2025 NAF Advisory Board Updates

As NAF grows and matures, we are refining the requirements for membership and participation on the NAF Advisory Board for 2025.

2025 NAF AB Expectations

The 2025 NAF Advisory Board (AB) will consist of up to 12 members with the following duties:

• Participate in NAF Slack

• This is our primary communication channel for AB and NAF activities

• AB members are expected to be active on Slack at least once a week and to respond to messages from Scott, Chris, Emily or other AB members within 1 working business day

• Actively participate in content review for conferences and workshops

• AB members are expected to review content for at least 75% of NAF events

• For example, in a year with two AutoCon events, each one having both a conference and workshops (hence 2 conference events and 2 workshop events), the expectation is that every AB member would review content for at least 3 of the 4.

• We intentionally keep meetings infrequent and make use of asynchronous communications where possible, so AB members are expected to participate in review meetings when they are called

• We hope to keep real-time AB meetings to a maximum of 4 per year and AB members are expected to participate in at least 75% of scheduled meetings

• Be a NAF Brand Ambassador

• This includes promotion of NAF and AutoCon events via Social Media where AB members are already active

• This does not require AB members to create content (although this is encouraged); this can be occasional forwarding of announcements created by NAF, with personal messaging added as appropriate

• It also includes mentioning NAF when discussing network automation publicly, such as during media interviews or podcast recordings, etc.

• Attend at least one AutoCon event per year (conference fee waived for all AB members)

• AB members are expected to share your feedback from any event they attend

• Collecting and sharing informal feedback from other attendees while at the event is also welcome!

2025 NAF AB Extras

Items that are not requirements for the NAF AB but are ways that AB members can help include:

• Recommending future conference speakers, workshop proctors, and AB members

• Shepherding AutoCon presentations and workshops

• Providing guidance and feedback for presenters and workshop providers, especially new presenters 

• Willingness to reach out to your employers and other companies and organizations to connect for sponsorship opportunities (both for AutoCon and NAFcast events)

• This can be as simple as putting NAF in contact with the marketing groups that sponsor industry events

Beyond the AB

There are other areas that you can support NAF that do not require AB membership, such as:

• Organizing and participating in Birds of a Feather groups (BoFs)

• This can be at AutoCon events and/or in between events

• Serving as a liaison/mentor for various NAF-related projects, such as:

• Network Automation Framework

• Network Automation Landscape

• Jinja Templates

• NAF Validated Designs

• Network Automation Certification paths

• Slack Community Management

• Being active on NAF Slack and engaging where it makes sense

• Keeping an eye out for any conversations of concern (community moderation)

• Keeping an eye out for any conversations of value (pulling content out for saving and sharing)

2025 NAF AB Selection Process

• All 12 NAF AB seats are “open” for 2025

• Current board members may re-apply for 2025

• Candidate AB members must submit a short written essay (300 words max) or video essay (3 min max) on how they align with NAF objectives / AB duties, and what perspective they bring to the NAF Advisory Board (including personal goals they may have, etc).

• Send to: submissons@networkautomation.forum 

• Submissions will be reviewed by NAF leadership and the top 12 candidates will be selected for the 2025 AB.

2025 NAF AB Selection Timeline

• Share details of changes with the current AB - 31 Oct

• Share details publicly - 4 Nov

• 2025 NAF AB applications due no later than - 15 Nov

• Review applications - after AC2

• Announce 2025 AB - in December

Thank You, Initial AB!

To all initial NAF AB members: we cannot express how grateful we are for your support in getting NAF and AutoCon events off the ground. Thank you for your support!