Who are you?
I'm a software engineer at REVSYS. Before that I was an accountant. I was also a university instructor in the US and China. I taught English, Western Culture, Problem-Solving, Accounting and MIS.
What would you bring to the PSF Board of Directors?
I bring business acumen from my accounting degree, MBA, and prior career as an accountant. I've also been on a non-profit board, when I was a board member for DEFNA, the non-profit that puts on DjangoCon US. I bring a global perspective of the Python community. I'm American, but I've spoken at conferences in Canada, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Europe, Africa, and Australia. I used those opportunities to build ties with those local communities and increase my awareness of how their needs differ from the communities in the US, where the PSF is based.
What motivated you to run for the PSF Board of Directors?
I hadn't thought about running for the board until someone suggested I consider it, based on my prior community activity. As I thought about it, I realized I had some expertise and experience that I could use to benefit the broader Python community. In addition to my business background, I've made lots of connections with people from different parts of the global community.
What problem or challenge do you want to address if you are on the board?
The decline in the community's confidence in the board.
What I see (and hear, from other community members) is more a set of related challenges, instead of a single problem. The word "consistency" keeps coming up when discussing the PSF, both in action and communication. It comes up when discussing the Fiscal Sponsorees program and the Grants program. When do these programs open/close? Who are they available to and why/how? What type of support do they offer?
There's also an issue of "focus". The PSF's core activities are, "Infrastructure", "Community", and "Investing in Python & Tools". But at what rates are PSF resources allocated to those different activities. And do those allocation rates need to change?
Where do you see the PSF in 5 years from now?
If we handle things properly, I see the PSF thriving. I see a PSF more focused on the the parts of the core mission that only the PSF can best perform ("Infrastructure" and "Investing in Python & Tools"). I also see a PSF with better internal infrastructure in place to provide Community support in a clear, consistent, sustainable fashion.
However, if the board doesn't improve its internal infrastructure to provide Community support in a reliable fashion, I can see the global community "moving on" from the PSF and building its own mechanisms for support.
What areas of the Python community are you involved with?
I've been a DjangoCon US organizer since 2016 and the DEFNA North American Ambassador since 2017. I'm also a former DEFNA board member. I'm the Orientation Chair for DjangoCon US and I've helped lead the Newcomer's Orientation for PyCon US since 2022. I'm also the co-founder of Black Python Devs. I've spoken at multiple Python and Django conferences, been a Django Girls coach multiple times.
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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.
