IAB/IESG Selection: IAB and IESG Selection, Confirmation, and Recall Process: Operation of the Nominating and Recall Committees
How the IETF community selects and recalls its leaders
Galvin, J., "IAB and IESG Selection, Confirmation, and Recall Process: Operation of the Nominating and Recall Committees", RFC 2027, DOI 10.17487/RFC2027, October 1996, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2027>.
@misc{rfc2027,
series = {Request for Comments},
number = 2027,
howpublished = {RFC 2027},
publisher = {RFC Editor},
doi = {10.17487/RFC2027},
url = {https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2027},
author = {J. Galvin},
title = {{IAB and IESG Selection, Confirmation, and Recall Process: Operation of the Nominating and Recall Committees}},
pagetotal = 11,
year = 1996,
month = oct,
} RFC text
Contents
Network Working Group J. Galvin
Request for Comments: 2027 CommerceNet
BCP: 10 October 1996
Category: Best Current Practice
IAB and IESG Selection, Confirmation, and Recall Process:
Operation of the Nominating and Recall Committees
Status of this Memo
This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the
Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
improvements. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
Abstract
The process by which the members of the IAB and IESG are selected,
confirmed, and recalled has been exercised four times since its
formal creation. The evolution of the process has relied principally
on oral tradition as a means by which the lessons learned could be
passed on to successive committees. This document is a self-
consistent, organized compilation of the process as it is known
today.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction ................................................ 1
2 General ..................................................... 3
3 Nominating Committee Selection............................... 6
4 Nominating Committee Operation............................... 7
5 Member Recall ............................................... 10
6 Security Considerations ..................................... 11
7 Editor's Address ............................................ 11
1. Introduction
By 1992, many aspects of the operation of the Internet Architecture
Board (IAB), Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), and the Internet
Engineering Steering Group (IESG) had been reviewed and changes were
being implemented. Included in those changes was the process by
which members of the IAB and IESG are selected, confirmed, and
recalled. Since 1992, the process of selection and confirmation has
been exercised four times: 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995. The recall
process has not been exercised.
A single paragraph in RFC1602 is the extent to which the process has
been formally recorded to date. Informally, following the 1992
exercise of the process, an internet draft was distributed recording
many of the details of the operation of that first nominating
committee. In addition, in both 1994 and 1995, the POISED working
group met, which facilitated the "oral tradition" transference of the
selection and confirmation process lessons learned, including the
email archives of the working group mailing list. This document is a
self-consistent, organized compilation of the process as described by
each of these sources.
The process described here includes only items for which the
consensus of those participating in the various discussions was
easily recognized. As a result, two assumptions are made.
(1) The Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) and Internet
Research Steering Group (IRSG) are not a part of the process
described here.
(2) The organization (and re-organization) of the IESG is not a
part of the process described here.
In addition, this document specifies time frames for which the frame
of reference is IETF meetings. The time frames assume that the IETF
meets at least once per year with that meeting occurring during the
North American Spring time, i.e., the IETF meets at least on or about
March of each year.
The remainder of this document is divided into four major topics as
follows.
General
This a set of rules and constraints that apply to the
selection and confirmation process as a whole.
Nominating Committee Selection
This is the process by which volunteers from the IETF
community are recognized to serve on the committee that
nominates candidates to serve on the IESG and IAB.
Nominating Committee Operation
This is the set of principles, rules, and constraints
that guide the activities of the nominating committee,
including the confirmation process.
Member Recall
This is the process by which the behavior of a sitting
member of the IESG or IAB may be questioned, perhaps
resulting in the removal of the sitting member.
2. General
The following set of rules apply to the selection and confirmation
process as a whole. If necessary, a paragraph discussing the
interpretation of each rule is included.
(1) The principal function of the nominating committee is to
recruit and nominate candidates for open IESG and IAB
positions.
The nominating committee does not select the open positions
to be filled; it is instructed as to which positions to fill.
At a minimum, the nominating committee will be given the title
of the position to be filled. The nominating committee may be
given a desirable set of qualifications for the candidates
nominated to fill a position. The nominating committee does not
confirm its candidates; it presents its candidates to the
appropriate confirming body as indicated below.
(2) The annual selection and confirmation process is expected to be
completed within 3 months.
The annual selection and confirmation process is expected to be
completed one month prior to the friday of the week before the
Spring IETF. It is expected to begin 4 months prior to the
friday of the week before the Spring IETF.
