Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is elected by the VANIX Membership for two year terms. Approximately, one-half of the Board up for election each year. The current VANIX Directors as of June 26, 2024 are:
- Scott Jamieson – Chair (Plenary Americas)
- Heidi Vien – Vice-Chair & Treasurer (Teema Solutions Group)
- Tom Samplonius – Secretary & Operations Chair (BCNET)
- Chris Laffin (Automattic)
- Karl Morin (Hive Data Center)
- Jon Paul Janze (Beanfield)
Past Board Members
VANIX would like to acknowledge and thank our past director’s for their contributions to the exchange:
- Darin Young – 2020 – 2024
- Jagrup Bains – 2022 – 2023
- Chris Murray – 2015 – 2022
- Julia Aspinall – 2020 – 2022
- Kelly Pritchard – 2021 – 2022
- Marilyn Hay – 2015 – 2021
- Chris Tacit – 2015 – 2021
- Dan Rink – 2019 – 2021
- John Stonier – 2015 – 2020
- Mike Dahlstedt – 2017 – 2020
- Ron Grant – 2015 – 2017
Founding Directors
- Chris Murray
- Chris Tacit
- John Stonier
- Marilyn Hay
- Ron Grant
- Scott Jaimeson
- Tom Samplonius
Members
Each participant at VANIX is eligible to register a voting member. The board is voted-in by the members during the Annual General Meeting. To register a member for your organization, please contact secretary-AT-vanix.ca
Bylaws
Click here to download a .pdf of our bylaws
Director Elections
The role of the Board of Directors (“Board”) of Vancouver Internet Exchange (“VANIX”) is to provide strategic direction and oversight to help guide VANIX as it fulfills its mandate as an Internet exchange.
At the annual meeting which will is usually held at the beginning of May each year, Vanix’s members operating through their designated member representatives (“DMRs”) will have the opportunity to elect seven individuals to serve as Directors of VANIX, four for two year terms and three for a one-year term. As a result, the Vanix Board is seeking expressions of interest from individuals who wish to be considered for election to fill these seven available positions.
We are especially seeking candidates who have governance, financial, legal, technical, industry, fundraising, sponsorship or not-for-profit experience, or other valuable relationships that would benefit Vanix. Directors do not have to be employed by, or otherwise affiliated with, Vanix Members. In fact, we intend to send this letter seeking applications for candidates for nomination as Directors to a wide variety of organizations and individuals, with a view to attracting applicants with a wide variety of skills.
VANIX depends on volunteers to advance its objectives. Accordingly, Directors are expected to prepare for and attend up to 13 Board meetings per year and generally assist VANIX as volunteers to help build the organization’s capabilities.
As further described below, being nominated by the Board does not in any way guarantee election as a Director.
In order to be considered for nomination by the Board, an applicant must send an email containing the identifying/contact information and answers to all of the questions set out below to secretary-AT-vanix.ca before the announced and posted cut-off date. Incomplete and/or late applications will not be considered.
An applicant’s email must include the following identifying/contact information: Salutation, First Name, Last Name, Address, City, Province/Territory, Postal Code, Email Address, Telephone Number (daytime).
An applicant’s email must also include answers to the following questions:
1. Provide a statement of up to 1,000 words in length indicating why you should be elected as a Vanix Director and include relevant biographical information.
2. Why do you want to be on the VANIX Board of Directors?
3. What specific skills or experiences do you have that make you the best candidate for the VANIX Board?
4. What do you feel are the top three challenges and opportunities facing VANIX during the next three to five years?
5. What specific actions do you propose to address one or more of these challenges and opportunities?
6. Please describe your understanding of the role of a Director on the VANIX Board.
7. If elected as a Director, can you make the required time commitment to contribute significantly to VANIX in accordance with what is generally expected of Directors?
8. If elected as a Director, are you prepared to abide by the VANIX Articles of Incorporation, By-laws, Board Resolutions and Policies as amended from-time-to-time?
9. Do you agree to abide by the VANIX process for candidate nominations for the election of Directors that has been described to you?
10. Do you wish to be considered for a two-year or one-year term?
Once the expression of interest phase has closed, the Board will select a slate of those applicants it considers to be the top seven candidates as nominees for election to the Board. The candidates will be selected based on the attributes that they possess that will help promote the governance capacity of the board, including their answers to the nine questions set out above. The selection of nominees will be concluded by no later than 1 month before the AGM or such other date as may be determined by the Board and those selected to be nominees at the election that will take place at the annual meeting will be notified within 48 hours of the finalization of the slate. Their campaign information will be posted on the VANIX website.
The names and the answers to the questions of successful nominees will be included in the information provided to VANIX members in conjunction with its annual meeting.
On the day of the annual meeting the Board will present its slate of nominees for election as Directors. Please note that other nominations may also occur at the annual meeting. If that occurs and there is a contested vote for the election of Directors, it is possible that individuals nominated by the Board will not be elected as Directors. Accordingly being nominated by the Board does not in any way guarantee election as a Director.
VANIX depends on individual voting members like you to contribute to a vibrant, accessible and open Internet in Canada and beyond. If you think you qualify to be a Director of VANIX, we encourage you to apply.