RSWG Chair Appointment

[cindymorgan]

The IAB appoints one RSWG chair. (The other chair is appointed by the IESG.) Each term is two years, and the IAB sends a call for nominations for every new term regardless of whether the incumbent is willing to continue.

The incumbent is Pete Resnick.

Timeline

• Call for Nominations: 2026-04-21
• Deadline for Nominations: 2026-05-19
• Call for Feedback: 2026-05-20
• Deadline for Feedback: 2026-06-17
• IAB Decision: by the 2026-07-08 business meeting
• RSWG Chair term starts: 2026-07-18 (IETF 126)

[cindymorgan]

Draft Call for Nominations

The RFC Series Working Group (RSWG) produces policy proposals for the RFC Series as a whole. As described in RFC 9920[1], the IAB is responsible for appointing one of the RSWG Chairs:

The RSWG has two chairs, one appointed by the IESG and the other
appointed by the IAB. The IESG and IAB determine their own processes
for making these appointments, making sure to take account of any
potential conflicts of interest. Community members who have concerns
about the performance of an RSWG Chair should direct their feedback
to the appropriate appointing body. The IESG and IAB may remove
their appointed chairs at their discretion at any time and name a
replacement who shall serve the remainder of the original chair's
term.

It is the responsibility of the chairs to encourage rough consensus
within the RSWG and to follow that consensus in their decision
making, for instance, regarding acceptance of new proposals and
advancement of proposals to the RSAB.

The IAB is therefore issuing a call for nominations (including self-nominations) for the RSWG chair position. The incumbent is Pete Resnick, who has indicated that he is willing to continue in the role. The IAB is looking for a diverse pool of chair candidates. If you are interested or would like to nominate someone, please send a message with the name and email address of the nominee to iab-chair@iab.org and execd@iab.org. The deadline for nominations is 23:59 UTC on 2026-05-19.

In a second step, all nominees will then be asked to provide the following information to the IAB (self nominations may already include this information in the initial email):

1. Full name and contact information. Include your employer or the organizations that would provide financial support for you (if any).

2. Please provide a statement confirming your willingness to serve as RSWG chair and ability to devote an appropriate level of time to activities associated with the position.

3. Please provide a brief biography outlining your relevant experience and background.

4. Please provide a statement of interests, views on the RFC Series and its Model, goals as a RSWG Chair and motivation to serve as a RSWG Chair.

5. Any further information that is relevant to the work of the IAB in considering your nomination, e.g., potential conflicts of interest.

In a third step, the IAB will solicit community feedback and interview the willing candidates before making a decision.

On behalf of the IAB,
Cindy Morgan, IAB Executive Administrative Manager

[1] https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/rfc9920/