OpenMS governance

Built for stability, guided by community.

OpenMS combines a nonprofit corporation for legal and financial stewardship with an Executive Committee that leads technical direction and community governance.

About OpenMS Inc. Executive committee Contribute

Corporate Governance

OpenMS Inc.

OpenMS Inc. is a U.S. nonprofit corporation under 501(c)(3) that provides legal and financial infrastructure for the project.

  • Board of Directors handles fiduciary and legal oversight
  • Supports fundraising, compliance, and organizational continuity

OpenMS Inc. provides legal, financial, and organizational stewardship for the project.

Project Governance

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is the primary governance body for the software project. It is composed of core developers and led by an elected Executive Chairperson.

  • Defines project direction and technical priorities
  • Maintains governance policies and core developer membership
  • Handles Code of Conduct escalations and process decisions

See committee details and procedures

How Core Developers Fit In

Core developers are trusted maintainers who review contributions, mentor contributors, and participate in project governance decisions through the Executive Committee.

Review and approve contributions
Guide technical direction
Mentor new contributors
Participate in governance votes

New core developers are added by majority vote of the Executive Committee. Core developers may step down voluntarily or be removed for inactivity or Code of Conduct violations by a two-thirds vote.

Separation of Responsibilities

Corporate (Board of Directors)

Legal entity, nonprofit compliance, financial stewardship.

Project (Executive Committee)

Software roadmap, contributor governance, technical/community decisions.

This model gives OpenMS institutional stability while preserving independent technical governance by the active maintainer community.