Form for W3C Advisory Committee to vote | Advisory Board public page
This is the list of nominees for the 2020 Election to the W3C Advisory Board (AB). Each person has been nominated by at least one W3C Member according to the AB election process.
The W3C Membership elects the AB. For this election W3C will fill five seats. W3C will announce the results on 3 June 2020.
Note: The deadline for votes is 23:59 ET, 1 June 2020.
The following statements were sent about the nominees (in alphabetical order by nominee family name):
An asterisk (*) indicates that the nominee is a current participant. All individuals were nominated by the AC Representatives of their organizations unless otherwise indicated below.
Mozilla nominates Tantek Çelik for election to the Advisory Board. In his own words:
I am the lead for web standards in the Advanced Development group at Mozilla, with more than 20 years of experience in W3C standards development, including 5 years on the Advisory Board driving more open governance, licensing, and processes at W3C.
W3C is still facing multiple existential threats that I believe require experience, commitment, and bold participation in the Advisory Board.
The Advisory Board must take an active role in facing and addressing these challenges, and I ask for your top vote to help drive this.
Thank you for your support, and please contact me if you have additional concerns about W3C, and especially what you think the AB can do to help drive evolving the W3C.
Tantek Çelik, Mozilla
tantek@mozilla.com
My Background:
Since the late 1990s I have contributed to the evolution of the web with efforts spanning the Tasman rendering engine in Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 for Macintosh (a watershed achievement of full CSS1, HTML4, and PNG 1.0 support in the year 2000), resources enabling web developers to more rapidly adopt modern W3C standards, and founding open web communities such as microformats.org and indieweb.org which themselves incubated technologies that became or were incorporated into W3C specifications.
During my previous five year tenure on the AB, I established several open web AB resources and an increased culture of working in the open, such as creating and driving both the informal @W3CAB Twitter and the AB's public wiki home page where AB projects are documented.
I have B.S. & M.S. degrees in Computer Science from Stanford University and share my thoughts & experiences on the independent web: https://tantek.com/.
Samsung Electronics is pleased to nominate Heejin Chung for election to the AB. In her own words:
I am a Principal Engineer at Samsung Electronics, and have spent 9+ years of my 16 years at Samsung working on mobile web browsers. During this time, I have participated in transforming our mobile browser to being on the vanguard of developing and shipping emerging standards, and in web ecosystem participation and leadership.
Leading a team of developers working on the web platform and features for enhancing web content discovery, I am experiencing the web both from the platform provider and consumer perspective. I have always been supportive of my team members participating in W3C and open source activities and constantly encouraged colleagues to become more engaged in the same. This is because I believe the openness and continuing evolution of the Web is the solution to the fragmentation in platforms and devices that causes inconvenience to users and distress developers.
In the current global situation, society as a whole is relying more and more on the web as a vital resource for information, health, communication, finance and to maintain connection with friends, family and work. It’s more important than ever that the web work for all people across all different kinds of devices and networks. I have no doubt that the web will succeed in its mission of long-term growth and will keep better serving many around the world as a tool for equal access and sharing of information and knowledge. Again, because of its foundation being on openness and collaboration.
I am running for the W3C Advisory board because I still hope to help in further lowering the barrier of entrance for anyone from anywhere, who wants to contribute to the web. And in continuously enhancing the system and process of W3C based on my experience in Samsung Electronics. By serving on the Advisory Board I would also be able to benefit my employer and colleagues by bringing back the openness and agility of W3C.
Of the AB/2020 Priorities, these are the areas I would like to contribute to:
I also hope to help in areas like process development and incubation based on my experience setting up & changing various collaboration models and working processes inside Samsung. I feel it is especially important to find a way that we can be both agile and solid at the same time due to the dynamic world we are living in, and the various levels of speed and force players in the web are moving at.
Although with limited direct experience inside W3C, I have been playing a support role for W3C activities Samsung has been involved in – Web Payment, Service Workers and Immersive Web to name a few – and believe I will be able to bring a fresh eye and mindset to the table.
The Hilfsgemeinschaft is pleased to nominate Klaus Hoeckner to the W3C Advisory Board.
Klaus Hoeckner is working for a DPO, called Hilfsgemeinschaft, in Vienna Austria as the CEO. The Hilfsgemeinschaft has 95 employees and about 6500 members, all persons with disabilities (blind and visually impaired) . He also works in the Austrian Disability Forum (umbrella of organizations for PwD in Austria) and the European Disability Forum in Brussels. On an international level he is engaged in the IAAP (International Asoc. of Accessibility Professionals). He hold certifications in CWAE (Certified Web Accessibility Expert - a national certificate in Austria) and CPACC (IAAP) and holds a Post-Graduate in Web accessibility at the University of Linz, Austria. Being participant and speaker in conferences like the ICCHP, AAATE and menabling, he can represent European Disability Movement with a strong link to ICT- Accessibility within the W3C.
[Further statement is available in Français, Español, Deutsch, 中文, 한국어, 日本語]
Sony Corporation is pleased to nominate Mr. Tatsuya Igarashi to the W3C Advisory Board.
