The IAB has created a new Liaison Coordinator role as part of our effort to remodel our internal handling of our liaison oversight responsibility. With this effort, the IAB aims to maintain a better overview of all on-going liaison activities, to provide our liaison managers with better support, and be more actively involved when necessary as well as be able to react quickly as needed.

As already announced in the last IAB community report during IETF 110, this new role replaces the IAB’s previous internal shepherding structure but it does not change the nature of the liaison management roles as performed by the liaison managers. This new role is specifically intended to clarify communication with liaison managers and the community by providing a single contact point within the IAB.  The Liaison Coordinator(s) can be contacted by sending mail to liaison-coordination@iab.org

The IAB has selected Wes Hardaker and Tommy Pauly to serve in the Liaison Coordinator role for the next year.  The IAB will annually reevaluate who is selected to serve in this role during the March IETF when all the IAB roles are assigned.

As a next step, the Liaison Coordinators will also reach out to our liaison managers to advertise this change as well as collect input for other desired or needed improvements to the IAB’s liaison responsibilities.

If you have any comments or questions about these activities, feel to contact the Liaison Coordinators, the IAB <iab@iab.org>, or also the IAB Chair Mirja Kühlewind directly <iab-chair@iab.org>.