Board Election Policy

OWASP International Board Of Directors Election Policy
The OWASP Foundation was established in 2001 as an open community and software security resource. Since then, OWASP has grown to be globally recognized as a credible source for application security standards (see industry citations). Individuals typically find OWASP when searching the internet for information about software security - and they are happy to find a reliable source of knowledge built by an extremely open and passionate community. OWASP is open to anyone. Anyone can attend OWASP's vendor agnostic local chapter meetings, participate in regional and global conferences, and contribute to the many OWASP projects. And anyone can start a new project, form a new chapter, or lend their expertise to help an OWASP Global Committee.

The OWASP Foundation Board of Directors currently consists of seven elected volunteers. These unpaid volunteers dedicate themselves to the organizational mission and playing a pivotal role in the software security community. OWASP conducts democratic elections of its Board Members to enable bottom-up advancement of its mission.

About OWASP

 * Learn About OWASP
 * Read the OWASP Foundation bylaws - Click Here
 * Review the Monthly Board meetings, voting history and topics - Click Here

Potential Election Timeline

 * 1) Notify current board member(s) who's term is up
 * 2) Call for Candidates Opens
 * 3) Honorary Membership Self Nomination Opens
 * 4) Email Reminder Call For Candidates
 * 5) Submission for Questions From the Community for the Candidate Interviews Opens
 * 6) Email Reminder Honorary Membership
 * 7) Email Reminder Honorary Membership
 * 8) Honorary Membership Closes
 * 9) Email Reminder Call For Candidates
 * 10) Email Reminder Call For Candidates
 * 11) Deadline for Call for Candidates Closes
 * 12) Deadline for Questions from the community
 * 13) The 4-5 top questions from the community will be selected
 * 14) Verification of candidates
 * 15) Candidates announced in OWASP "Special Edition" connector and posted to social media/email
 * 16) Top 4-5 questions are shared with all candidates
 * 17) Scheduling of interview recordings
 * 18) Deadline for interview recordings to be completed
 * 19) Recordings posted on the election wiki page
 * 20) Email/Social Media notifying the community the recordings are posted
 * 21) Paid Membership Deadline
 * 22) Voting opens
 * 23) Voting closes
 * 24) Results shared with all candidates
 * 25) Results shared via "Special Edition" connector, email and social media

Global Board of Directors Primary Responsibilities
Seated members of the Board of Directors attend and contribute to monthly meetings. Additionally, they:

1. Create and review a statement of mission and purpose that articulates the organization's goals, means, and primary constituents served globally. They then support that mission and purpose.

2. Support all employees. The Board should ensure that the employees have the moral and professional support needed to further the goals and performance objectives of the organization.

3. Ensure effective planning. The Board must actively participate in the overall planning process for the organization and assist in implementing and monitoring the organization's goals.

4. Monitor and strengthen programs and services. The Board's responsibility is to determine which programs are consistent with the organization's mission and monitor their effectiveness.

5. Ensure financial integrity of the Foundation. Secure adequate funding resources for the organization to fulfill its mission; protect assets and provide financial oversight following general accepted accounting principles and policies and assist in developing the annual budget and ensuring that proper financial controls are in place.

Additional Responsibilities that the International Board of Directors must adhere to can be found on the Foundation Governance Page

Eligibility Requirements for Board Candidates
You need to be an OWASP member. NOT just paid members, but active project and chapter contributors are eligible. All candidates must be in good standing for a twelve (12) month period of time prior to the election period commencement date. Candidates are required to submit a bio, current membership status and a brief description of why you would like to be elected. You will be contacted in early August to schedule a audio interview/podcast. If you are interesting in running for the board then please submit your intention along with the requirements listed above here. All submissions will be reviewed and verified by OWASP.

Honorary Membership
Who is eligible for Honorary Membership?
 * OWASP Chapter Leaders - The OWASP Chapter MUST be active and your leadership position MUST be on file with the OWASP Foundation prior to the election period commencement date.
 * OWASP Project Leaders - The OWASP Project MUST be active and your leadership position MUST be on file with the OWASP Foundation prior to the election period commencement date.

**NOTE** If you are an OWASP leader that does not have a paid individual membership on file, but meets the requirements for Honorary Membership, then you MUST APPLY for an Honorary Membership in order to vote in this years election. The Honorary Membership request form will be available starting June 1 and will close June 30. All submissions will be reviewed and verified by OWASP. Submit your Request HERE

Who Can Vote?
OWASP paid Individual Members, paid Corporate Members and Honorary Members registered prior to the election period commencement date will have (1) vote per set (there are 4 sets up for this election). Please check the current Member Directory. If you are not a member yet, we encourage you to join. Join Now

How Do I Vote?
Eligible voting members will receive an email to their registered email address from owasp@simplyvoting.com with subject "OWASP Board Election" This email will have a specific link for you to cast your vote. Please do NOT share this link with anyone. It is a specific link JUST FOR YOU!

Additionally, eligible voting members will also receive an email from the OWASP Foundation notifying them that their ballot has been sent. In the instance that they did not receive a ballot they will be asked to contact us immediately.

Have additional questions about the OWASP Membership?

 * Read the Membership FAQ CLICK HERE

Election FAQ
If you have a question about the current election please click here. Answer: We will try to publish announcements and key milestone reminders to as many communication channels as possible, including the OWASP Blog, OWASP Connector, OWASP Leader's List and this Wiki Page. Please feel free to help us communicate the message, by re-posting, re-tweeting, or sharing with the OWASP Chapter, Project, or Initiatives you may be involved with.
 * Where can I find communication to the OWASP Community about the upcoming election?