Mr. Igarashi is a senior researcher at the Sony R&D Center in Tokyo. His career in W3C started in 2011, when he joined the “Web and TV Interest Group” working on media technology on the Web. He is currently co-chair of the succeeding “Media Entertainment Interest Group”. For the last ten years, he has represented Sony on the W3C Advisory Committee and supported all the W3C activities of Sony’s participants. In addition to his participation at the W3C, he has contributed to many standardization activities on home networking, IPTV, and broadcasting, such as 1394TA, UPnP, DLNA, Open IPTV Forum, HbbTV, ATSC 3.0, and more. He also has experience and expertise in founding and governing industry-led forums. Sony endorses Mr. Igarashi as a member of the W3C Advisory Board and is confident that he will contribute with the necessary expertise to support W3C members and the Web community.
The following is Mr. Igarashi’s statement:
My first encounter with the Web was in 1994. At Sony, I was a young software engineer who had been working on multi-media systems using CD-ROMs and MiniDiscs. We had researched hyperlink and hypermedia technologies using storage media. I remember that I was very surprised at the appearance of the early NCSA Mosaic browser that enabled people to explore information on the Internet. In 1995, I started a new R&D project to develop a TV Internet Terminal featuring an HTML 2.0-compliant browser, and I led the development team at an Internet service provider which was a subsidiary company of Sony. At that time, our effort to ship a particular device in the market was not going so well, but from such experience I learned a lot regarding the Web itself. Since then, I have worked on IPTV and broadcast standards that incorporate web technologies. Two years ago, I started research on Blockchain technologies to make the Web more trustworthy and decentralized. I am truly a believer in the Web.
If I am elected to the W3C Advisory Board, in accordance with the AB/2020 priorities, I am especially keen to support the following activities:
I am not a native English speaker; however, for 20 years I’ve had good experiences in my international standardization activities, thanks to my friends in the world. I am looking forward to communicating and cooperating with more people in W3C. I would appreciate your support in the AB election.
[Further statement is available in English, Français, 中文, 日本語, 한국어]
Media Do Holdings is pleased to nominate Mr. Florian Rivoal for election to the Advisory Board. In his own words:
Many aspects contribute to making W3C a great venue to work on standardisation, but we should not rest on our laurels. The world does not sit still, and we need to constantly work at making W3C better, so that existing projects and working groups have the best working conditions possible, and so that we get a healthy inflow of new projects choosing the W3C as the best host for their standardization efforts.
I have had the opportunity to wear many hats at the W3C: representative of a browser vendor (Opera) to the CSS Working Group, Invited Expert to the same CSS-WG and a few others, AC Representative of a small company (Vivliostyle), co-chair of a Community Group, workshop organizer, AB member, participant in PSIG... I have edited specifications through the whole life cycle, from incubation (in a Working Group & in WICG) to REC. All that to say that I know how things work at W3C, and also how they sometimes don't.
Topics I am particularly interested in for the AB:
Since joining the AB, I have taken on the role of Editor of the W3C Process document. This past year, I have worked on delivering a major update to the Recommendation Track to allow continuous development and simplify maintenance of our specifications while reducing overhead, and participated in the related effort in PSIG to update the Patent Policy. Once this is in place, a future development I would like to deliver is a process to handle registries at W3C.
But the Process isn't only about how our specifications are developed. It also defines many of the responsibilities of the W3C Director. As we are preparing for the date where our founding Director eventually steps down, the AB has started to look into how we need to evolve the Process and other related documents to define how W3C would work without him. Leading this project to completion is one of my key goals for this coming term, and I want to make sure this shift puts the Membership squarely in control.
Another major project is our move towards W3C becoming a standalone legal entity. For this to be the empowering transformation we want, it will need to be set up with the right checks and balances, making sure that the elected bodies can fulfill their roles, and that W3C management is both actually in control of the staff, and is fully accountable. We also need to get our accounting in order, and to set up clear financial reporting. I will be paying close attention to both the governance model and bylaws and the operational aspect of this transition.
Initially trained as a software engineer in France, I later complemented this with an MBA from INSEAD. I've worked as an engineer in companies large and small, as a product owner and an executive in two startups, and been a non-profit board member (currently treasurer of the board at the Kyoto French International School). These experiences help me understand the perspective of different kinds of members, the tech side of things as well as the business one, and inform my views on governance and finances, which is very relevant as we look into restructuring the consortium into a legal entity. I am French, live in Japan, have lived and worked in Norway and China in the past, have business relations with Korea, the US, Sweden, Canada... Diversity and global participation are important to me. In particular, I intend to make sure that Asian members get their voices and concerns heard. Other aspects of diversity are not lost on me, and I will support all efforts to make W3C an inclusive and welcoming place to all.
I run my own consulting company and am an independent W3C participant; however, my expenses for this role will be covered by Kodansha, Shueisha, and Media Do (3 major actors of the Japanese publishing industry).
