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title Charter of the NumFOCUS Technical Steering Committee
date 2026-02-09
author Sanket Verma

Establishment

The Technical Steering Committee (TSC) is established under the NumFOCUS Dual-Governance Model as a standing committee. (Approved by the Board on May 22, 2024; last updated: Jun 7, 2024.)

Purpose

The purpose of the Technical Steering Committee is to guide and support the technical direction of the NumFOCUS ecosystem. The committee ensures that sponsored and affiliated projects receive strategic oversight, technical guidance, and fair allocation of resources to strengthen the long-term sustainability of the NumFOCUS mission and values.

Mission

The committee will accomplish its purpose by:

  • Advising NumFOCUS on Sponsored Project needs, including technology choices for Project-facing infrastructure.
  • Reviewing and selecting sponsored and affiliated projects.
  • Overseeing technical committees and programs, including:
  • Infrastructure Committee
  • Affiliated Project Selection Committee
  • Small Development Grants Program
  • Security Committee
  • Review and provide input on the annual budget before submission to the Administrative Board.
  • Supporting fundraising efforts that sustain the technical mission of NumFOCUS.
  • Ensuring the creation and curation of technical blogs, reports, and community-facing content.
  • Providing technical support and insights to internal programs on an as-needed basis.
  • Electing one member of the TSC to also serve on the Administrative Board with full voting privileges.

Committee Composition

Membership

  1. The TSC will comprise up to 7 members from the NumFOCUS project and its community ecosystem.
  2. Membership will reflect the NumFOCUS Diversity Statement by welcoming and encouraging participation from people of all backgrounds and identities and promoting a culture of inclusion and respect.
  3. Members serve a two-year term, with the possibility of renewal for up to two additional terms. An ideal target turnover rate of ~30–40% will be encouraged to strike a balance between continuity and fresh perspectives.
  4. Members are expected to:
  • Attend meetings regularly.
  • Participate actively in discussions via Zulip, email, or other committee channels.
  • Contribute to reviews, recommendations, and technical initiatives as appropriate.
  • Adhere to the NumFOCUS Volunteer Leadership policy
  1. If, over a continuous period of four months and without prior arrangement, a member fails to attend more than 50% of meetings or fails to respond to more than 75% of scheduling requests, a vote will be held by other members to transition the absent member to the status of Past Members/Emeritus.

Officers

  1. Chair (or Co-Chairs)
  • Elected by committee members or appointed by the Board of Directors for a two-year term.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Call and chair meetings.
    • Set agendas.
    • Represent the committee in cross-committee or Board discussions.
  1. Secretary
  • Elected by committee members for a two-year term.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Record and publish meeting minutes.
    • Maintain committee records.
    • Submit quarterly reports to the Board of Directors.
  1. Administrative Board Liaison
  • Elected by the TSC members for a two-year term.
    • Serves as the TSC’s representative on the Administrative Board with full voting privileges.

Terms

Committee members will serve a two-year term, after which they will have the option to renew for up to two additional terms. The Chair, Secretary and Administrative Board Liaison will serve one-year terms with the option to renew for the duration of a single TSC term.

Decision-Making Procedures

  1. Discussions will happen via Zoom meetings, email, or Zulip.
  2. Voting members include all elected TSC members (NumFOCUS staff and board participants are non-voting unless explicitly granted voting rights by the committee).
  3. Decisions may be made using Robert's Rules of Order:
  • Asynchronously via email or Zulip with a +1 / 0 / –1 voting model.
  • Synchronously during committee meetings by majority vote (+1 / 0 / –1).
  1. Quorum is defined as a simple majority of voting members.
  2. All resolutions and votes will be recorded in the official minutes.

Meetings

The TSC will meet every month, with additional meetings scheduled as needed. A majority of members will constitute a quorum. Meeting minutes will be published at https://numfocus.github.io/numfocus-board/.

Reporting

The TSC reports to the board of directors quarterly with updates and progress.

Charter Review and Amendments

The TSC will review its charter annually in the first quarter of the calendar year.

Proposed changes must be approved by a majority vote and submitted to the Board of Directors for final approval.

Contact

For any questions and queries, the TSC members can be reached at tsc@numfocus.org.

Document history

  • Approved by 5 / 0 / 0 vote at TSC meeting on Jan 14, 2026
  • TSC charter ratified and approved by 5 / 0 / 0 at NumFOCUS' Board of Directors meeting on Jan 27, 2026