(3) One-half of each of the then current IESG and IAB positions is
selected to be refilled each year.
A given position is selected every other year. The intent is to
replace no more than 50% of the sitting IESG and IAB members in
any one year.
A position may be refilled with its sitting member, if the
sitting member is nominated by the nominating committee.
(4) Confirmed candidates are expected to serve at least a 2 year
term.
All member terms end during the Spring IETF meeting
corresponding to the end of the term for which they were
confirmed. The term ends no later than the second to last
day and no sooner than the Open Plenary session of the Spring
IETF, as determined by the mutual agreement of the confirmed
candidate and the currently sitting member. The term begins no
later than the last day and no sooner than the Open Plenary
session of the Spring IETF meeting, as determined by the mutual
agreement of the confirmed candidate and the currently sitting
member.
(5) Mid-term IESG vacancies are filled by the same rules as
documented here with four qualifications. First, the most
recently constituted nominating committee is reconvened to
nominate a candidate to fill the vacancy. Second, the
selection and confirmation process is expected to be completed
within 1 month, with a prorated time period for all other time
periods not otherwise specified. Third, the confirming body
has two weeks from the day it is notified of a candidate to
reject the candidate, otherwise the candidate is assumed to
have been confirmed. Fourth, the term of the confirmed
candidate will be either:
a. the remainder of the term of the open position if that remainder
is not less than one year.
b. the remainder of the term of the open position plus the next
2 year term if that remainder is less than one year.
(6) Mid-term IAB vacancies are filled by the same rules as
documented here with four qualifications. First, the most
recently constituted nominating committee is reconvened to
nominate a candidate to fill the vacancy. Second, the selection
and confirmation process is expected to be completed within
1 month, with a prorated time period for all other time periods
not otherwise specified. Third, the confirming body has two
weeks from the day it is notified of a candidate to reject the
candidate, otherwise the candidate is assumed to have been
confirmed. Fourth, the term of the confirmed candidate will
be either:
a. the remainder of the term of the open position if that remainder
is not less than one year.
b. the remainder of the term of the open position plus the next
2 year term if that remainder is less than one year.
(7) All deliberations and supporting information of all the
participants in the selection and confirmation process are
private. The nominating committee and confirming body members
will be exposed to confidential information as a result of
their deliberations, their interactions with those they consult,
and from nominees who provide requested supporting information.
All members and all other participants are expected to handle
this information in a manner consistent with its sensitivity.
(8) Unless otherwise specified, the advise and consent model is used
throughout the process. This model is characterized as follows.
a. The IETF Executive Director advises the nominating committee of
the IESG and IAB positions to be refilled.
b. The nominating committee selects candidates and advises the
confirming bodies of them.
c. The sitting IAB members review the IESG candidates, consenting
to some, all, or none.
If all of the candidates are confirmed, the job of the
nominating committee with respect to filling the open IESG
positions is considered complete. If some or none of the
candidates are confirmed, the nominating committee must
reconvene to select alternate candidates for the rejected
candidates. Any additional time required by the nominating
committee should not exceed its maximum time allotment.
d. The Internet Society Board of Trustees reviews the IAB
candidates, consenting to some, all, or none.
If all of the candidates are confirmed, the job of the
nominating committee with respect to filling the open IAB
positions is considered complete. If some or none of the
candidates are confirmed, the nominating committee must
reconvene to select alternate candidates for the rejected
candidates. Any additional time required by the nominating
committee should not exceed its maximum time allotment.
e. The confirming bodies decide their consent according to a
mechanism of their own choosing, which must ensure that at
least one-half of the sitting members agree with the
decision.
At least one-half of the sitting members of the confirming
bodies must agree to either confirm or reject each individual
nominee. The agreement must be decided within a reasonable
timeframe. The agreement may be decided by conducting a
formal vote, by asserting consensus based on informal
exchanges (email), or by whatever mechanism is used to
conduct the normal business of the confirming body.
3. Nominating Committee Selection
The following set of rules apply to the creation of the nominating
committee and the selection of its members.
(1) The committee is comprised of at least a non-voting Chair, 10
voting volunteers, and 2 non-voting liaisons.
A Chair is permitted to invite additional non-voting advisors to
participate in some or all of the deliberations of the committee.
