[foundation-board] Face to face Board meeting this Thursday

[Jo Walsh]

On 09/08/2010 09:11, Becky Hogge wrote:
> Is everybody still on for the face-to-face Board meeting this
> Thursday? Please can you RSVP, as I've had pretty much radio silence
> since we landed on the 12th as a date last week.

Definitely still on, looking forward to it a lot!
Planning to travel down to Cambridge late the evening before after 
dropping Archer off with grandparents in Reading.

> that Tuesday evening off. Let me know if you're in favour.

I'll try my best, but have a JISC meeting that day and can't guarantee 
an Archer-free evening - i never seem to be entirely present on Board 
telecons :/

> I've started a draft Agenda here:
> http://okfn.org/board/wiki/BoardMeetings/2010-08-12

Cool. Can someone remind me of the new board password. I keep stalling 
on writing up the minutes because i have forgotten it, and my email 
archives are completely messed up (right now, or always).

> Finally, I'd like to have a discussion about governance. I'm acutely
> aware that although the Board takes ultimate responsibility for the
> financial and legal health of the organisation, it's very unclear to
> whom we delegate that responsibility in the day-to-day and, therefore,
> from whom we seek reports and, ultimately, accountability at our
> quarterly board meetings.

Do we delegate responsibility? Or is responsibility delegated upwards 
towards us?

Agreeing completely that this topic needs some airing, agreement and 
documentation. There has been related discussion recently on the coord 
list. I'm conscious that perhaps not enough other Board members are also 
on the coord list.

In the coord context i'm still, as ever, struggling to understand 
properly how "we" think the Foundation is run as it expands so rapidly. 
But i think the coord list is where day-to-day operational issues (other 
than the financial/contractual) should be aired and shared; and where 
reports from projects and working groups should be requested.

Prompted to think harder about governance by a new friend here in 
Edinburgh, Paola di Maio, whose PhD is on open governance processes.
She's raised a lot of questions about the *appearance* of how OKF is 
run, which probably dovetail with yours.

See the bottom half of this email if you want to think about this:
http://lists.okfn.org/pipermail/okfn-coord/2010-August/000059.html

In my mind, it is important to separate out the practical bits that 
really should be private (contracts in indefinite state, sums of money 
in an uncertain place, comments that could affect other peoples' current 
employment situations) from the practical bits that can only benefit 
from being discussed in public (governance structure of the Foundation, 
general responsibilities of the board) on the coord list.

And it will be *great* to be able to talk things over in person, the 
face-to-face meeting could not be better timed. Looking forward.
Becky, i really appreciate your undertaking the "Voice of Reason" 
position here and the nudging you are doing - keep on!

with love,


jo
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