Carpentries Governance
Governance of The Carpentries is undertaken by the Executive Council, to whom the Executive Director reports. The Council comprises nine members, from The Carpentries community or others, four elected by the community, and five appointed from the Executive Council.
Roles and Responsibilities of the Executive Council
The Carpentries Executive Council is the highest leadership body of The Carpentries project. It is responsible for strategic and organisational planning, selecting the Executive Director and evaluating their performance, financial oversight, identifying revenue streams and resource development, approving and monitoring The Carpentries programs and services, and enhancing The Carpentries public image. Members of the council also serve as advocates and ambassadors for the organisation, leveraging their networks to benefit the project’s reputation and fundraising. The Executive Council executes these responsibilities through a combination of quarterly Executive Council meetings and regular correspondence and collaboration via email and online platforms.
What is the Executive Council working on?
In addition to publicly posting meeting minutes, the Executive Council reports on its activities periodically in Carpentries Clippings (the organizational newsletter) as well as through blog posts. The council also prepares Yearly Summaries of its activities.
Current Executive Council Members

Yanina Bellini Saibene
Elected 2022
Sarah Stevens
Elected 2021
Nisha Ghatak
Appointed 2023
Michael Smith
Appointed 2021
Konrad Förstner
Appointed 2020 • Elected 2022
John Chodacki
Appointed 2021
Jannetta Steyn
Elected 2023
Annajiat Alim Rasel
Appointed 2022
Abdulai Imoro
Appointed 2022Past Executive Council Members
You will find our past Executive Council members on the Carpentries Governance History page.
Carpentries Executive Council Standing Committees
Standing Committees are used by the Executive Council as a practical way to manage the work and engagement of the Executive Council. For a description of the different Standing Committees, see the Carpentries' Handbook.
Officers Committee
- Konrad Förstner (Chair)
- John Chodacki (Vice Chair)
- Michael Smith (Treasurer)
- Sarah Stevens (Secretary)
Governance Committee
- John Chodacki (Committee Chair)
- Yanina Bellini Saibene
- Nisha Ghatak
- Annajiat Alim Rasel
Finance Committee
- Michael Smith (Committee Chair)
- Jannetta Steyn
- Abdulai Imoro
Program Committee
- Yanina Bellini Saibene (Committee Chair)
- Sarah Stevens
- Nisha Ghatak
- Jannetta Steyn
Carpentries Bylaws and Policies
The Carpentries Bylaws can be found in the Handbook. As well as our Code of Conduct, we have a number of policies that govern how we operate, including our Privacy Policy, our instructor 'no-show' policy and others.
Contacting the Executive Council
The Executive Council can be contacted submitting an issue to their GitHub repository; sending them an email; or by filling this form. Read more about how to contact the Executive Council.