[Reminder] Identification of Lead for the Supplemental Recommendations Team
Dear SSAD Supplemental Recommendations Team, This is a friendly reminder that we would like to identify the Lead for the SSAD Supplemental Recommendations Team during our first meeting which is being scheduled for the week of 11 May 2026. In order to achieve this, we ask that members who would like to serve as the Lead for the Supplemental Recommendations Team share their interest and qualifications* on the mailing list prior to the first meeting. GNSO Council Leadership has recommended that if more than one volunteer comes forward, the Supplemental Recommendations Team will vote on a Lead for the Supplemental Recommendations Team. The candidate who receives the majority of votes will become Lead for the Supplemental Recommendations Team. *Expressions of Internet from Potential Leads should include: * What is the applicant’s interest in this position? * What particular skills and attributes does the applicant have that will assist them in leading the SSAD Supplemental Recommendations Team and facilitating consensus building? * What is the applicant's knowledge of and/or experience in SSAD related work at ICANN, if any? * Is the applicant able to commit the time required and necessary work needed to lead the SSAD Supplemental Recommendations Team? Thank you for your willingness to contribute your time and expertise to this important work. Please let us know if you have any questions. Sincerely, Andrew on behalf of the GNSO Support Staff -- Andrew Chen Policy Development Support Sr. Specialist, Policy Development Support Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) https://www.icann.org/
Dear Andrew, dear colleagues, I would like to express my interest in serving as Lead of the SSAD Supplemental Recommendations Team. My motivation to take on this role is grounded in a strong commitment to supporting a focused, credible, and outcome-oriented process that effectively addresses the ICANN Board’s concerns while building on the findings of the RDRS Standing Committee. I see this effort as an opportunity to help the group deliver practical, implementable recommendations within the defined scope while maintaining trust across stakeholder groups. Professionally, I bring over 15 years of experience in policy advisory, stakeholder engagement, and facilitating consensus in complex and often polarized environments. I consistently translate diverse stakeholder perspectives into structured, actionable outputs, with a strong focus on process integrity, clear scope, and timely delivery. I am particularly comfortable guiding multi-stakeholder discussions, ensuring balanced participation, and navigating sensitive policy trade-offs. While my direct involvement in SSAD-specific work within ICANN has been more recent, I have developed a solid understanding of the key issues at stake, including the broader policy context around access to registration data and the evolution of the SSAD discussions. I approach this role with both humility and a disciplined focus on facilitating the group’s work in line with its mandate. I can commit the time and effort to support the team, including preparation, coordination, and active facilitation throughout the process. If colleagues trust me, I will prioritize an inclusive, well-structured, efficient working process that helps the team reach consensus on targeted, high-quality outputs. Thank you for your consideration. Warm Regards, Abbas Sibai Policy & Advocacy Specialist +9613824725 | https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbas-sibai/ On Tue, May 5, 2026 at 10:28 PM Andrew Chen via Gnso-ssad < gnso-ssad@icann.org> wrote:
Dear SSAD Supplemental Recommendations Team,
This is a friendly reminder that we would like to identify the Lead for the SSAD Supplemental Recommendations Team during our first meeting which is being scheduled for the week of 11 May 2026.
In order to achieve this, *we ask that members who would like to serve as the Lead for the Supplemental Recommendations Team share their interest and qualifications* on the mailing list prior to the first meeting. *
GNSO Council Leadership has recommended that if more than one volunteer comes forward, the Supplemental Recommendations Team will vote on a Lead for the Supplemental Recommendations Team. The candidate who receives the majority of votes will become Lead for the Supplemental Recommendations Team.
*Expressions of Internet from Potential Leads should include:
- What is the applicant’s interest in this position? - What particular skills and attributes does the applicant have that will assist them in leading the SSAD Supplemental Recommendations Team and facilitating consensus building? - What is the applicant's knowledge of and/or experience in SSAD related work at ICANN, if any? - Is the applicant able to commit the time required and necessary work needed to lead the SSAD Supplemental Recommendations Team?
