At OLS, we are thrilled to share a significant milestone: the establishment of the OLS Governance Committee. In this post, we highlight their work with us over the past six months.

Governance Focus of OLS in 2023

After operating as a volunteer organisation from 2019 to 2021, 2022 marked our first full year with paid positions, including a paid role (60%) for Yo Yehudi as the Executive Director who dedicated their time to enhancing our organisational structure and sustainability plans.

The year 2023 was pivotal for OLS, witnessing substantial progress in refining processes, expanding our team, and shaping community sustainability plans. It also marked the emergence of our governance work.

In June 2023, the OLS Board invited 10 community leaders from OLS and the open science community to form our inaugural Governance Committee (referred to as Committee). The Committee aims to provide strategic oversight, shape the governance framework, and enhance accountability and transparency in OLS’ work.

Meet the Committee Members

Learn more about the Governance Committee and its members on our governance page. Individual committee members are listed below:

• Anelda van der Walt, Talarify and RSSE Africa, South Africa
• Batool Almarzouq, representing Open Science Saudi Arabia, UK
• Esther Plomp, TU Delft, The Netherlands
• Hao Ye, University of Pennsylvania / Community for Rigor, USA
• Laura Ación, MetaDocencia, Argentina
• Laurah Ondari, Bioinformatics Hub of Kenya initiative (BHKi), Kenya
• Rowland Mosbergen, Practical Diversity and Inclusion Project, Australia
• Sara El Gebali, FAIRPoints Project, Sweden
• Saranjeet Kaur Bhogal, RSE Asia Association and Research Software Alliance, India
• Stephen Klusza, Clayton State University as an assistant professor of Biology, USA

Involvement of OLS Board and Team Members in Governance Work

Patricia Herterich from the OLS team serves as the Organisation Secretary. Two OLS Board representatives, Malvika Sharan and Yo Yehudi, join the Governance Committee as Organisation Liaisons. They facilitate communication, manage operational responsibilities, and ensure a seamless flow of information between the OLS team, the Committee, and the broader OLS community. Importantly, they do not participate in the voting and consensus-building process of the Committee.

Phase 1 of Governance Work: Inviting Leaders and Co-Developing Ways of Working - 2023

The initial phase of governance work focused on inviting leaders actively engaged within OLS. The selection process, endorsed by the OLS Board, prioritised diverse representation and expertise within our community. Over the past six months, the Committee collaborated closely with the OLS team to clarify and document governance processes.

All documents are available on our public GitHub repository: ols-governance/docs.

Phase 2: Governance Committee’s Advisory Role in 2024

As we enter the second phase, we are excited to leverage the Committee’s advisory support in enhancing transparency, fostering inclusivity through feedback, and championing sustainability within our organisation. This phase includes:

1. Recommendations and Feedback
   • Establishing a regular feedback loop between the Governance Committee and the OLS Board.
   • Providing advisory support and suggestions to improve transparency in OLS leadership and operations.
   • Sharing updates and inviting feedback from the broader community.
2. Sustainability Focus
   • Involving the committee in exploring funding, strategy, and leadership opportunities in OLS.
   • Collaborating with local communities for skills development and capacity building.
   • Designing an open and accessible nomination process for community members with recommendations from the Committee and feedback from the community.

The journey continues, and we are very grateful to our Committee members for their generosity and time in OLS.

You can follow updates on our GitHub repository for governance. We look forward to sharing ongoing discussions and developments with the broader OLS community!