2026 Community Council Transition

Community Governance
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Hi all,

On behalf of the Community Council, I am reaching out to share the news that we are opening the process of nominating and welcoming new members to the Council. Council members serve two-year terms. As such, we have two members cycling off this year - Sakti Subramanian and Karl Kaddu, the latter of whom was generous enough to stay on for an extra year to help provide continuity throughout the course of this last year.

Previously, transitions to new Councils have been affected through elections. As some may recall, election participation over the last two years has been lower than in previous years, leading to a shift in approach last year. Rather than complete a full election last year, we switched to a nomination-and-Council-review approach.

After consideration and discussion, the Council has decided to opt for a nomination-and-review approach again this year. This decision was made in light of the prior two years’ engagement, and in light of the half-time capacity of my role as Community Coordinator.

This year’s transition will therefore proceed much like last year’s, moving through the following stages:

  1. Transition Plan shared and open for community conversation (via this post and ensuing thread), June 1-5.
  2. Community nomination period, June 22 - July 6. Community members are encouraged to nominate themselves or others for service on the Council
  3. Nomination review period, June 22 - July 6. Current Council members will review and interview interested nominees.
  4. Selections announced for Community input and discussion, July 31.
  5. Selections confirmed (August 18) and seated by September 8.

If you would like to learn more about the process and procedures that have been outlined by the Council for this year’s transition, you can do so by reading the 2026-2027 Community Council Transition Plan and supporting Transition Procedures documents.

Your reflections, comments, and input on this year’s approach are welcome here in this thread. We are dedicating this week (June 1 through June 5) as an open comment period, however your feedback and engagement are welcome at any time at goshcouncil@openhardware.science.

Kind regards,
Jamaica

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Hello Jamaica,

Thank you for outlining the transition process so clearly. I appreciate the thoughtful approach to balancing continuity and participation. I was wondering whether the Council has identified particular skills, experiences, or regional perspectives it hopes to strengthen with this year’s new members? It is one I look forward to.

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Suleiman,

Thanks so much for your interest, and I apologize for the delay in my response. I have been traveling internationally and encountered some unexpected connectivity challenges while I was away.

The Council’s first step in preparing for the transition was to finalize the documents that I shared last week. The nomination period will open on June 22, in advance of which the Council will be sharing a more detailed invitation. I hope you’ll stay tuned for that, and of course also feel free to reach out to me (jamaica@opensciencehardware.org) or to them (goshcouncil@openhardware.science) directly with any questions you might have along the way.

Kindest regards,
Jamaica

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Hello all!

Today is the day that the Community Council transition period officially kicks off! Today, we are delighted to open nominations for the incoming Community Council cohort, the members of which will serve two-year terms beginning this September and running through the end of August 2028. This year, we are seeking 2-4 new members.

The Community Council is critical to GOSH governance, as its members help steward the community, guide governance decisions, identify emerging priorities, and ensure that GOSH remains responsive to the needs and interests of its global community.

This coming year, we are looking forward to recentering domain focus in the work of Community Council representatives - new and existing Council members will identify areas that they think are of particular importance to the GOSH community and will help direct efforts to advance those as priority areas. They’ll also play a role in shaping the next Gathering following this year’s event in Kathmandu.

Service on the Community Council generally requires about 6 to 10 hours of work per month. This work is largely quite flexible.

Those who accept a nomination (or self-nominate) will be asked to submit a brief statement of interest, which will be shared with the community, and to participate in a one-hour interview with current Community Council members. Interviews are tentatively scheduled for July 6–17. Current Council members will review candidate statements and interview notes before making their recommendations to the community at the end of July. A two-week community comment period will then provide an opportunity for community members to share feedback on the proposed cohort. Any concerns raised during that period will be reviewed by the Council before final selections are confirmed. The incoming Council will be announced on August 18 and formally seated in early September. (A timeline is also provided below, and available in the Governance Plan.)

When I asked the current Council members what qualities they thought would best equip incoming Council members, they highlighted the importance of:

  • A strong commitment to GOSH values, along with the ability to think strategically about the community’s future.

  • The ability to connect and collaborate across different regions, disciplines, and experiences.

  • Reliability, initiative, and a willingness to contribute between meetings and help move work forward.

  • Experience with communication, partnerships, fundraising, volunteer engagement, or community-building

If there is someone you think has some of these attributes, please take a few moments to nominate them. If that person is you, please don’t be shy - self-nominations are encouraged!

As described above, the process this year will be different than it has in many years. Changes implemented this year were tested last year and adopted by the Council more formally as described in the post above. You are welcome to read through this year’s Governance Plan for more details - I am of course always available for questions as well.

Many thanks for your interest, and your ongoing engagement.
Jamaica

2026 Community Council Transition Timeline

Dates Event
6/22 Open nomination
7/6 Close nomination
7/13 Candidate statements shared with the community
7/6 - 7/17 Interview interested nominees
7/31 Recommendations made to the community
7/31 - 8/14 Community comment period
8/18 Selections finalized
8/25 Finalize onboarding materials, send to incoming council members
9/8 First community council meeting with new and outgoing council members