Find out more about the Board Candidates

Before casting your vote on OpaVote, take some time to get to know the candidates for this year’s .NET Foundation Board of Directors elections.

We’re excited to have a diverse group of outstanding candidates. Explore their profiles, watch their candidacy videos, and learn more about their vision for the community.

Peter Smulovics

LinkedIn

Biography

Peter Smulovics joined Morgan Stanley after more than a decade at Microsoft, where he contributed to creating .NET, C#, and Azure, and enhanced Visual Studio, SQL Server, Dynamics, HoloLens, and more. A seasoned expert in Microsoft technologies, he now leads Windows and .NET Development Practices in the Software Development Experience organization.

His focus spans both server-side (opinionated abstraction platforms) and client-side (hybrid open-source desktop containers for .NET/Web UI) development, along with .NET build tooling, framework maintenance, and more.

Peter is a publicist for IDG and The Architecture Journal, author and co-author of several books, and a frequent presenter at conferences including TechEx, DevDays, TechReady, Agile DevCon, TechNet, Meta, EY, VRARA, FINRA, and many others.

He is a founding member of AgileAlliance, Architecture Forum, Architect Academy, and .NET Forum, and has contributed as a part-time tech lead to OSS projects like NHibernate, NVelocity, and several others. He holds certifications from Microsoft, Ariba, JBoss, and SiteCore, and has also served as a trainer on several technologies.

Recognized as both a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional and a FINOS Ambassador at The Linux Foundation, Peter co-chairs two special interest groups at FINOS—Open Source Readiness and Emerging Technologies (covering quantum technology, spatial computing, space tech, 4D printing, and more). He also serves as vice-chair for the Technical Oversight Committee.

Working in IT since 1995, Peter has project experience across diverse fields including FMCG, public sector, energy, telecom, pharma, mobile, music, security, and finance. Beyond his professional roles, he is active in many organizations and is a true renaissance man—involved with innovation, enabling people, cloud, mentoring, podcast production, and more. He is also the main organizer for the FSI Autism Hackathon.

Jonathan “J.” Tower

LinkedIn
YouTube
Github
BlueSky
X

Biography

Jonathan “J.” Tower is a founding partner of Trailhead Technology Partners, a custom software consulting company distributed across the U.S., Europe, and South America. A Microsoft MVP in .NET for 11 years running, J. is also a frequent speaker at conferences worldwide, where he shares his experiences in building software and teams.

Beyond his professional work, J. has devoted much of his time to strengthening the communities he is part of. He has served on multiple nonprofit boards and for over a decade has been president of Beer City Code, Western Michigan’s largest professional software conference.

When he’s not working with software or community, J. is usually exploring the outdoors. He has visited 58 of the 63 U.S. national parks, and he’s passionate about adventure, photography, and storytelling in all its forms—skills he tries to bring back into the way he teaches, mentors, and leads in the .NET and software communities.

Member Project Value

What specific, tangible support—beyond marketing—do you believe the Foundation should offer to make membership indispensable for a .NET open-source project?

I believe one of the most important ways the Foundation can support its member projects is by actively listening and responding to their needs. Getting regular feedback from projects about what resources or guidance would be most useful can help the Foundation focus on tangible, high-impact support.

Beyond providing practical tools or infrastructure, I’d like to help foster a stronger community where peer mentoring can happen naturally between people managing open-source member projects.

Maintainers often have the most in common with each other and the most to offer, from governance advice to community-building strategies. The Foundation could facilitate structured opportunities for maintainers to connect, share best practices, and mentor one another. This would make membership not only useful in a practical sense but also rewarding through peer engagement and mutual support.

Funding Diversification

Describe one specific, actionable strategy you would champion to broaden the Foundation's appeal and secure new funding sources.

One way the Foundation could broaden its funding base is by creating tiered individual membership levels similar to the corporate ones that already exist, each with different annual support amounts. Each tier could offer a range of benefits that make supporting the Foundation rewarding and visible.

For example, higher tiers could include things like Microsoft swag, software licensing, or Azure credits. Members could also be entered into a drawing for one-hour Teams calls with popular .NET or Microsoft team members such as Scott Guthrie, Scott Hanselman, David Fowler, Mark Russinovich, Scott Hunter, Daniel Roth, or Steve Sanderson.

Other perks could include shareable badges to display on social media or personal websites. The idea is to align funding with tangible, desirable benefits, while keeping it fun and community-focused.

