The Arctic Observing Summit (AOS) is a Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON) outreach activity. It has been co-organized since inception in 2013 by the International Study of Arctic Change (ISAC), the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), and SAON. The AOS is normally organized in the context of IASC’s Artic Science Summit Week (ASSW) in alternate years to the ASSW Science Conference The products and recommendations from each Summit will contribute towards the ongoing definition and implementation of an international, collaborative, comprehensive and sustained Arctic Observing System of Systems. This document describes the process for appointing the governance bodies of the AOS.