(2) The Internet Society President appoints the non-voting Chair, who
must meet the usual requirements for membership in the nominating
committee.
The nominating committee Chair must agree to invest the time
necessary to complete the duties of the nominating committee
and to perform in the best interests of the IETF community
during the performance of those duties.
(3) The Chair obtains the list of IESG and IAB positions to be
refilled and publishes it along with a solicitation for
names of volunteers from the IETF community willing to
serve on the nominating committee.
The list of open positions is published with the solicitation to
facilitate community members choosing between volunteering for an
open position and volunteering for the nominating committee.
The list and solicitation must be publicized using at least the
same mechanism used by the IETF secretariat for its announcements.
(4) Members of the IETF community must have attended at least 2 of the
last 3 IETF meetings in order to volunteer.
(5) Internet Society Board of Trustees, sitting members of the IAB,
and sitting members of the IESG may not volunteer.
(6) The Chair randomly selects the 10 voting volunteers from the pool
of names of volunteers.
(7) The sitting IAB and IESG members each appoint a non-voting liaison
to the nominating committee from their current membership who are
not sitting in an open position.
(8) The Chair may solicit additional non-voting liaisons from other
organizations, who must meet the usual requirements for membership
in the nominating committee.
4. Nominating Committee Operation
The following rules apply to the operation of the nominating
committee. If necessary, a paragraph discussing the interpretation
of each rule is included.
The rules are organized approximately in the order in which they
would be invoked.
The term nominee refers to an individual under consideration by the
nominating committee. The term candidate efers to a nominee that has
been selected by the nominating committee to be considered for
confirmation by a confirming body. A confirmed candidate is a
candidate that has been reviewed and approved by a confirming body.
(1) All rules and special circumstances not otherwise specified
are at the discretion of the Chair.
Exceptional circumstances will occasionally arise during the
normal operation of the nominating committee. This rule is
intended to foster the continued forward progress of the
committee. All members of the committee should consider
whether the exception is worthy of mention in the next
revision of this document and followup accordingly.
(2) The Chair must establish and publicize milestones, which must
include at least a call for nominations.
There is a defined time period during which the selection and
confirmation process must be completed. The Chair must
establish a set of milestones which, if met in a timely
fashion, will result in the completion of the process on
time. The Chair should allow time for iterating the
activities of the committee if one or more candidates
is not confirmed.
The milestones must be publicized using at least the same
mechanism used by the IETF secretariat for its announcements.
(3) The Chair must establish a voting mechanism.
The committee must be able to objectively determine when
a decision has been made during its deliberations. The
criteria for determining closure must be established and
known to all members of the nominating committee.
(4) At least a quorum of committee members must participate in
a vote. A quorum is comprised of at least 7 voting members.
(5) The Chair may establish a process by which a member of the
nominating committee may be recalled.
The process, if established, must be agreed to by a 3/4
majority of the members of the nominating committee,
including the non-voting members since they would be
subject to the same process.
(6) All members of the nominating committee may participate in all
deliberations.
The emphasis of this rule is that no member, whether voting or
non-voting, can be explicitly excluded from any deliberation.
However, a member may individually choose not to participate
in a deliberation.
(7) The Chair announces the open positions to be filled and
the call for nominees.
The announcements must be publicized using at least the same
mechanism used by the IETF secretariat for its announcements.
(8) Any member of the IETF community may nominate any member
of the IETF community for any open position.
A self-nomination is permitted.
(9) Nominating committee members must not be nominees.
To be a nominee is to enter the process of being selected
as a candidate and confirmed. Nominating committee members
are not eligible to be considered for filling any open
position.
(10) Members of the IETF community who were recalled from any
IESG or IAB position during the previous two years must
not be nominees.
(11) The nominating committee selects candidates based on its
understanding of the IETF community's consensus of the
qualifications required to fill the open positions.
(12) Nominees should be advised that they are being considered
and must consent to their nomination prior to being
confirmed.
The nominating committee should help nominees provide
justification to their employers.
A nominee's consent must be written (email is acceptable)
and include a commitment to provide the resources necessary
to fill the open position and an assurance that the nominee
will perform the duties of the position for which they are
being considered in the best interests of the IETF community.
(13) The nominating committee advises the confirming bodies of
their candidates, specifying a single candidate for each
open position and a testament as to how each candidate
meets the qualifications of an open position.
The testament may include a brief resume of the candidate
and a summary of the deliberations of the nominating committee.
