Who are you?
Hello, I’m Elaine! A Canadian who likes solving problems, building things, and bringing people together.
I grew up tinkering with computers, but I spent the majority of my career in journalism, doing everything from interviewing guests to directing live TV news programs. My journey into Python began in 2016 thanks to a PyLadies Travel Grant and someone telling me that Python could do magical things with Natural Language Processing.
Since then, I’ve been an active volunteer in the Python community. I’ve helped run local meetups like PyLadies and Python Toronto, organized regional events like PyCon Canada, and taught beginner-friendly intro to coding workshops through The Carpentries and NICAR to help folks from non-traditional backgrounds get into coding. Recently, you may have seen me serving as Chair of PyCon US, which gave me firsthand experience working closely with PSF staff, volunteers, sponsors, speakers, and community members across the entire ecosystem.
What would you bring to the PSF Board of Directors?
I bring a fresh perspective alongside more than a decade of community organizing experience, practical knowledge of how the PSF operates, and a viewpoint that bridges community, governance, operations, and technology.
During my time as PyCon US Chair, I learned a lot about how this non-profit works, where volunteers struggle, and how seemingly small organizational decisions can have huge consequences for the people doing the work. My journalism background also shapes how I approach governance: true transparency means explaining why decisions are made, not simply announcing what was decided. I’ll bring curiosity, clear communication, thoughtful problem-solving, and a commitment to asking how choices affect our broader community before we make them.
What motivated you to run for the PSF Board of Directors?
I’m running because I believe Python’s future depends on investing in people as seriously as we invest in infrastructure. I want to help build a PSF that supports its volunteers, strengthens regional communities, communicates clearly, uses its resources responsibly, and makes it easy for someone discovering Python today to become a contributor or community leader tomorrow.
What problem or challenge do you want to address if you are on the board?
One major challenge I want to address is the sustainability of our volunteer-driven community.
Python benefits from an extraordinary amount of volunteer energy, but passion isn't an infinite resource. Too often, critical knowledge lives with a small number of people, experienced organizers burn out, and new volunteers face unclear pathways into leadership.
I want the PSF to make community work easier rather than adding to its burden. That means:
- Better documentation and tools for local event organizers.
- Intentional mentorship and knowledge transfer.
- Clearer pathways for new contributors.
- Practical fundraising and operational guidance for regional groups globally.
Having spent years in the trenches as a volunteer, I understand both how rewarding this work is and how exhausting it can get. We need systems that allow people to contribute sustainably and hand off their work smoothly to the next generation of leaders.
Where do you see the PSF 5 years from now?
In five years, I see the PSF as a more sustainable, globally connected organization that continues to support Python as both critical technical infrastructure and an extraordinary human community.
I want regional Python communities everywhere to have access to resources, mentorship, funding guidance, and shared knowledge without needing to reinvent the wheel. I want contributors to see clear pathways from learning Python to contributing, speaking, mentoring, organizing, and leading.
I also want PyCon US to remain a financially sustainable, community-driven flagship conference while the PSF continues expanding investments in Python communities beyond the United States. Most importantly, I hope we preserve what made Python special in the first place: a truly welcoming community where someone can arrive from an unconventional background, find people eager to welcome and teach them, and eventually pass that experience on to someone else.
What areas of the Python community are you involved with?
My involvement spans conference organizing, global community building, local events, AV support, and education:
- PyCon US: Served as Co-Chair in 2024 and Chair in 2025 and 2026, working closely with PSF staff and volunteer teams.
- Regional & Global Conferences: Chaired PyCon Canada in 2018 (Co-Chair in 2019, organizer since 2016). Core organizer for csv,conf since 2015, helping run events in Germany, the U.S., Mexico, Argentina, Italy, and online. Volunteered with PyLadiesCon, and provided AV support for events like FlaskCon, PyCascades, PyBeach, and PyOhio.
- Local Communities: Involved with PyLadies Toronto and Python Toronto.
- Education & Advocacy: Instructor with The Carpentries and instructor at PyCAR (NICAR's Python bootcamp for journalists). In 2026, I also spoke on the Women+ in Open Source panel at UN Open Source Week about building welcoming pathways into open source.
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Note from the election administrators:
Want to learn more about this candidate or ask them a question?
Check out their nomination statement.
Check out their AMA thread on discuss.python.org.
