Role

Description

Conference Co-Chairs

Serve as the primary points of contact with NumFOCUS staff. They are responsible for shaping the overall direction, mission, and thematic focus of the conference. The co-chairs oversee the entire organizing committee, ensuring alignment with the conference goals and successful execution of all aspects. They also play a key role in selecting and coordinating keynote and invited speakers.

Program Committee Chairs

Responsible for developing the call for proposal instructions and convening a program committee to review, score, and select talk proposals. They play a central role in building the conference schedule and collaborating on inviting keynote speakers. The Program Committee Chairs ensure that the content aligns with the conference's goals and maintains a high standard of quality.

Communication Chairs

Tasked with ensuring that the conference and its call for talk proposals reach everyone in the community who might be interested. They are responsible for outreach efforts, engaging with other communities, and promoting the conference to ensure broad awareness and participation. The Communications Chairs work to ensure that the program and audience are diverse and inclusive, representing a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds.

Extracurricular Chairs

Responsible for planning and coordinating all conference activities outside of the scheduled talks, tutorials, and keynotes. Each extracurricular activity, such as the mentorship program, sprints, lightning talks, open spaces/BoFs, workshops, challenges, poster sessions, fireside chats, panel discussions, book signings, diversity breakfasts/luncheons, career development sessions, and quizzes, can have a dedicated chair. These chairs ensure that these activities are well-organized, engaging, and aligned with the conference’s overall goals, enriching the attendee experience.

Proceedings Chairs

Responsible for inviting all accepted presenters to submit papers for inclusion in the conference proceedings. They oversee the collection, review, and editing of these papers, ensuring they meet the required standards. The Proceedings Chairs play a key role in curating the conference’s scholarly output, ensuring that it accurately reflects the quality and diversity of the presentations.

Diversity Chairs

Tasked with ensuring that the conference is open, welcoming, and inclusive. They may lead a diversity scholarship program to provide free tickets to community members who might otherwise be unable to attend, promoting a more diverse audience. The Diversity Chairs also collaborate with the Communications Chairs to ensure that messaging effectively reaches diverse communities. Additionally, they contribute to the selection of keynote speakers, invited guests, and programming ideas, ensuring that the conference content reflects a wide range of perspectives and experiences.

Sponsorship Chairs

Responsible for coordinating efforts to identify potential sponsors and making introductions where possible. While NumFOCUS manages the logistics of securing, onboarding, invoicing sponsors, and fulfilling sponsorship benefits, the Sponsorship Chairs play a key role in connecting the conference with organizations that align with its mission and goals. They work to build and nurture relationships that support the conference’s success.

Activities Chairs

Responsible for fostering community and organizing fun activities outside of the main conference program. This includes both sponsored social events and free gatherings, all of which they will coordinate and lead. The Activities Chairs play a crucial role in creating opportunities for networking, relaxation, and informal engagement, enhancing the overall conference experience and building lasting connections among attendees.