(14) With respect to any action to be taken in the context of
notifying and announcing confirmed candidates, and notifying
rejected nominees and candidates, the action must be valid
according to all of the rules specified below prior to its
execution.
a. Up until a candidate is confirmed, the identity of the
candidate must be kept strictly confidential.
b. The identity of all nominees must be kept strictly confidential
(except that the nominee may publicize their intentions).
c. Rejected nominees may be notified as soon as they are rejected.
d. Rejected candidates may be notified as soon as they are rejected.
e. Rejected nominees and candidates must be notified prior to
announcing confirmed candidates.
f. Confirmed candidates may be notified and announced as soon as
they are confirmed.
It is consistent with these rules for a nominee to never know if
they were a candidate or not.
It is consistent with these rules for a nominating committee to
reject some nominees early in the process and to keep some
nominees as alternates in case a candidate is rejected by a
confirming body. In the matter of whether a confirmed candidate
was a first choice or an alternate, that information need not
ever be disclosed and, in fact, probably never should be.
It is consistent with these rules for confirmed candidates
to be notified and announced as quickly as possible instead
of requiring all confirmed candidates to wait until all open
positions have been refilled.
The announcements must be publicized using at least the same
mechanism used by the IETF secretariat for its announcements.
5. Member Recall
The following rules apply to the recall process. If necessary, a
paragraph discussing the interpretation of each rule is included.
(1) Anyone may request the recall of any sitting IAB or IESG member,
at any time, upon written (email is acceptable) request with
justification to the Internet Society President.
(2) Internet Society President shall appoint a Recall Committee
Chair.
The Internet Society President must not evaluate the recall
request. It is explicitly the responsibility of the IETF
community to evaluate the behavior of its leaders.
(3) The recall committee is created according to the same rules
as is the nominating committee with the qualifications that
the person being investigated and the person requesting the
recall must not be a member of the recall committee in any
capacity.
(4) The recall committee operates according to the same rules as
the nominating committee with the qualification that there
is no confirmation process.
(5) The recall committee investigates the circumstances of the
justification for the recall and votes on its findings.
The investigation must include at least both an opportunity
for the member being recalled to present a written statement
and consultation with third parties.
(6) A 3/4 majority of the members who vote on the question is
required for a recall.
If a sitting member is recalled the open position is to be
filled according to the mid-term vacancy rules.
6. Security Considerations
Any selection, confirmation, or recall process necessarily involves
investigation into the qualifications and activities of prospective
candidates. The investigation may reveal confidential or otherwise
private information about candidates to those participating in the
process. Each person who participates in any aspect of the process
has a responsibility to maintain the confidentiality of any and all
information not explicitly identified as suitable for public
dissemination.
7. Editor's Address
James M. Galvin
CommerceNet
P.O. Box 220
Glenwood, MD 21738
Email: galvin@commerce.net
Phone: +1 410.795.6882
AI ELI5
On this page
§1Why Document the Process
The IAB and IESG are the bodies that oversee the Internet standards process. For years, the procedure for selecting, confirming, and recalling members had been executed multiple times (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995) but was documented only as an "oral tradition"—knowledge passed between successive nominating committees through informal discussions and email archives. This approach worked but created inefficiency and inconsistency. RFC 2027 formalizes the process that the community had evolved, making it transparent and repeatable. The document compiles lessons learned from four years of practice into a clear, written rulebook so future committees do not have to reinvent procedures or guess at best practices.
Nobody wrote down the rules, so every year someone had to remember what the previous year's people did and explain it to the new volunteers. This RFC writes it all down so everyone knows what to do.
§2Fundamental Rules
Six key rules govern the entire selection and confirmation process. First, the nominating committee's job is to recruit and nominate candidates; it does not select which positions to fill—it is instructed what to fill. Second, the entire annual process (from selecting the committee to confirming all candidates) must complete within three months, with a specific timeline relative to the spring IETF meeting. Third, approximately half of the IESG and IAB positions are refilled each year, ensuring continuity and preventing massive turnover. Fourth, confirmed members serve at least a two-year term. Fifth, mid-term vacancies (due to resignation or recall) are filled by reconvening the most recent nominating committee with a compressed one-month timeline. Sixth, all deliberations are strictly confidential—committee members are exposed to sensitive information and must maintain secrecy. These rules ensure stability, fairness, and privacy.