This approach allows individuals and organizations to support the Foundation at a level that works for them, provides clear, visible value, and strengthens engagement with the broader .NET ecosystem.

Technical Direction

How should the Foundation balance its relationship with Microsoft while maintaining independence in setting technical priorities?

Balancing the relationship with Microsoft while maintaining independence requires a clear framework for setting priorities that serve the broader community. I would advocate for a process that:

• Identifies community-driven priorities: Actively solicits input from project maintainers and contributors about which technical areas need attention.

• Leverages Microsoft as a partner, not a sole guide: Microsoft can provide resources and guidance where helpful, but the Foundation should retain autonomy in deciding which projects, libraries, or standards to prioritize.

• Establishes transparent review cycles: Regularly evaluates emerging trends, project health, and ecosystem needs to ensure technical guidance remains relevant and community-focused.

This approach positions the Foundation as both a collaborator with Microsoft and a champion of the community’s needs, ensuring technical decisions reflect the interests of the broader .NET ecosystem rather than any single stakeholder.

Transparency and Decision-Making

The Foundation has faced community backlash in the past. When a controversial decision is necessary, what process would you champion to ensure community feedback is genuinely considered and the final decision is communicated transparently?

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned, both running a consulting company and participating in the software community, is that people can handle tough decisions, even unpopular ones, as long as they feel the process is fair and their voices are heard. Problems arise when decisions feel top-down, rushed, inconsistent, or unexplained.

If I were on the board, I’d champion a transparent, predictable process using tools developers are already familiar with, like GitHub. Before any major or potentially controversial decision, we could track it as an issue on GitHub, giving members and project maintainers a place to provide feedback, suggest alternatives, or raise concerns.

When the board reaches a decision, we could publish it there as well, including context, reasoning, and alternatives considered. Even if the final choice differs from what some hoped for, developers would be able to see how their input was evaluated and why the outcome was reached.

I think of it a bit like a code review. The goal isn’t just to merge changes, it’s to build trust in the process. By creating these transparent feedback loops and clearly communicating decisions, the Foundation can strengthen engagement, build trust, and avoid misunderstandings.

Linkedin

Biography

Born in 1977 in Turin to a working-class family, I’ve followed a lifelong path of curiosity, creativity, and code. Though I never completed my engineering degree, I’ve built a 25-year career as a backend developer specializing in C#, C++, and SQL, with deep experience in enterprise software and high-performance systems for sports broadcasting, banking, and ERP platforms.

I’ve worked with companies like Deltatre, Banca Sella, and Dylog, and currently lead development on a web-based ERP called Fattutto, built remotely with a small, agile team. My passion for tech extends beyond the keyboard: I co-lead the Torino .NET Users Group under the .NET Foundation with almost 1,200 members, collaborate with Codemotion, and co-host the monthly Devs Book Club, where we review books on software development.

Outside of work, I’ve written for national sports publications, coached youth football since 2008, and play keyboard for fun. I have a wife and a 13-year-old son. I live with two coronary stents and a relentless drive to turn half-successes into full stories. I believe in community, mentorship, and the power of software to connect people—and I’d be honored to bring that spirit to the .NET Foundation board.

Foundation Improvement

What do you think the Foundation can do better, and what are your specific plans for making those improvements?

The Foundation must become more present and approachable. I would establish Regional Community Leads—local ambassadors who serve as direct contact points for Meetup groups and contributors. This would eliminate the sense of distance and make engagement more personal.

I’d also introduce asynchronous participation formats to accommodate global time zones and launch a “Foundation Pulse” dashboard to track project health, funding, and engagement. Quarterly town halls would ensure transparency and collective decision-making.

Member Project Value

What specific, tangible support—beyond marketing—do you believe the Foundation should offer to make membership indispensable for a .NET open-source project?

Membership should offer real, operational value. I propose a “Member Project Toolkit” including GitHub Actions credits, legal templates, and access to mentorship. A “Project Spotlight” section on the Foundation’s homepage would showcase member projects.

I’d also build partnerships with private organizations to offer discounts on development tools and conference tickets, making membership not just symbolic, but strategic.

Community Onboarding

What is one concrete program you would champion to make it easier and more rewarding for new, individual developers to get involved with .NET Foundation projects?

I would launch a “First PR Fellowship”—a guided program that pairs new contributors with experienced mentors to help them land their first pull request.

