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Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Council and Nominating Committee (NomCom) ISPCP Representatives

About the GNSO Council

The 21 members of the Council govern policy development in the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO). Stakeholder Groups within the GNSO appoint 18 of its members. For voting purposes, the Council has two houses like the US Congress or the British Parliament. The Contracted Parties House (CPH) holds the Registries and Registrars Stakeholder Groups, while the Non-Contracted Parties House (NCPH) holds the Commercial and Non-Commercial Stakeholder Groups. ICANN’s Nominating Committee (NomCom) appoints three Council members, two of which are voting members assigned to each House. The third appointee is an advisor to the Council as a whole. The Council also includes formally appointed, but non-voting, Liaisons and Observers from other groups within ICANN. This elaborate system provides checks and balances so no single interest group can dominate the Council.

Learn more about the GNSO Council here.

Current GNSO Council Representatives

The current representatives to the GNSO Council for the ISPCP are:

 Thomas Rickert

Thomas Rickert (SOI) –– EU / AGM 2021 – AGM 2022

Osvaldo Novoa

Osvaldo Novoa (SOI) – ISPCP / Latin AC / AGM 2022 - AGM 2024

Previous GNSO Council Representatives have included:

  • Philippe Fouquart (SOI) - ISPCP / EU / AGM 2018 – AGM 2022
  • Tony Harris (SOI) - ISPCP / Latin AC / October 2015 - March 2019
  • Wolf-Ulrich Knoben (SOI) - ISPCP / EU / October 2016 - November 2017
  • Osvaldo Novoa (SOI) – ISPCP / Latin AC / October 2011 – November 2015
  • Tony Holmes (SOI) –ISPCP / EU / November 2014 - November 2015
  • Mikey O’Connor (SOI) – ISPCP / North America / November 2013 – November 2014

Information about the ISPCP in the GNSO can be found here.

About the ICANN NomCom

The ICANN NomCom is responsible for the selection of all ICANN Directors except the President and those selected by ICANN’s Supporting Organizations, and for such other selections as are set forth in the Bylaws. [see the Bylaws Article VII, Section 1]

The NomCom is charged with populating a portion of the ICANN Board as noted above, as well as the Council of the GNSO, the Interim ALAC, and the Council of the ccNSO. The NomCom complements the other means for filling a portion of key ICANN leadership positions achieved within the Supporting Organizations.

The Nominating Committee is designed to function independently from the Board, the Supporting Organizations, and Advisory Committees. Nominating Committee members act only on behalf of the interests of the global Internet community and within the scope of the ICANN mission and responsibilities assigned to it by the ICANN Bylaws.

Members contribute to the Nominating Committee both their understanding of the broad interests of the Internet as a whole and their knowledge and experience of the concerns and interests of the Internet constituencies which have appointed them. The challenge for the Nominating Committee is to integrate these perspectives and derive consensus in its selections. Although appointed by Supporting Organizations and other ICANN entities, individual Nominating Committee members are not accountable to their appointing constituencies. Members are, of course, accountable for adherence to the Bylaws and for compliance with the rules and procedures established by the Nominating Committee.

The ISPCP NomCom Representative

The 2023 NomCom Representative from the ISPCP is John R. Woodworth (Bio).

John Woodworth

Previous representatives from the ISPCP have been Marie-Noemie Marques (2019-2022), Alain Bidron (2017-2019), Osvaldo Novoa (2015-2017), Alain Bidron (2013-2015), Anthony Harris (2012-2013), Tony Holmes (2010-2012), Greg Ruth (2007-2010), Tony Harris (2006-2007), Mark McFadden (2005), and Antonio Tavares (2003-2004).