Léonie Watson nomination statement

W3C was on the brink of change when I wrote my nomination statement for the Board of Directors election in 2022. W3C was about to metamorphosize into a Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) and it had yet to be granted 501(c)(3) status as a not-for-profit organization. At the time I ended my nomination statement with these words:

"I have served on the Boards of organizations like the W3C for more than 15 years. I understand the challenges and I recognize the solutions, because I have done it time and time again. Most of all I’m prepared to do the hard work that will be needed of all Board members because I believe in the future of the W3C."

There was a lot to do! Working with the Team, the Board oversaw the successful transfer of assets from MIT to W3C, our registration as a 501(c)(3) organization, the formation and renewal of agreements with our three enduring Partners (Keio/WCAP, Beihang, and ERCIM), the appointment of Ralph Swick as Interim CEO then the search for and appointment of Seth Dobbs as CEO, the creation of key policies and processes for the Board itself, and the achievement of financial stability including a healthy operating reserve.

One of the first things the Board did was to charter the Personnel, Finance, and Governance Committees. Dom Hazael-Massieux and I were appointed Chairs of the Personnel Committee, and with help from numerous Directors as well as the Committee's standing members David Singer, Eric Siow, and Gonzalo Camarillo, we managed the selection and appointment of the Interim CEO, the search and appointment of the new CEO, and the first of the annual executive compensation reviews required by the W3C Bylaws. Since then, we have established a framework and process for setting the CEO's strategic goals and conducting the CEO's annual performance reviews, and we have been working with Seth in an oversight capacity on matters relating to personnel.

This first term was not typical for a Board, but it was a necessary rite of passage. I am glad I had the opportunity (and the energy) to help W3C through those challenging times to its current place of stability, and I am now excited by the chance to help W3C build on that foundation as it continues its metamorphosis into a forward-thinking organization ready for the future.

If I am elected to the Board again (and if the new Board agrees), I would like to continue co-chairing the Personnel Committee. As I mentioned, the Personnel Committee has accomplished a great deal, but we have only had the opportunity to use our processes once, and in one or two cases we will only just manage that before the current term ends on 25 September. The Board has put in place documentation explaining how things work, but I would like to be there to offer newly elected Directors a sense of continuity and support, and to introduce them to the Committee's processes instead of pointing to the documentation and wishing them luck.

I would also welcome the chance to continue working with Seth, who has brought with him a tremendous sense of excitement for the future of W3C. Under Seth's leadership, I feel like W3C is once again on the brink, but this time it is on the brink of positive change.

Whatever the outcome of this election, I want to acknowledge my fellow Directors; Chunming Hu, Dominique Hazael-Massieux, Eric Siow, Gonzalo Camarillo, Hongru Zhu, Jun Murai, Koichi Moriyama, Mark Nottingham, Robin Berjon, and in particular David Singer (Chair). It has been an honour and a privilege to serve on W3C's first Board of Directors with you all. Thank you.