To expand impact, I’d also promote a “Bring Your Company” initiative, encouraging developers to onboard their employers into open-source contribution. This helps shift the legacy mindset from proprietary code to community-driven innovation.

Funding Diversification

Describe one specific, actionable strategy you would champion to broaden the Foundation's appeal and secure new funding sources.

I would launch a “Corporate Ally Program” where companies sponsor the Foundation in exchange for visibility, access to talent, and community goodwill.

This would be supported by a “.NET Impact Fund” with transparent allocation toward diversity, infrastructure, and community programs. By telling better stories—showing how .NET open-source powers real-world solutions—we can attract broader support.

Technical Direction

How should the Foundation balance its relationship with Microsoft while maintaining independence in setting technical priorities?

The Foundation should maintain a collaborative but independent stance. I propose a Technical Advisory Council composed of community leaders and Microsoft engineers to align priorities while preserving autonomy.

Additionally, geographically distributed committees would ensure diverse perspectives and reduce over-centralization. Independence starts with representation.

Transparency and Decision-Making

The Foundation has faced community backlash in the past. When a controversial decision is necessary, what process would you champion to ensure community feedback is genuinely considered and the final decision is communicated transparently?

I would introduce a “Community Review Protocol” with open RFCs, structured feedback windows, and post-decision reports.

To make updates accessible, I’d launch a monthly “Foundation Journal”—a PDF-style publication summarizing decisions, project updates, and community highlights.

Transparency isn’t just about visibility—it’s about accountability.

LinkedIn

Biography

Dr. Durgesh Singh is an Assistant Consultant at Tata Consultancy Services, New Delhi. With deep expertise in .NET, Azure, and cloud-native data engineering, he bridges the worlds of technology and creativity.

A published inventor in AI-driven risk management and a mentor to aspiring engineers and authors, Durgesh is also a gifted poet whose verses explore longing, silence, and the emotional echoes of incomplete dreams.

Originally from Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, his journey from small-town roots to global impact reflects a quiet determination to inspire through both precision and poetry.

Foundation Improvement

What do you think the Foundation can do better, and what are your specific plans for making those improvements?

The .NET Foundation has made significant strides in supporting open-source projects, but there’s room to grow in three key areas: governance transparency, developer mentorship, and cross-community collaboration.

As someone who bridges enterprise engineering and creative publishing, I believe the Foundation must evolve from being a passive steward to an active enabler. My specific plans include:

• Establishing a Contributor Council: A rotating group of active contributors from diverse backgrounds who advise on Foundation priorities, ensuring grassroots voices shape decisions.

• Launching a “Code to Community” Fellowship: A mentorship initiative pairing seasoned engineers with emerging contributors, especially from underrepresented regions like small towns in India, Africa, and Latin America.

• Creating a Global Collaboration Grid: A platform that maps .NET projects by domain (e.g., healthcare, education, fintech) and encourages cross-project synergies, reducing silos and amplifying impact.

These steps would make the Foundation more inclusive, transparent, and strategically aligned with the evolving needs of the global .NET ecosystem.

Community Onboarding

What is one concrete program you would champion to make it easier and more rewarding for new, individual developers to get involved with .NET Foundation projects?

To make onboarding more rewarding, I would champion a program called “First Commit, Lasting Impact.”

This initiative would include:

• Interactive Onboarding Portals: Personalized pathways for new contributors based on skill level, interest area, and preferred language.

• Micro-Contribution Challenges: Weekly tasks that take less than an hour to complete, helping newcomers build confidence and earn recognition.

• Contributor Storytelling Series: Spotlighting journeys of developers from first pull request to project leadership—especially those from non-traditional backgrounds.

The goal is to transform onboarding from a technical hurdle into a narrative of belonging, where every developer feels seen, supported, and celebrated.

LinkedIn
GitHub

Biography

Divyesh Govardhanan is a Technical Team Lead at Cloud Assert Technologies, with nine years of experience designing and delivering enterprise solutions using the .NET ecosystem. His expertise spans ASP.NET Core, ASP.NET Framework, Web API, Entity Framework, cloud-native architectures, and Infrastructure as Code with Azure and Terraform.

A certified Azure DevOps Engineer Expert, Azure AI Engineer Associate, Azure Developer Associate, MVC Developer, and CompTIA Security+ professional, Divyesh brings a strong focus on secure, scalable, and innovative development practices. Since 2016, he has led Agile teams building hybrid cloud solutions, bridging business and technical needs while mentoring engineers and fostering inclusive growth.

