The PSF Community Service Awards (CSAs) are a formal way for the PSF Board of Directors to offer recognition of work which, in its opinion, significantly improves the Foundation's fulfillment of its mission to build a vibrant, welcoming, global Python community. These awards shine a light on the incredible people who are the heart and soul of our community– those whose dedication, creativity, and generosity help the PSF fulfill its mission. The PSF CSAs celebrate individuals who have been truly invaluable, inspiring others through their example, and demonstrates that service to the Python community leads to recognition and reward. If you know of someone in the Python community deserving of a PSF CSA award, please submit them to the PSF Board via psf@python.org at any time. You can read more about PSF CSA’s on our website.
The PSF Board is excited to announce 5 new CSAs, awarded to Inessa Pawson, Kafui Alordo, Kalyan Prasad, Maria Jose Molina Contreras, and Paul Everitt, for their contributions to the Python community. Read more about their work and impact below.
Inessa Pawson
Inessa Pawson has been a tireless and dedicated contributor to the Python ecosystem for over eight years. She has led the PyCon US Maintainers Summit since 2020, not only shaping the event but actively opening doors for others to participate–onboarding new contributors and supporting attendees with characteristic warmth and care.
Beyond PyCon US, Inessa has spearheaded the Maintainers and Community Track, the mentorship program, and the Teen Track at the SciPy Conference, and co-founded the Contributor Experience project, reflecting her deep commitment to making the Python community more inclusive and accessible. She brings that same dedication to her roles on the NumPy Steering Committee, the scikit-learn survey team, and the SPEC (Scientific Python Ecosystem Coordination) Steering Committee. As a leader on the pyOpenSci Advisory Council, Inessa has been instrumental in advancing the organization's mission to support open and reproducible science.
Kafui Alordo
Kafui Alordo has spent years building and nurturing the Python community in Ho, in the Volta Region of Ghana. What began for Kafui as volunteer coaching at the first Django Girls Ho workshop grew into co-organizing the second and third editions, and eventually leading the workshop as its primary organizer, while also lending his expertise as a coach and co-organizer at Django Girls events across Ghana. Recognizing that sustainable community growth starts with welcoming total beginners, Kafui introduced a coding bootcamp initiative for his user group that has broadened participation and helped new learners find their footing in Python.
Kafui’s landmark achievement came with the organization of PyHo, the first-ever regional Python conference in Ho, which drew attendees from diverse backgrounds across the country. His impact has also extended well beyond Ghana, most recently stepping into the role of remote chair on the PyCascades organizing team.
Kalyan Prasad
Kalyan Prasad's journey in the Python community began in 2019 as a volunteer with the Hyderabad Python User Group (HydPy), one of India's largest Python communities, and he has grown steadily into one of its most consequential leaders. His dedication to PyConf Hyderabad has been especially remarkable–contributing across the CFP, program, and sponsorship teams, serving as co-chair in 2022, and stepping up as chair in both 2025 and 2026, representing four consecutive years of conference leadership at the regional and national level.
At the national scale, Kalyan also served as co-chair for PyCon India 2023. Kalyan's commitment extends well beyond India, as he actively contributes to the broader Python ecosystem as a reviewer, mentor, and program committee member for conferences around the world. His care for community safety is further reflected in two years of service on the NumFOCUS Code of Conduct squad, ensuring that Python spaces remain welcoming and respectful for everyone. Kalyan has also joined the PSF Diversity & Inclusion Working Group this year, contributing to inclusion efforts.
Maria Jose Molina Contreras
Maria Jose Molina Contreras has been a dedicated and wide-ranging contributor to the Python community, with deep roots in both Spanish-language and PyLadies initiatives. She has been a core organizer of PyLadiesCon since its inaugural edition in 2023, serving as co-chair in 2024 and 2025, and her tireless leadership helped make the most recent edition the most successful in the conference's history, raising over $55,000 in funds to support PyLadies members and chapters around the world.
Maria’s commitment to Spanish-speaking Pythonistas is equally impressive: she contributes to the Python Docs ES initiative, coordinates events for Python en Español on Discord, and co-founded the PyLadies en Español initiative, including leading the PyLadies presence at PyCon US. At EuroPython, Maria has volunteered since 2023 and taken on growing responsibility, leading community booths, PyLadies events, and community organizer efforts in 2024 and 2025. She has also served as a reviewer for PyCon US Charlas since 2020 and has been a speaker at numerous conferences including PyCon US, EuroPython, and PyConES, sharing her expertise with audiences across the global community.
Paul Everitt
Paul Everitt's relationship with Python stretches back to the very beginning! Paul was present at the early PyCons and played a foundational role as an incorporating member and director on the PSF's first Board of Directors, helping to establish the organization that supports Python to this day. Decades later, his commitment to the community remains as strong as ever, demonstrated through his long tenure as a Developer Advocate at JetBrains/PyCharm, where he has championed the company's sustained investment in Python open source.
Paul’s advocacy extends beyond any one project, as he has provided support to smaller but important ecosystem projects like HTMX and remained a regular, encouraging presence at Python conferences and on podcasts. Most recently, Paul proved that his contributions are not merely historical–he co-authored PEP 750, introducing template strings (t-strings) as a significant new feature in Python 3.14, demonstrating a continued willingness to roll up his sleeves and shape the language itself. Whether writing PEPs, giving conference talks, or simply championing the people who make Python great, Paul’s generous and enthusiastic spirit is an invaluable gift to the Python community.