The committee just picks people for open jobs someone else tells them about. The whole thing takes 3 months. Only half the leaders are picked each year so the team is stable. People stay for 2 years. If someone quits early, there is a quick process to replace them. Everything is secret so people are honest.
§3Selecting the Nominating Committee
The nominating committee itself is selected through a transparent process. The committee consists of a non-voting Chair (appointed by the Internet Society President), at least 10 randomly selected voting volunteers from the IETF community, and two non-voting liaisons (one each from the IAB and IESG). To volunteer, a person must have attended at least 2 of the last 3 IETF meetings. Members of the Internet Society Board, sitting IAB members, and sitting IESG members cannot volunteer, to avoid conflicts of interest. The Chair publishes a call for volunteers, listing the open positions to help the community decide whether to volunteer for a position or the nominating committee. After the volunteers are identified, the Chair randomly selects 10 of them to be voting members. This random selection prevents bias and ensures the committee represents the broader community rather than being packed with allies of any particular person or position.
A Chair (picked by the Internet Society President) finds volunteers from the community who have been to at least 2 of the last 3 meetings. The Chair then randomly picks 10 of those volunteers to be the voting committee members. This way nobody can stack the committee with their friends.
§4How the Committee Does Its Work
The nominating committee operates under a set of detailed rules. The Chair announces a call for nominations from the community; anyone can nominate any IETF member (including self-nomination) for any open position. The committee members deliberate together to select candidates they believe best fit the qualifications. Committee members cannot themselves be nominees—this prevents the selection process from becoming self-serving. Rejected nominees from the previous two years cannot be re-nominated, giving feedback time. Before announcing candidates, the committee advises the appropriate confirming body (the sitting IAB for IESG candidates, the Internet Society Board for IAB candidates). The confirming bodies then decide whether to confirm each candidate. If a confirming body rejects any candidates, the nominating committee reconvenes to select alternates. Strict confidentiality rules apply: candidate identities are secret until confirmed, nominee identities are secret (except the nominee may publicize their own intent), and rejected nominees and candidates are notified before any confirmations are announced. These rules preserve privacy while ensuring fairness.
The committee calls for names, discusses candidates, and picks people they think are good. The committee members cannot be picked themselves. They tell the IAB and Internet Society people who they picked. If those people say no, the committee picks someone else. Everything stays secret until the confirmed people are announced.
- Submit nominations
- Deliberate and select candidates
- Advise of candidates
- Review and vote
- Confirm or reject
- Announce confirmed leaders
§5The Recall Process
RFC 2027 includes a process for the community to remove a sitting IAB or IESG member if that person is not performing adequately. Anyone can request a recall by writing to the Internet Society President with justification. The President appoints a Recall Committee Chair who cannot be the person being recalled or the person requesting the recall. The recall committee is formed using the same rules as the nominating committee (with the same conflicts-of-interest exclusions). The committee investigates by giving the member a chance to present a written statement and by consulting with third parties. The committee votes on whether to recall the member. A 3/4 majority is required for a recall to succeed. If a member is recalled, the mid-term vacancy rules are applied to fill the position quickly. Though the RFC was written in 1996, the recall process had never been used up to that point, showing that the community has been satisfied with its leaders.
If someone is doing a bad job, anyone can ask the Internet Society President to fire them. A new committee investigates, hears from both sides, and votes. It takes 3 out of 4 votes to fire someone. Then a new person is picked using the fast mid-term process.
§6The Advice and Consent Model
Throughout the process, an "advice and consent" model is used. The IETF Executive Director advises the nominating committee of open positions. The nominating committee advises the confirming bodies of candidates. The confirming bodies then consent (or refuse to consent). For IESG candidates, sitting IAB members review and decide whether to confirm. For IAB candidates, the Internet Society Board of Trustees reviews and decides. At least half of the confirming body members must agree on each decision. If all candidates are confirmed, the committee's work is done. If some are rejected, the committee must reconvene to find alternates. This model ensures that the nominating committee does the detailed recruiting work, but the responsibility for final approval rests with the appropriate body (leaders for IESG, the broader organization for IAB). This distributes power and prevents any single person or group from controlling the selection.
It is not just one person picking leaders. The nominating committee suggests people, the IAB (for IESG jobs) or the Internet Society (for IAB jobs) has to agree, and at least half of them have to say yes to each person.