Based in Virginia, U.S., Divyesh offers a global perspective and a passion for advancing open-source collaboration. His vision for the .NET Foundation centers on supporting maintainers, expanding community reach, and guiding the ecosystem’s evolution with emerging technologies like AI and cloud-native development.

Foundational Improvement

The .NET Foundation must rebuild trust through transparency and clear governance. Today, contributors often lack visibility into decision-making and project ownership rules. My plan includes:

• Publishing Board Minutes with only sensitive items redacted.

• Clear Decision Frameworks so project governance and policy changes are predictable.

• Quarterly “State of the Foundation” updates covering strategy, finances, and major initiatives.

Equally important is clarifying project governance. Maintainership should be respected, with no changes made without explicit maintainer approval. I will also push for clearer IP and ownership documentation so contributors know exactly what rights they retain.

By focusing on transparency, accountability, and respect for maintainers, we can rebuild community trust and make the Foundation the most reliable steward of .NET open source.

Member Project Value

Membership should provide tangible, operational value. My vision includes:

• Enhanced Technical Infrastructure: ready-to-use CI/CD pipelines, automated security scans, performance monitoring, and negotiated cloud credits.

• Legal & Compliance Services: access to legal advisors, GDPR and accessibility compliance tools, and proactive IP protection.

• Growth Programs: mentorship matching, professional development workshops, and grant-writing assistance to help projects sustain themselves.

These services reduce maintainer burden, strengthen community resilience, and make membership genuinely indispensable.

Community Onboarding

I will champion a “.NET Foundation Academy” program to make contributing easier and more rewarding.

• Project Contribution Bootcamps: monthly hands-on workshops teaching Git, testing, and contribution workflows.

• Mentorship Pairing: 90-day guided contribution programs matching newcomers with experienced maintainers.

• “First Contribution” Recognition: badges and visibility for first-time contributors.

To ensure inclusivity, I’d promote multilingual documentation, beginner-friendly issue pipelines, and timezone-inclusive events. I’d also partner with universities and coding bootcamps to integrate real Foundation contributions into coursework, turning students into contributors.

Funding Diversification

The Foundation must reduce reliance on a handful of sponsors. My actionable strategy includes:

• Enterprise Services: offer consulting, integration support, and Foundation-certified training programs to enterprises.

• Community-Driven Revenue: premium membership tiers, crowdfunding for targeted initiatives (like security audits), and expanded corporate partnerships with tool vendors and training providers.

• Grants & Innovation Funding: apply for grants from technology foundations (Mozilla, Linux Foundation) and government innovation programs worldwide.

This diversified funding base ensures financial sustainability and independence, allowing the Foundation to serve both community and corporate needs.

Technical Direction

Microsoft is a key partner in .NET, but the Foundation must set priorities through the community. I propose:

• Independent Advisory Board: bring in stakeholders from non-Microsoft enterprises and community projects.

• Community-Driven Roadmaps: use open RFC processes and an annual technical summit to align priorities with real developer needs.

• Conflict of Interest Safeguards: require recusal when Microsoft employees vote on matters directly tied to Microsoft’s interests.

This approach preserves collaboration while ensuring the Foundation remains an independent steward of .NET.

Transparency & Decision-Making

When tough or controversial decisions arise, the process matters as much as the outcome. I would implement:

• Pre-Decision Public Input: 30-day comment periods for major policy shifts.

• Decision Rationale Documentation: publish clear explanations, including dissenting views.

• Community Forums: monthly open town halls for direct Q&A with board members.

To ensure accountability, I’d advocate for community-driven board performance reviews and annual policy impact reports. Transparency, communication, and accountability are the keys to regaining trust.

Closing Statement

My vision is to restore transparency, deliver tangible project value, and grow an inclusive global community. With nine years of technical leadership, Microsoft Azure certifications, and deep experience in open source, I’m ready to help the .NET Foundation thrive.

LinkedIn

Biography

I’ve been building applications with .NET since the very first beta in 1999 — starting with VB.NET before quickly embracing C#, which has been my language of choice ever since.

• Make .NET Foundation projects more first-time contributor friendly, lowering barriers to entry and encouraging new voices.
• Establish consistent, high-quality documentation structures across projects, while preserving each project’s unique branding.
• Create a centralised hub where all Foundation projects — and those on the path to joining — can be discovered, explored, and celebrated.

