> This is a variation of the old boys club. Let's say that there are two candidates. Candidate A has 20 years of IETF experience. Candidate B has 5 years of IETF experience. If the choice is about choosing the best Candidate A will always be selected. There may well be some of that going on, but there is something else as well, tied to very large time commitment required for area directors. At some point, the candidate has to be able to say something like "I spoke to my boss and he agrees with the time commitment." We already know that this creates a bias towards large companies whose products are directly affected by IETF standards. But it also creates a bias towards folks who are "well connected" inside their own company, and can use these connections to get someone to agree to foot their bill. And being "well connected" is typical of the old boys clubs. Bias reduction would certainly be much easier if the time commitment required from volunteers was not so large. -- Christian Huitema