will be maintained for public benefit.

OSGeo also serves as an outreach and advocacy organization for the  
open source geospatial community, and provides a common forum and  
shared infrastructure for improving cross-project collaboration. The  
Foundation's projects are all freely available and useable under an  
OSI-certified open source license.
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Contact: Tyler Mitchell, Executive Director, OSGeo Email:  
tmitchell at osgeo.org