Greetings folks

This is the running update from Kantara Initiative, Inc's Executive Director. Have questions or comments? Suggest some added information or edits? Contact the ED colin@kantarainitiative.org

March 2016 has been a memorable one for your Executive Director in his first month on the contract.  It follows three months of intense activity for Kantara - possibly the most intense in its history. 

It began with Joni's shock resignation in December (we all miss her but she remains a steadfast supporter up there in the Great White North) and the establishment of the Sub-committee of the Board of Trustees to see the organization through the 'interregnum'.

The Board was very busy in other ways too, as it made three decisions in rapid succession. To convert to Self Incorporation; To transition to a new service management organization; To appoint a new ED.

Looking ahead in December, this period was to be described by President Allan Foster; 'like ripping a plaster off a hairy fore-arm - it will be painful, but the pain will be short-lived'.  

Actually, it's been longer than short-lived as we have wrestled with the transition throughout March, but the light at the end of the tunnel is growing brighter and larger by the day... .

I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support and assistance - Members, Officers and Staff. I want to pay a special tribute to Ruth and Oliver, who have shouldered much of the work, often in the background and unseen by many.

For consistency's sake, I'll continue with the existing template to report out activities.

Cheers!

Colin 

Liaisons:

• ISO/ITU-T: NISO SC27's meeting starts next week in Tampa FL, and we are fortunate to expect a number of Kantara members to attend to support and speak to our Liaison Statement to Working Group 5, Identity Management and Privacy 
• Two further liaisons are in progress. More on those in coming months.

New Activities:

• Where to start.. there are so many! Top of mind is the first project into the R&D CCICADA program: Lockstep Technologies Australia, with Mobile Device Attribute Verification (MDAV). Thanks to the folks who are preparing further project submissions. We look forward to them. 

New Members:

• Kantara welcomes  2 new members from Australia, but only 1 can be announced at this time . That is Lockstep Technologies Pty Ltd. 

Marketing:

• Virtual Management Inc, our new management company has a strong marketing and PR team that is preparing materials for our future events, such as a revised slide master, one page flyer, lapel pins. If you have ideas please contact the ED.

Work Group and Discussion Group Updates:

• LC: Annual elections are complete and the new Officer line-up is Andrew Hughes (Chair), Mark Lizar (Vice Chair), Sal D'Agostino Many thanks to the outgoing team, Sal, Pete, and Mark. 
• CIS WG: The MVCR spec is nearly complete and looking for resources to polish up the documentation and the consentreceipt.org website for launch.
• UMA WG and UMA Dev WGs: For UMA WG: Extended use cases nicknamed "wide ecosystem". This is when Alice wants to share a resource with Bob, but her authorization server and his identity/claims provider have never met before. UMA legal subgroup, we are working in earnest on our first set of model clauses. For the UMA Dev WG, the group is working on a CCICADA white paper outline to fund an UMA test harness.
• Events and Workshop Planning DG established, to co-ordinate the planning for events. Please sign on to this group.

Events:

• Workshop & Event Planning DG (noted above): Is the main vehicle for building events.  
• April 26-28 IIW: UMA, consent Receipt, CCICADA R&D all expected to be presenting/demonstrating.  Significant Kantara Board and WG Leaders turnout expected.
• May 10th Workshop, EIC 2016, Munich: IdoT, OTTO, UMA and CIS WG leads, are speakers.  Closing comments by the acclaimed Andrea Servida, eIDAS legal task force. 
• June 6th Workshop, CIS, New Orleans: OTTO, UMA, and other WGs on the slate to speak.