Expanding Mozilla’s Boards in 2020

Mozilla is a global community that is building an open and healthy internet. We do so by building products that improve internet life, giving people more privacy, security and control over the experiences they have online. We are also helping to grow the movement of people and organizations around the world committed to making the digital world healthier.

As we grow our ambitions for this work, we are seeking new members for the Mozilla Foundation Board of Directors. The Foundation's programs focus on the movement building side of our work and complement the products and technology developed by Mozilla Corporation.

What is the role of a Mozilla board member?

I've written in the past about the role of the Board of Directors at Mozilla.

At Mozilla, our board members join more than just a board, they join the greater team and the whole movement for internet health. We invite our board members to build relationships with management, employees and volunteers. The conventional thinking is that these types of relationships make it hard for the Executive Director to do his or her job. I wrote in my previous post that "We feel differently". This is still true today. We have open flows of information in multiple channels. Part of building the world we want is to have built transparency and shared understandings.

It's worth noting that Mozilla is an unusual organization. We're a technology powerhouse with broad internet openness and empowerment at its core. We feel like a product organization to those from the nonprofit world; we feel like a non-profit organization to those from the technology industry.

It's important that our board members understand the full breadth of Mozilla's mission. It's important that Mozilla Foundation Board members understand why we build consumer products, why it happens in the subsidiary and why they cannot micro-manage this work. It is equally important that Mozilla Corporation Board members understand why we engage in the open internet activities of the Mozilla Foundation and why we seek to develop complementary programs and shared goals.

What are we looking for?

Last time we opened our call for board members, we created a visual role description. Below is an updated version reflecting the current needs for our Mozilla Foundation Board.

Here is the full job description: https://mzl.la/MoFoBoardJD

Here is a short explanation of how to read this visual:

• In the vertical columns, we have the particular skills and expertise that we are looking for right now. We expect new board members to have at least one of these skills.
• The horizontal lines speaks to things that every board member should have. For instance, to be a board member, you should have to have some cultural sense of Mozilla. They are a set of things that are important for every candidate. In addition, there is a set of things that are important for the board as a whole. For instance, international experience. The board makeup overall should cover these areas.
• The horizontal lines will not change too much over time, whereas the vertical lines will change, depending on who joins the Board and who leaves.

Finding the right people who match these criteria and who have the skills we need takes time. We hope to have extensive discussions with a wide range of people. Board candidates will meet the existing board members, members of the management team, individual contributors and volunteers. We see this as a good way to get to know how someone thinks and works within the framework of the Mozilla mission. It also helps us feel comfortable including someone at this senior level of stewardship.

We want your suggestions

We are hoping to add three new members to the Mozilla Foundation Board of Directors over the next 18 months. If you have candidates that you believe would be good board members, send them to msurman@mozillafoundation.org. We will use real discretion with the names you send us.

The post Expanding Mozilla's Boards in 2020 appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.