Loren Crary has joined the PSF as its Director of Resource Development

The Python Software Foundation (PSF) is excited to welcome Loren Crary as our new Director of Resource Development!

Financial sustainability is critical to the PSF and the entire Python ecosystem as Python continues to grow in popularity. Financial sustainability will ensure we can continue providing initiatives such as our international Grants Program, supporting fiscal projects, producing PyCon US, maintaining community infrastructure such as pypi.org and python.org, supporting roles such as Python's new Developer-in-Residence and the new Packaging Project manager, and delivering on strategic goals the PSF Board sets in place. 

With that in mind, we knew we needed an expert to spearhead fundraising efforts and we're very luckily to have been able to hire Loren as that expert! Loren will be focusing on all aspects of fundraising including sponsorships, fundraisers, grants, donor stewardship, as well as supporting the PSF Board with their fundraising efforts. 

Loren spent most of the last decade leading revenue strategy for Educate!, a nonprofit social enterprise, as it scaled by 5x in both budget and impact. (In that work she got to spend a lot of time in Rwanda, Kenya, and especially Uganda—and she is excited to connect with the active Python communities in that part of the world!) She is a lawyer by training, with a JD from Stanford Law School, where she focussed on public interest law. 

Loren is jumping into the software space, learning Python for the first time, and seeking all opportunities to learn about and from the dynamic and welcoming Python community.

Welcome, Loren! We are super excited about the impact your work will have on Python and its community. 

Humphrey Butau Awarded the PSF Community Service Award for Q4 2020

Humphrey Butau, web developer, PSF fellow, and PyCon Zimbabwe co-founder was awarded the Python Software Foundation 2020 Q4 Community Service Award.

RESOLVED that the Python Software Foundation award the Q4 2020 Community Service Award to Humphrey Butau. Humphrey is the co-founder of PyCon Zimbabwe and was an early member of the Python community in Harare, Zimbabwe. He is a PSF fellow and has been stewarding our local community for a number of years. Humphrey is also a great speaker and has given talks at many conferences including keynoting DjangoCon Europe, speaking at PyCon Namibia and PyCon Italia.

We interviewed Humphrey to learn more about his inspiration and work with the Python community. We also asked Anna Makarudze, a close associate of Humphrey, to share more light about Humphrey's community efforts and impact on the community.

The Origin Story

What was your earliest memory of how you got into tech? 

I got into tech as an IT Help Desk Support and Technician. While doing this job, I started to learn Visual Basic for building applications on my own. 

A friend of mine later introduced me to Python in 2010, and I continued to teach myself programming.

I later gave up as I didn't manage to make headway since I was doing these things on my own, and there were no other peers from whom I could get help if I got stuck.

It was only in 2015 when I got a scholarship for an online Python and Django course with Treehouse that my coding journey continued in earnest.

What was your earliest involvement with the Python community?

In 2016 Anna Makarudze and I applied for and got financial assistance to attend PyCon Namibia in Windhoek. Although the financial aid was not enough to cover all our expenses if we took a flight to Namibia, we overlooked all that and took the alternative of a bus ride of 30 hours from Harare, Zimbabwe, to Windhoek, Namibia.

Attending PyCon Namibia was more important for the Python community and us in Zimbabwe at the time. It was an opportunity to learn from the international Python community.

We attended the conference, learned a lot, and met key people active in the global Python community. I am forever grateful to the organizers of PyCon Namibia 2016 as I believe it sparked the "Python revolution" in Africa, with PyCons in Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and the first PyCon Africa Conference.

The people as a source of inspiration

What drives and inspires you to volunteer your time and resources to the PyCon Zimbabwe and the wider Python community?

It is the people!

What motivates me is what comes out of meeting people who share the same interests as me. The conferences, workshops, activities, and events are a huge platform for sharing information and building oneself career-wise.

It is also heartwarming to hear people mention that their attendance at a Django Girls workshop encouraged them to pursue a career in programming.

How has your involvement within the Python community helped your career?

By being a member of the Python community, I have discovered so many possibilities that I might have never realized. I have learned a lot from the events that I have attended, and this has helped me have a clear picture of various roles that I can pursue.

In 2019, I landed my first role as a software developer. I am sure this was possible through my involvement in the Python community.

Coming from being a hobbyist programmer without Computer Science, my employer was willing to hire and mentor me.

How has Covid affected your work with the Python community, and what steps are you taking to push the community forward during these trying times?

Before March 2020, we were already facing challenges as a Python community in Zimbabwe.

Covid-19 came and poured cold water on the steps that we were already taking to address these challenges. For the past one and half years, we put aside plans to hold in-person events as we put the health and well-being of members of our Python community first.

