Updated: Wed Apr 15 04:26:35 UTC 2026

Seattle Internet Exchange Voter's Guide for Board of Directors Election April 15th through 29th 2026 UTC

Bylaws at https://www.seattleix.net/docs/20170418_Bylaws.pdf define Membership:

  • "In order to qualify for membership a member shall be an operator of an Internet protocol network which has one or more direct connections to the Corporation's switches. A member may be elected or appointed to membership by the Board. Members may have such other qualifications as the Board may prescribe by amendment to these Bylaws."

Each Member may submit one ballot. We are employing Single Transferable Vote (STV) as the voting system. This means that you rank your candidate preferences from most preferred to least preferred. You do not need to rank all the candidates. A later ballot from a representative of a Member will replace a previous ballot from the same Member.

There are 5 seats on the Board of Directors, 2 of which are up for election this year. A Director term is 2 years.

The following schedule applies to Board elections:

  • Through April 14th 23:59:59 UTC 2026: Candidates may submit their candidacy and a maximum 300 word statement, as determined by the POSIX "LANG=en_US.UTF-8 wc -w" command, or revisions to their statement, to secretary@seattleix.net.
  • Through April 14th 23:59:59 UTC 2026: A supporter of a candidate may submit or retract/revise a maximum 150 word endorsement of a candidate, as determined by the POSIX "LANG=en_US.UTF-8 wc -w" command, to secretary@seattleix.net. The Secretary will send it to the candidate, and if approved by the candidate before the cut-off, it will be reachable from the voter's guide.
  • April 15th 2026: A voter registration form will be sent to the SIX "announce@" and "members@" mailing lists. (subscription details: https://www.seattleix.net/faq#ml)
  • April 15th through 29th 23:59 UTC 2026: Voting. (Registrations received after April 28th UTC are not guaranteed to be processed in time for the April 29th 23:59 UTC voting deadline.)

List of Candidates:

Candidates:

  • Brian Burke statement:

    • Hey y’all.. I'm Brian Burke. I've been a part of the SIX community through two member networks, first at Limelight Networks (AS22822) and currently at Amazon Web Services (AS16509), where I own global peering and interconnection strategy.

      The SIX has always stood out to me as something worth protecting. In a world where a lot of internet infrastructure is increasingly centralized and commercially driven, a well-run, member-governed exchange like the SIX is genuinely rare. It lowers the cost of interconnection for every network in the region, big and small, and it does it without putting a thumb on the scale for anyone.

      During my time at AWS, I worked to secure strategic investment toward the SIX's expansion to 400G capable switching. That wasn't just a capacity upgrade, it was a commitment to making sure the SIX could keep pace with where traffic and technology are heading. I believe in that kind of forward investment, and it's the same mindset I'd bring to the board.

      What I want to see is the SIX continue to grow in a way that reflects the diversity of its membership. The value of an exchange isn't just in the ports and the switching fabric; it's in the community that shows up to use it. Keeping that community engaged, keeping the barrier to participation low, and making smart decisions about infrastructure and governance are the things I'd want to focus on.

      I'd be honored to serve on the board and contribute to an organization that has been a meaningful part of how the Pacific Northwest connects to the internet.

    Brian Burke endorsement:

    • I endorse Brian Burke for a position on the SIX Board. During my time at Netflix I worked with Brian frequently, and found him to be professional and focused while staying out of the weeds, regardless of whether or not we were in agreement on a particular issue. This level headed approach will fit perfectly on the SIX Board.

      Michael K. Smith, Board Member, Seattle Internet Exchange

  • Carl J. Collier statement:

    • My name is Carl J. Collier (C.J. Collier), and I am a Member of Collier Technologies LLC (AS25819). I am submitting my candidacy for the Seattle Internet Exchange (SIX) Board of Directors.

