Who are you?
I'm an Australian software engineer, currently living in Petaluma, in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. I'm a long-time user and advocate of Python, I currently work as a Senior Software Engineer.
What would you bring to the PSF Board of Directors?
This would be my third term on the board – I previously served from 2018-2021, and my second term started in 2023. In that time, I've been an advocate for growing, re-establishing, and re-growing the Grants program. I want to see the Grants program get back to full strength, but in a way that is sustainable for the long term. Our global community has come to rely on the PSF as a partner over the years, and the unpredictability of the grants program has been unfortunate. I've also got experience as a US-based conference organiser, and I want to continue stewarding PyCon US, so that it can return to being a contributor to the PSF's finances, rather than a break-even prospect.
I'm also the current board's go-to person for working on the administrative side of the Foundation, I understand our by-laws like the back of my hand (after amending them a number of times over the last few years), and help the board understand how to do the important work of uplifting the global Python community while still fulfilling the obligations of being a US-based non-profit.
What motivated you to run for the PSF Board of Directors?
I'm excited to continue the work I've been doing for the last few years, and want to continue serving as a source of institutional memory for the board. I'm also super excited to have adopted the foundation's 5-year Strategic Plan, and I want to be able to help the foundation put the new plan into effect. I want us to have a sustainable financial backing that lets us make the best decisions we can for a global community. independent of corporate or government influence. Python has done a great job of being in the right place at the right time over decades, and often that means taking a longer term view. I want us to continue being able to do that!
What areas of the Python community are you involved with?
I've been involved in the Python community in a number of countries for the last couple of decades. I ran PyCon Australia for a couple of years, and when I moved over to the US, I started the North Bay Python conference, here in Petaluma. I'm also a long-term volunteer at PyCon US – I helped run the lightning talks this year and last. Most of my volunteer time these days is spent on the board: it's a job that demands a lot of time, and I try to do that job well. You might also have seen me speaking at various Python conferences throughout the world.
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Note from the election administrators:
Want to learn more about this candidate? Check out their nomination statement.