We are currently discussing plans for holding virtual events and the improvement of the Covid-19 situation in Zimbabwe. We hope to get back to hybrid events in 2022.

Impact story by Anna Makarudze

As early as 2015, Humphrey had the vision to start a Python community in Zimbabwe to raise awareness for Python, a relatively new programming language in Zimbabwe.

It is because of Humphrey's leadership that we were able to bring PyCon to Zimbabwe.

Many of our community members, including myself, are working remotely due to Humphrey's work.

I also got involved in community work like speaking at DjangoCon Europe and DjangoCon US, running PyLadies Harare for a few years, and becoming Django Software Foundation president because of Humphrey's work.

There is no doubt that many of us in Zimbabwe are in the global Python/Django community because of Humphrey's vision of starting a community in Zimbabwe.

The Python Software Foundation congratulates and celebrates Humphrey Butau.

2021 End of the year fundraiser!

Summary: The PSF launched its end-of-the-year fundraiser. There are two ways to donate: 1. donate directly to the PSF or 2. purchase a discounted PyCharm license, with all proceeds going to the PSF. Contributing to the PSF financially helps sustain programs that support the larger Python community.

2021 is flying by! Regardless, the PSF made the best of this year by launching two critical initiatives thanks to Google's sponsorship and Bloomberg's grant. We're super happy to now support Python core development and Python Packaging in new ways: 

• Core Development: In July 2021, the PSF hired its inaugural Developer-in-Residence, Łukasz Langa. Łukasz works full-time (one year term) to assist CPython maintainers and the Python Steering Council. Areas of responsibility include analytical research to understand the project's volunteer hours, investigating project priorities and tasks as we advance, and working on those priorities. 
• Packaging: In August 2021, the PSF hired its first-ever Python Packaging Project Manager, Shamika Mohanan. Shamika is performing outreach to Python users to help the PSF better understand the landscape, identify fundable initiatives, seek grants, oversee funded projects, and report on their progress and results to improve Python packaging for all users.

To continue the above initiatives, the PSF will need to generate USD 325,000 per year. To hire additional folks for either initiative (in demand), the PSF will need USD 500,000+ per year. The amount of funding required is in addition to funding needed to maintain PyCon US, our fiscal sponsor program, several working groups, an international grants program, a healthy financial reserve, and a growing staff to operate the PSF. Even if donations are a portion of the PSF's revenue, every dollar makes an impact and allows the PSF financial stability to continue supporting a growing community!

Contributing to the PSF helps sustain programs that support the larger Python community. Donate today!  Donate directly to the PSF or purchase a discounted PyCharm license, with all proceeds going to the PSF.

The Python Software Foundation is searching for its next Executive Director

Summary: After announcing earlier this summer that Ewa Jodlowska is leaving after ten years of service, the PSF has begun its search for the organization's next Executive Director. Interested? You can apply here today.

The Python Software Foundation Board of Directors has begun the search for its next Executive Director. We’re looking for a leader who aligns with the PSF’s mission and is able to lead an established, successful and growing organization into its next stage.

What is the PSF?

The PSF is the 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that holds the intellectual property rights behind the Python programming language:

The mission of the Python Software Foundation is to promote, protect, and advance the Python programming language, and to support and facilitate the growth of a diverse and international community of Python programmers.

— https://www.python.org/psf/mission/ 

To meet the Foundation’s mission, the PSF employs a growing team of 8 staff members as well as several contractors supporting specific initiatives. We produce PyCon US, support development of CPython, The Python Package Index, and the open-source Python ecosystem, support regional Python conferences and workshops around the world, and fund Python related development with our grants program. 

For more details about the PSF, you can read our Annual Impact Report. Additional information, including 990s and reports from past PSF board meetings, can be found on our public records webpage.  

The duties of the Executive Director

The PSF Executive Director fulfills several duties within the organization to promote the success of the Foundation’s mission as well as to secure its long term health. This includes the creation of an annual budget, overseeing operations and fundraising efforts, as well as managing the PSF staff and community relations.

The Executive Director plays a critical role in the development and execution of PSF programs and initiatives that fall within the mission of the PSF. In addition to managing the PSF staff, the Executive Director works with the PSF Board of Directors, the Python Steering Council, PSF Working Groups and the broader Python community on events like PyCon US and other strategic projects and alliances.

Apply today!

If you or someone you know is interested to learn more about the executive director role, we invite you to review the position description. The PSF has retained the services of Perrett Laver to lead our search, and all potential candidates should follow the instructions listed in the position description.

We believe that the future of open source must include everyone. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcome all job-seekers regardless of race, color, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, marital status, military, veteran or disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law. You can read our Diversity Statement here.