Thread:Some lessons from WMF - how about a layered model of governance? (1)

The Wikimedia Foundation has a Board of 4 elected and 3 appointed Board members. Elected members serve for 2 years; appointed for one. There are no term limits. The appointed slots exist so that the Board can complement "community skills" with other missing skill sets that may not be readily found through a community election (finances, legal, fundraising, etc.). We also have an Advisory Board of 20 or so members (Wayne is one of them).

Based on that experience, I would propose a modified governance model for WikiEducator:
 * We create a WikiEducator Council with 15 or so members by broad community election (Wikimedia style, through approval voting).
 * The council can appoint 10 additional non-community members by majority. (Any council member can nominate a non-community member.)
 * We could have some regional representation rules.

Council members serve for 2 year terms; appointed ones for 1 year. The council would elect from its members an Executive Committee of 5 members, each for a renewable two-year term. They should be elected to "skill-slots", e.g.
 * Fundraising skills
 * Technical skills
 * Community-building skills
 * Leadership skills
 * Legal skills

The following reasons argue for a layered model like this:
 * We can require a minimum participation within the council before a council-member is eligible to candidate for the Executive Committee. This means that a community election is not, by itself, a guarantee for an Executive Committee seat; one needs to demonstrate real and sustained interest to become an EC member.
 * A large body is better for representation and large-scale collaboration; a smaller body can make quicker decisions and can meet more easily.
 * "Skill-slots" will guarantee that the community can be served effectively in different areas.

For transitional purposes, we could hold the first Council Election very soon, and immediately elect the first EC, to only serve for a one year term (since it's the first one and the process is still new).