Thank you for your willingness to contribute your time and expertise to this important work. Please let us know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Andrew on behalf of the GNSO Support Staff
--
Andrew Chen
Policy Development Support Sr. Specialist, Policy Development Support
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
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Dear Supplemental Recommendations Team, I appreciate the work the Council and staff have taken to organize the Supplemental Recommendations Team. It is a new and important chapter in policy development at ICANN. I am submitting the information requested below, addressing my interest in the position, the skills and attributes I would bring to the role, my SSAD-related experience, and my ability to commit the necessary time. I am interested in serving as Lead of the SSAD Supplemental Recommendations Team because I believe this assignment is a critical chance for the GNSO community to produce focused, implementable modifications that directly address the Board’s stated concerns and the RDRS Standing Committee’s recommendations. Whether selected or not, I am motivated to help the Supplemental Recommendation Team deliver a timely and credible policy outcome that the broader community can support and that improves the practical path forward on SSAD policy, consistent with the Council’s instructions for this effort. This is an effort that I began as a member of the RDRS Standing Committee as its Vice-Chair. In that capacity, I have worked closely with the Chair, other standing committee members, and ICANN org support to keep a diverse group aligned to a defined scope, move drafting forward, and encourage timely contributions so the Committee could translate operational experience and metrics into clear, actionable findings and suggestions for the Council. I believe this experience positions me well to continue in a leadership role on SSAD-related work. The SSAD Supplemental Recommendations Team is similarly tasked with producing focused, practical modifications, which are grounded in what we have learned through the RDRS Standing Committee and responsive to identified concerns, while maintaining a disciplined process and a constructive tone across stakeholder perspectives. In addition, ensuring that the Team considers impacts on the Global Public, human rights, existing Consensus Policies, and which has practicable in its costs to all involved parties. I intend to approach this leadership role as a facilitator, helping the Team do its best work, ensuring viewpoints on matters are heard and fairly tested, and keeping us disciplined to scope and deliverables. This mindset is consistent with the Consensus Playbook’s framing of consensus as a structured journey that requires effective facilitation, clear process design, and shared responsibility from all participants. As a facilitator, I have served as an elected GNSO Councilor and as Vice-Chair of the GNSO Council (Non-Contracted Parties House), roles that require balancing competing interests, running efficient deliberations, and working constructively across the community. I have served as GNSO Council Liaison to policy efforts and as a working group member in PDPs, including the Review of All Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPMs) PDP Working Group, where the work involved long timelines, high participation, and significant disagreement, which is exactly the kind of environment where disciplined facilitation matters. My SSAD-related experience includes both direct familiarity with the SSAD policy recommendations context and active engagement in the community’s more recent RDRS proof-of-concept work, which was intended to inform next steps on whether and how to proceed toward SSAD (or successor) solutions. I understand the estimated time commitment described in the Council communication. If selected, I will commit not only to attending and chairing the calls, but also to the “between-meeting” work that makes these efforts successful, including agenda planning, coordinating with staff support, ensuring high-quality drafting, and helping participants and constituencies understand tradeoffs early enough to avoid late-stage surprises. Thank you, John [http://www.nelsonmullins.com/img/ecard-logo.png] JOHN C. MCELWAINE PARTNER john.mcelwaine@nelsonmullins.com<mailto:john.mcelwaine@nelsonmullins.com> LIBERTY CENTER | SUITE 600 151 MEETING STREET | CHARLESTON, SC 29401 T 843.534.4302 F 843.722.8700 901 15th STREET, NW | SUITE 1200 WASHINGTON, D.C., 20005 T 202.689.2939 F 202.689.2860 NELSONMULLINS.COM<http://www.nelsonmullins.com/> VCARD<http://www.nelsonmullins.com/people/john-mcelwaine/vcard> VIEW BIO<http://www.nelsonmullins.com/people/john-mcelwaine> From: Andrew Chen via Gnso-ssad <gnso-ssad@icann.org> Sent: Tuesday, May 5, 2026 7:04 PM To: Terri Agnew via Gnso-ssad <gnso-ssad@icann.org> Subject: [Gnso-ssad] [Reminder] Identification of Lead for the Supplemental Recommendations Team Dear SSAD Supplemental Recommendations Team, This is a friendly reminder that we would like to identify the Lead for the SSAD Supplemental Recommendations Team during our first meeting which is being scheduled for the week of 11 May 2026. In Dear SSAD Supplemental Recommendations Team, This is a friendly reminder that we would like to identify the Lead for the SSAD Supplemental Recommendations Team during our first meeting which is being scheduled for the week of 11 May 2026. In order to achieve this, we ask that members who would like to serve as the Lead for the Supplemental Recommendations Team share their interest and qualifications* on the mailing list prior to the first meeting. GNSO Council Leadership has recommended that if more than one volunteer comes forward, the Supplemental Recommendations Team will vote on a Lead for the Supplemental Recommendations Team. The candidate who receives the majority of votes will become Lead for the Supplemental Recommendations Team. *Expressions of Internet from Potential Leads should include: * What is the applicant’s interest in this position? * What particular skills and attributes does the applicant have that will assist them in leading the SSAD Supplemental Recommendations Team and facilitating consensus building? * What is the applicant's knowledge of and/or experience in SSAD related work at ICANN, if any? * Is the applicant able to commit the time required and necessary work needed to lead the SSAD Supplemental Recommendations Team? Thank you for your willingness to contribute your time and expertise to this important work. Please let us know if you have any questions. Sincerely, Andrew on behalf of the GNSO Support Staff -- Andrew Chen Policy Development Support Sr. Specialist, Policy Development Support Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) https://www.icann.org/<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.icann.org/__;!!LBFcHN3WCgnqDQ!kTMih3VkxDLadFCux4jBZAkIYPbFiJX_-DH-wGMBdFOBVdC5ULbHrA6MqbzR9jIvrcDmn62MvCiHz6r-2ohEax8zQYk$> Confidentiality Notice This message is intended exclusively for the individual or entity to which it is addressed. This communication may contain information that is proprietary, privileged, confidential or otherwise legally exempt from disclosure. If you are not the named addressee, you are not authorized to read, print, retain, copy or disseminate this message or any part of it. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately either by phone (800-237-2000) or reply to this e-mail and delete all copies of this message.
participants (3)
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Abbas Sibai -
Andrew Chen -
John McElwaine