My journey with technology began long before .NET — as a child fascinated by early computers, and later at engineering school, where I learned to program using paper punch cards. That spark has never faded. Today, I channel that same curiosity into teaching others, writing articles, and sharing practical knowledge that bridges industrial engineering and modern software development.

LinkedIn
GitHub
StackOverflow
Blog

Biography

My professional career began in the early 2000's where I discovered .NET and all it had to offer in its early days. Using that framework paired with my maturation in software architecture helped shape how I approach challenges — with curiosity, precision, and a focus on making technology practical and reliable. Along the way, I’ve led teams, modernized systems, written my own software in performance metrics. and helped organizations adapt to change, but what I value most is working with people: mentoring engineers, collaborating across disciplines, and finding ways to connect technical work to real human impact. I bring both experience and perspective — the ability to see the big picture while never losing sight of the craft that drew me to this field in the first place.

What do you think the Foundation can do better, and what are your specific plans for making those improvements?

I think the largest challenge is awareness - not for .Net tried and true consumers like us, but those that consistently believe:

• C# is a copy of Java and not as good - it's clearly not that simple and just not true. There are plenty of examples in the community that disprove this claim - yet it is still being made.

• .Net languages are so much slower than C++ and Rust, that you should just use those instead. This lacks not only modern metrics (it's starting to become hard to measure at all), but appropriate use cases.

• How .Net languages can provide value to the entire community, not just those that chose to follow. Now that .Net is multi-platform, there really are no limits to its potential and with this fantastic community supporting it, there is no reason to dismiss it due to old school gatekeeping.

How would I improve it - double down on what we are doing. It comes down to showing your cards and demonstrating value. Let's go where all development is, not just places with developers interested in .Net. We need to show communities - especially the Linux community, that .Net is very effective on their platforms and can achieve value and performance where other languages either could not or do not have the same level of support. I will sell C# until its (or my) last days on Earth. It's just that good.

What specific, tangible support—beyond marketing—do you believe the Foundation should offer to make membership indispensable for a .NET open-source project?

This might not be feasible - but inside track with Microsoft. Would be great to know for example about Github's future. That has been a really hard topic for the community and it felt like it fell out of the sky. Another would be plans around the future of Windows App support considering MS has tried to kill WPF for over a decade and it's likely going to outlive UWP, Xamarin, and MAUI.

Also, heads up on Azure supported features and changes would be nice considering how prevalent they are to the community.

What is one concrete program you would champion to make it easier and more rewarding for new, individual developers to get involved with .NET Foundation projects?

Marketing and Promotion. Knowing there is support to get your projects seen makes the work more appealing to new devs. It's too easy to get lost in the ether so extra support would be nice.

Describe one specific, actionable strategy you would champion to broaden the Foundation's appeal and secure new funding sources.

This is not an area I can advise on. I am an engineer.

How should the Foundation balance its relationship with Microsoft while maintaining independence in setting technical priorities?

Knowledge sharing - MS provides the Foundation with upcoming releases and overall plans for the .Net Framework(s) while the Foundation provides community feedback to help inform and potentially shape new product offerings. Neither side should be dictating how the other runs their operations. Autonomy is key to the Foundations success.

The Foundation has faced community backlash in the past. When a controversial decision is necessary, what process would you champion to ensure community feedback is genuinely considered and the final decision is communicated transparently?

If you look at situations like Hot Reload or Github Organizations in 2021, I think that stems highly from poor communications.

• If we need to make the change, vet it with the community clearly calling out the risks and costs (if appropriate) to make it apparent this is not a vanity decision.

• Provide a high level schedule or events around the change so it is as clear as we can make it.

• Provide enough time for a questions / comments period from the community unless this is an emergency-level change. Then #1 should clearly cover those facts.

• Provide periodic notice as we approach the change to ensure the community is aware.

• Once the change is made, if feedback is appropriate, set up a retrospective to understand what went well, what could have gone better.

Part of this organization being trusted is that we cannot be sidelined by Microsoft. Whether they created .Net or not, they are a large company with shareholders - and they will often do what is best for those people before anyone else. We cannot assume their decisions are in the best interest of the community. We have to stand strong as the voice of that community and keep .Net on as pure a footing as we can.

