# Forming a Technical Committee **URL:** \ **Category:** Governance\ **Created:** [April 24, 2024, 7:54pm UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/forming-a-technical-committee/517 "2024-04-24T19:54:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bloom](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.openreferral.org/bloom/32/103_2.png) [@bloom](https://forum.openreferral.org/u/bloom)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 7:54pm UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/forming-a-technical-committee/517/1 "2024-04-24T19:54:50Z")
Now that we’ve [upgraded our governance model](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/proposal-upgrading-the-hsds-governance-model/494/5), it’s time to prepare to form the Technical Committee. I’ve produced [a draft of a description of the Committee here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nMe3cIxgIdWVU0JPra_EmyVv-RvCvRqJgs5gH_2grlU/edit), pulling material from our governance proposal(s), and filling in some gaps. As mentioned in there, any member of our previous Technical Working groups is welcome to self-nominate; that group alone may provide more than enough prospective membership to get started. That said, I expect that I will also extend invitations to specific perspectives that we ought to have represented. (Once formed, the Committee will be expected to manage its own membership moving forward.) I expect this process to take about a mont. Over the next couple of weeks, please review and provide any reactions to the content in that document – and reach out if you’re interested in serving on the Committee! Thanks in advance to all who step up to help with this process 😄 ---
**Author:** ![Dan-ODS](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.openreferral.org/dan-ods/32/89_2.png) [@Dan-ODS](https://forum.openreferral.org/u/Dan-ODS)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2024, 9:41am UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/forming-a-technical-committee/517/2 "2024-05-09T09:41:33Z")
Just tagging those who have been involved in the discussions we’ve been having regarding this. @devin @skyleryoung @SarahP @klambacher @MikeThacker-iStandUK We’d appreciate it you could: 1. Review and check you’re happy with the what Greg has drafted [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nMe3cIxgIdWVU0JPra_EmyVv-RvCvRqJgs5gH_2grlU/edit) 2. Let us know if you’re looking to self-nominate. Thanks, Dan ---
**Author:** ![SarahP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@SarahP](https://forum.openreferral.org/u/SarahP)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2024, 2:12pm UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/forming-a-technical-committee/517/3 "2024-05-09T14:12:49Z")
I am happy to continue to serve on this committee. ---
**Author:** ![bloom](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.openreferral.org/bloom/32/103_2.png) [@bloom](https://forum.openreferral.org/u/bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 12:46pm UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/forming-a-technical-committee/517/4 "2024-05-30T12:46:47Z")
Hi folks – thanks to all who’ve discussed this with me in one form or another over the past month. Seems like we have a sufficient set of nominated committee members who are ready to write this next chapter – @devin @skyleryoung @SarahP @klambacher @MikeThacker-iStandUK – all of whom served on our technical working group for 3.0. I think among them we have a solid cross-section of experience, perspectives, and at least three nationalities. (I do think the committee could eventually benefit from an additional two more members, and toward that end I will advocate for further diversification. But this seems like it could be a good starting point.) Our next standing technical meetup is just under two weeks away (June 12th, 11a ET). So the community has that time to identify any other issues with the Technical Committee proposal and/or bring any other nominations or concerns to the table. If no other issues arise, we’ll plan to shift into a formalization process – drafting a charter, etc. Thanks again to all who’ve helped carve this path – let me know if you have any other questions or suggestions! onward 😃 ~greg ---
**Author:** ![bloom](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.openreferral.org/bloom/32/103_2.png) [@bloom](https://forum.openreferral.org/u/bloom)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2024, 5:00pm UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/forming-a-technical-committee/517/5 "2024-06-28T17:00:45Z")
Hi folks – we’ve formed the Technical Committee! Big welcome and thanks to @devin @skyleryoung @SarahP @klambacher @MikeThacker-iStandUK See video of the recent Technical Meeting [here](https://youtu.be/TdMW3NAe1Bk). And stay tuned for updates as the Committee drafts a charter and begins work on HSDS v3.1. Looking forward to this next chapter 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bloom](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.openreferral.org/bloom/32/103_2.png) [@bloom](https://forum.openreferral.org/u/bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 5:01pm UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/forming-a-technical-committee/517/6 "2024-11-26T17:01:39Z")
Heads up that [I have drafted a blog post announcing the new technical committee (and welcoming committee members by name](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PlLrebesrYd7s_dVK9OxDcvPjtfIb79mGNctP5R25AM/edit?tab=t.0). @devin @skyleryoung @SarahP @klambacher @MikeThacker-iStandUK Please review and let me know if you have any feedback – I’ll aim to post after next week, if I don’t receive any substantive input. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![MikeThacker-iStandUK](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.openreferral.org/mikethacker-istanduk/32/8_2.png) [@MikeThacker-iStandUK](https://forum.openreferral.org/u/MikeThacker-iStandUK)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2024, 9:53am UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/forming-a-technical-committee/517/7 "2024-11-28T09:53:14Z")
I’m happy with [Open Referral Blog Posts – Committee + HSDS 3.1](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PlLrebesrYd7s_dVK9OxDcvPjtfIb79mGNctP5R25AM/edit?usp=sharing) subject to one tiny issue on which I have commented. The content is pretty dry but needed to let people know we have good open processes. The [complete this survey](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdYGaA3-aG8bkkYPqbv8C-K2R4DarX0tZ_aHyMikhWrycUHRg/viewform) link will need more prominence here and elsewhere if we want a good response. ---
**Author:** ![bloom](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.openreferral.org/bloom/32/103_2.png) [@bloom](https://forum.openreferral.org/u/bloom)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 9:49pm UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/forming-a-technical-committee/517/8 "2024-12-05T21:49:11Z")
Blog post is up! [https://openreferral.org/upgrading-our-governance-introducing-the-open-referral-standing-technical-committee/](https://openreferral.org/upgrading-our-governance-introducing-the-open-referral-standing-technical-committee/) Thanks y’all. I will send out an email newsletter announcement soon. ---
