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Free Software Foundation completes its board member review
The review examined board members Ian Kelling, Geoffrey Knauth, Henry Poole, Richard Stallman, and Gerald Sussman. The process generated detailed philosophical and policy discussions between board members and the FSF's global associate members on topics ranging from the firmness of the Free Software Definition, developments in machine learning, to the board's president position.
"The values of our movement were on proud display in the FSF's board discussion forum, which highlighted passion and vision within our community by placing the diverse perspectives of the Foundation's members - our concerns and fears, as well as our hopes and aspirations - directly in the foreground during this key and timely moment of introspection," said Corwin Brust, an associate member of the FSF.
After the forum discussions with eligible associate members and contributors, the voting members held internal discussions for several weeks on the review itself, the lessons learned from its period of introspection, and the discussion process generally. Then the voting members voted on April 26, 2025 to re-confirm the five board members who had been reviewed.
"The community made itself heard. This kind of open, direct engagement among our directors and our associate members is exactly what we wanted to see from the new governance process," said FSF president Geoff Knauth.
An update
Now in LWN:
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The conclusion of the FSF board review
The Free Software Foundation has announced the completion of the review of its board of directors; the process resulted in the reconfirmation of all five sitting board members.