About SIF: The Semantic Infrastructure Foundation builds open semantic infrastructure for trustworthy AI—systems that show their reasoning, preserve provenance, and ground outputs in verifiable computation. We're working toward the Bell Labs model: long-term fundamental research focused on infrastructure that enables entire industries. Learn more about SIF
Role Overview
The Chief Steward serves as the guardian of SIF's mission, culture, and long-term institutional integrity. This is a governance role, not an operational role.
Primary Responsibilities
Mission Protection
- Guards the core mission: ensuring semantic infrastructure remains open, public, and anti-captured
- Constitutional veto power on decisions that compromise mission integrity
- Protects against mission drift over institutional lifetime (50+ year horizon)
Governance & Oversight
- Serves as board chair of SIF
- Provides fiduciary oversight of foundation operations
- Hires and oversees Executive Director
- Ensures governance best practices
Institutional Memory
- Maintains continuity beyond any single founder or operator
- Ensures institutional knowledge preservation
- Plans stewardship succession (appoints next Chief Steward)
Hiring Oversight
- Final review on critical hires (Director of Engineering, Chief Scientist)
- Ensures cultural fit and mission alignment
- Guards against capture through hiring
Anti-Capture Mechanisms
- Enforces funding diversity rules (no single funder >25% of budget)
- Maintains mission lock in bylaws and governance documents
- Prevents commercial or political capture of public infrastructure
What This Role Is NOT
- Not day-to-day operations - That's the Executive Director's responsibility
- Not technical decisions - That's the Chief Architect's domain
- Not fundraising execution - ED handles, Steward advises
- Not engineering management - Director of Engineering handles
Time Commitment
- Year 1: 10-15 hours/month (board meetings, governance setup, critical hiring)
- Year 2-3: 15-20 hours/month (strategic planning, board meetings)
- Year 5+: 20 hours/month (mature institution, more stakeholders)
- Spikes: Hiring cycles, major funding rounds, crisis management
Compensation
Board position (unpaid, standard for nonprofit governance). High influence and legacy impact.
Historical Precedent
The Chief Steward role is modeled after Mervin Kelly at Bell Labs - the institutional steward who protected the culture and mission while technical geniuses like Claude Shannon did the research.
The pattern: Steward protects institution, genius does the work.
Required Skills
Truth Without Casualty
Engineering culture often produces brutal honesty that causes social damage. The Chief Steward must deliver hard truths without destroying relationships - critical for board dynamics, hiring feedback, and founder accountability.
Institutional Literacy
Most engineers excel at building but struggle with institutions. The Chief Steward must understand organizational design, nonprofit governance, and long-term stewardship - avoiding common startup failure modes.
Anti-Ego
Nonprofit stewardship requires ego suppression (mission over self). The Chief Steward must champion others, not self-promote - critical for preventing capture and protecting mission integrity.
Success Metrics
- Year 1: Foundation formed, governance structures established, first critical hires made with steward oversight
- Year 3: Mission protected through growth, no capture incidents, healthy culture maintained
- Year 5: Institution sustainable and independent of any single person, steward succession planned
- Year 10+: SIF outlives founders, mission intact, next generation of stewards prepared
The Steward's Core Question
"Is this decision aligned with the 50-year mission, or are we optimizing for short-term convenience?"
The Chief Steward is the person who asks this question when everyone else is moving fast and breaking things.
Get Involved
Interested in this role or want to learn more about SIF's governance model?
- Read more: About SIF • Executive Director Role • Foundation Overview
- Contact us: Get in touch to discuss governance, advising, or collaboration
Last Updated: 2025-12-11