I am Tzviya Siegman, Information Standards Lead for Wiley. Almost two years ago, I joined the W3C Advisory Board, not knowing what to expect. Now I’m running for re-election while the world is in crisis. We are all depending on the web more than ever. The web is how we socialize with our friends and family, how scientists collaborate, how we learn, and how we conduct business.
W3C’s mission is to lead the web to its full potential, and the role of the AB is to advise the leaders of the W3C. What does the web need now and how can the W3C help? Accessibility, credibility, privacy, and security seem more important than ever. What we work on is important but so is how we work. The web cannot be for everyone unless everyone can participate in creating the web. That’s why I focus on diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. I chair the Positive Work Environment Community Group and have worked with that group to greatly strengthen the W3C’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Together we are working towards an improved ombuds program so any member that needs help can feel comfortable reaching out for it. There is a great deal more work for the PWE to do, and I hope to continue this work with you.
The W3C is facing many big, existential issues. How should we function without a director? How can we gain control over our budget? Does the current membership structure make sense? What is unique and valuable about how W3C works, and what is done because it is the way things have always been? There are now dozens of standards organizations—what is W3C’s scope? What should it be going forward? What do we do best? We have not yet figured out how to make the W3C a truly inclusive environment. We all value our royalty-free, patent-free open discussion forum, and we need to find ways to bring the W3C forward and maintain our relevance.
I have learned a lot about leading groups in my years chairing publishing working groups in the IDPF and W3C and sitting on the Publishing Steering Committee in W3C. I have seen and led many attempts at major changes, and I have learned that change must be incremental, and change must be built on a community of trust. The Publishing Working Group has had its share of problems as it transitions from its own standards organization to a group functioning within the W3C. I work with my colleagues in Publishing and the W3C to ease this change. I helped The Publishing WG pivot sharply when it became clear that the work that we were doing was not viable at the time. This is not typical of a working group, but it was clear that it was necessary for the life of Publishing@W3C. My experience leading a group through change will help lead the W3C through the legal entity transition. I have and will continue to work with my colleagues on the AB to ensure that changes, large and small, will be made not just with your consent but with your trust.
If I am reelected to the AB, I plan to:
I believe that we still need to do more to represent members like you at this critical juncture. I don’t pretend to have the answers, especially as the world faces a large financial crisis, but with your help and input I do plan to work hard to achieve these goals and represent your needs on the AB.
Apple is pleased to nominate David Singer for re-election to the Advisory Board. In his own words:
I have served for 3 terms on the Advisory Board, with pleasure and, I hope, to good effect, and would be pleased to serve another term.
The W3C is in a period of refresh and renewal; we are looking at the place of the web in the world, and the consortium’s place in shepherding the web. This has resulted in a variety of my activities — for example, exploring, with an AC panel, the ‘fake news’ problem. My two major activities are related: many years of work on the prospect of Tim Berners-Lee’s retirement; and the need for the W3C to unify itself formally, as a single legal entity. I also chair the Process Community Group for the AB, where I have done the background work on the needs for more stable management of Registries.
I am a firm believer that our infrastructure – tools, process, policies etc. – must be living, and adjust to reflect the realities and needs of the times. My style is strongly consensus based; I value differing opinions and work hard to balance the needs of the entire community. I am passionate about making the web work for all – accessibility and internationalization, security, and most strongly over the last few years, advocating for the importance of privacy. I continue to advocate for the modernization of our tooling and infrastructure, and am currently grappling with balancing the need to foster innovation and advancement in tool sets with the need for stability and the ability of members to follow and engage in work across the consortium without excessive tooling and practice variation between groups.
I am the manager for standards activities in the software engineering group at Apple, with more than 15 years of experience in standards and the governance of standards bodies. This experience includes working in the W3C (Advisory Committee, Advisory Board, and various working and community groups), MPEG (ISO), the board of the Unicode Consortium, and the board of the Media Coding Industry Consortium (MC-IF).
If re-elected, I will continue to address areas where the infrastructure is not enabling our best work – improved tooling, process improvements, and in general addressing 'governance' questions – so that the W3C can continue to be a place where the industry as a whole can congregate, debate, and build the specifications that advance the web to the benefit of all.
I am a relative newcomer to web standards, having only been at it for the last 9 years. I have co-chaired the CSS Working Group since 2015. I am interested in joining the Advisory Board to help keep the W3C relevant and focused on its main purpose: guiding the evolution of the web for the benefit of everyone. The web has become the primary medium for the expression of culture worldwide. The W3C needs to protect and encourage that expression.
One of the best things about the W3C is the idea of wide review. We currently do fairly well with the horizontal reviews required in our working group charters. The expertise in internationalization, accessibility, security and privacy present in their respective groups at the W3C is a considerable asset that we should continue to develop and rely on. But the process document aspires for more than this. We also need to increase the ways we get input from authors and users. Wide review should not stop at the member boundary, and does not have to be limited to the current set of concerns we write into our charters. How can we set up the W3C to be the best advocate for web users? How can we arrange ourselves to be best advocate for authors?
If elected I will do all I can to connect the W3C community with users and authors, to make the W3C the best steward it can be for the evolution of the web.