**Author:** ![skyleryoung](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.openreferral.org/skyleryoung/32/212_2.png) [@skyleryoung](https://forum.openreferral.org/u/skyleryoung)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 10:48pm UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/forming-a-technical-committee/517/9 "2024-12-09T22:48:29Z")
Thanks Greg, looks good as far as I’m concerned. ---
**Author:** ![SarahP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@SarahP](https://forum.openreferral.org/u/SarahP)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 3:00pm UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/forming-a-technical-committee/517/10 "2025-07-10T15:00:20Z")
Hi All, My role with Inform USA changed a few months ago and I no longer have capacity to sit on this committee, so I am nominating Jen Abels to serve. It was great to work with you all! Sarah ---
**Author:** ![MikeThacker-iStandUK](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.openreferral.org/mikethacker-istanduk/32/8_2.png) [@MikeThacker-iStandUK](https://forum.openreferral.org/u/MikeThacker-iStandUK)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 6:49pm UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/forming-a-technical-committee/517/11 "2025-07-10T18:49:40Z")
Thanks for all your work in the past Sarah. ---
**Author:** ![skyleryoung](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.openreferral.org/skyleryoung/32/212_2.png) [@skyleryoung](https://forum.openreferral.org/u/skyleryoung)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 4:43am UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/forming-a-technical-committee/517/12 "2025-07-11T04:43:05Z")
Thanks Sarah! Sorry to see you go, and wish you the very best. ---
**Author:** ![skyleryoung](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.openreferral.org/skyleryoung/32/212_2.png) [@skyleryoung](https://forum.openreferral.org/u/skyleryoung)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 4:44am UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/forming-a-technical-committee/517/13 "2025-07-11T04:44:04Z")
In the interest of keeping our membership up, and given her already prolific work in this space, I would like to nominate @sasha to become a member of the Technical Committee. Can I get a second? ---
**Author:** ![bloom](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.openreferral.org/bloom/32/103_2.png) [@bloom](https://forum.openreferral.org/u/bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:18pm UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/forming-a-technical-committee/517/14 "2025-07-14T14:18:25Z")
Great to see that we have two new nominations to the Committee. (@skyleryoung I personally strongly agree that @sasha would make a great addition, though we don’t technically need to get a second since we don’t use Robert’s Rules; as per our charter a nomination can be simply decided on – and is approved as long as nobody strongly opposes.) This does mean that the next Committee meeting should be private (or at least part of it should be private) so that members can discuss candidly. I can exclude myself from it too. We need to reschedule the August meeting tho because Kate can’t make this next one. I’ll followup on that in another thread. g ---
**Author:** ![bloom](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.openreferral.org/bloom/32/103_2.png) [@bloom](https://forum.openreferral.org/u/bloom)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 8:25pm UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/forming-a-technical-committee/517/15 "2025-08-01T20:25:43Z")
Hi folks – I’ve sent out a calendar invite for a SHORT, CLOSED meeting on August 14th at 11a Eastern. The primary and perhaps exclusive agenda item at this meeting will be to review the two nominations for new members: Sasha Reinoso from Do Good Data, and Jen Abels from Inform USA. This meeting would only be for technical committee members – @devin @MikeThacker-iStandUK @SarahP @skyleryoung @klambacher – and facilitators (@Dan-ODS and myself, tho even I can recuse myself if committee members ask). Technically, the charter just says that new member nominations will be reviewed in “a private discussion,” so I suppose this could potentially be handled in advance asynchronously in a private email thread or closed discourse group. Please respond to this with two bits of information: 1. Can you make it to a brief discussion on that day/time? 2. Do you need more information and discussion before voting, or would you be ready to make a decision without needing to discuss? ---
**Author:** ![devin](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.openreferral.org/devin/32/16_2.png) [@devin](https://forum.openreferral.org/u/devin)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2025, 12:21am UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/forming-a-technical-committee/517/16 "2025-09-19T00:21:58Z")
I’d like to nominate @switzersc to the committee. ---
**Author:** ![bloom](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.openreferral.org/bloom/32/103_2.png) [@bloom](https://forum.openreferral.org/u/bloom)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2025, 1:22pm UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/forming-a-technical-committee/517/17 "2025-09-19T13:22:32Z")
Thanks for nominating @switzersc , @devin ! I am thrilled that Shelby is interested in joining and very much support this nomination. Shelby has contributed to the Open Referral community for many years, from [their time at a referral platform startup](https://openreferral.org/how-healthify-uses-open-referral-standards-to-strengthen-care-coordination/) to [the first proper HSDS transformer project](https://openreferral.org/introducing-open-referrals-data-transformation-toolkit/). I won’t be at the next monthly Technical Committee meeting on October 8th. I’d like to hear from any [@TechnicalCommittee](https://forum.openreferral.org/groups/technicalcommittee) members who have questions or possible concerns between now and then; if not, I recommend inviting Shelby to begin the 3-month probationary period in October – and before or at the end of that period, the Committee can meet privately to formally approve or defer the nomination. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. @JenAbels @skyleryoung @MikeThacker-iStandUK @sasha @klambacher ---
**Author:** ![JenAbels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed655f/32.png) [@JenAbels](https://forum.openreferral.org/u/JenAbels)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2026, 7:43pm UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/forming-a-technical-committee/517/18 "2026-09-02T19:43:45Z")
Hello, Inform USA is shifting some responsibilities and, therefore, I nominate Matthew Hundley to serve on the Committee going forward. Thank you all for your work! Jennifer Abels