LinkedIn
X
BlueSky

Biography

Irina is a Software Architect at Particular Software, a Microsoft MVP for Developer Technologies, and a Dometrain Author. With more than 2000 hours of training, workshops, and conference talks delivered worldwide, she is deeply passionate about empowering developers and shaping the future of the .NET ecosystem.

She is the founder of the .NET Iași User Group, where she has built a vibrant community that connects professionals and students to share knowledge, mentor one another, and grow together. Beyond user groups, Irina actively contributes to the global .NET community through public speaking, mentoring, and writing at irina.codes.

As a candidate for the .NET Foundation Board of Directors, Irina brings a strong focus on community growth, inclusivity, and developer advocacy. She believes the Foundation should empower local communities worldwide, support maintainers and open-source contributors, and help ensure the .NET ecosystem remains sustainable, innovative, and welcoming for everyone.

Foundation Improvement

What do you think the Foundation can do better, and what are your specific plans for making those improvements?

The Foundation has faced challenges that damaged trust and can do better by shifting from control to service.

Things that I would focus on:

• Maintainer-first principle – Foundation leaders participate as contributors, not decision-makers in project repositories. No merges or infrastructure changes without maintainer approval.

• Clarity of membership models – rewrite contribution and assignment models in plain language, guarantee that projects retain copyright and IP under contribution, and provide a clear exit path.

• Rebuild trust through transparency in decision-making – the Foundation could adopt a “decision record” approach, publish decision logs for major governance actions, and be open to community feedback.

• Expanding outreach – change the perspective of the broader developer community, which often views .NET as synonymous with Microsoft or limited to Windows. Another focus would be reaching more students and universities to ensure C# is among the programming languages they study.

Transparency and Decision-Making

The Foundation has faced community backlash in the past. When a controversial decision is necessary, what process would you champion to ensure community feedback is genuinely considered and the final decision is communicated transparently?

The Community doesn’t see what’s happening behind closed doors; priorities might feel opaque. More frequent updates, community input, or maybe public roadmaps would help the community perception about the Foundation. I would encourage and foster open discussions and surveys to consult and gather feedback for new policies and models. Also, I would publish clear reasoning behind major decisions (e.g. licensing changes, project exits). This way, the community can see how and why decisions are made, not just that they were made.

The Foundation should be a trusted partner that empowers maintainers, respects autonomy, serves the community with transparency, and promotes the .NET ecosystem.

---

Member Project Value

What specific, tangible support—beyond marketing—do you believe the Foundation should offer to make membership indispensable for a .NET open-source project?

The Foundation should make membership indispensable by offering practical services that save maintainers time, reduce overhead, and costs. Beyond marketing, I see some areas of tangible value:

• Infrastructure support – hosted runners, cloud credits, package hosting, and long-term artifact retention to keep projects sustainable.

• Documentation and contributor experience – versioned docs hosting, live samples, contributor license agreement automation, and templates for governance.

Bundled together, these services would mean that joining the Foundation is not just symbolic—it immediately makes a project easier to maintain and more attractive to contributors. Sometimes, at least beginners don’t know how they can contribute to a project, even if they want to.

Community Onboarding

What is one concrete program you would champion to make it easier and more rewarding for new, individual developers to get involved with .NET Foundation projects?

I would find ways to make it easier for new developers to get involved as contributors. Each Foundation project would curate a small set of beginner-friendly issues, paired with short guides and a mentor or “buddy” for the first contribution. To recognize new contributors, the Foundation would highlight them in newsletters and community updates.

This lowers the barrier to entry, creates early wins, and builds a sense of belonging from the very first pull request.

Funding Diversification

Describe one specific, actionable strategy you would champion to broaden the Foundation's appeal and secure new funding sources.

I would allow different sponsorship tiers. Instead of broad tiers, companies could directly fund specific services—such as code signing, security audits, or CI/CD credit.

This could potentially make sponsorship more transparent, directly benefiting maintainers, and broadening appeal to companies that want to see their contributions tied to visible impact.

Technical Direction

How should the Foundation balance its relationship with Microsoft while maintaining independence in setting technical priorities?

Microsoft is a vital partner in the .NET ecosystem, but the Foundation must remain an independent steward of open source. The perception now is that Microsoft is the sole decision-maker, but the right balance is to treat Microsoft as a peer contributor.

Technical priorities should be set through transparent, community-driven processes—surveys, maintainer input, and open decision records—where Microsoft’s perspective is one voice among many.