      As a long-time operator and participant in the Pacific Northwest’s networking community, I have seen first-hand the critical role the SIX plays in maintaining a resilient and efficient internet ecosystem. Managing AS25819 has given me deep technical insight into BGP operations, anycast deployment, and the complexities of peering at scale. My recent work has focused on infrastructure hardening and navigating regulatory compliance, such as WUTC and FCC requirements for interconnected VoIP providers.

      I am running for the Board because I believe in the SIX’s mission of aiding efficient information transmission through direct interconnection. If elected, I will bring a balanced perspective that combines technical rigor with a commitment to organizational neutrality and transparency. My experience with regulatory compliance and system security (including CALEA and SSI planning) provides me with a unique background to assist the SIX in its ongoing governance and operational excellence.

      I am dedicated to ensuring the SIX remains a stable, member-driven organization that continues to serve as a cornerstone of our region’s infrastructure. I appreciate your consideration.

  • Patrick W. Gilmore statement:

    • I joined the SIX board in 2008, and have served continuously except for one year.

      For those who do not know me, I was a customer of the SIX (and many other IXPs, obviously) as Akamai Technologies’s Chief Network Architect for several years, including donating the first 10 G port to the SIX. My team and I were heavily involved in the governance & founding of many IXPs around the world, such as TorIX, FranceIX, AMS-IX, etc. As you can see, I have a preference for member-run exchanges, which means SIX suits me quite well. For five years, my team ran the Boston Internet Exchange. While not member-run, it was the largest IXP in New England and let me see how a commercial entity runs an exchange.

      I have been on the boards of NANOG, PeeringDB, LINX, and ARIN, so I have a lot of experience with bottoms-up member organizations.

      I would like the opportunity to continue to help the SIX grow and evolve as traffic and members keep increasing.

    Patrick W. Gilmore endorsement:

    • Patrick has been a strong advocate for the SIX since he became a member in 2005 through his role at Akamai at the time. It was clear to us then that he would be a valuable board member, and we asked him to join the board in 2008. Patrick has been a trusted advisor and sounding board for myself and other SIX officers and has been an ambassador for the SIX at numerous conferences – I can’t emphasize enough how much of an invaluable resource to the SIX he has been.

      I've asked Patrick to continue to support the SIX as a board member again for the next term and he has my vote.

      Nikos Mouat, President, Seattle Internet Exchange

Voter Registration:

  • SIX Board Election Voter Registration for April 15th-29th UTC election

NOTE: If you have already received your ballot, feel free to ignore this
message unless you need to update your previous registration. Ballots were
already sent to everyone who voted last year, so please check your junk
folders if you voted last year, before re-applying to vote.

We are using a voting website known as Simply Voting to conduct the April
15th through 29th UTC Seattle Internet Exchange Board election.

The SIX Board recently ratified new participants as voting members and you
can check out your organization's status at:

  https://www.seattleix.net/participants/

Before you can get access to a ballot, we need to know that you are the
sole authorized representative voter for an organization with a SIX
membership.

Further, we need to confirm that your organization is not affiliated with
any other organization intending to vote. The Bylaws up at
https://www.seattleix.net/docs/20170418_Bylaws.pdf govern affiliation as
follows:

   - '2.3.3 Members who are affiliated with each other are entitled to a
     total of one vote upon each issue or election. "Affiliate" means,
     with respect to a particular person, any entity that directly or
     indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control
     with such person, as judged by the Secretary.'

If you intend to vote, please complete the following form and send
it to secretary@seattleix.net.


1) Organization ASN:


________________________________________________

2) Organization Name:


________________________________________________

3) I am the sole authorized voter for this organization: (yes or no)


________________________________________________

4) This organization is affiliated (per the definition above) with these
   other ASNs: (put N/A if not applicable)


________________________________________________

5) Email address to which the ballot login should be sent, if different
   than your own: (example: peering@example.net)


________________________________________________


The Policy or other contact email address in your organization's SIX or
PeeringDB record will be informed that you are voting for your
organization, so please make sure you are pre-authorized to do so.

Past Board Elections:

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025