Who are you? (biography/background)
Since 2012 I have worked in technical roles including Front-End Developer, Tech Lead, and Dev Manager. I fell into Drupal because the possibilities felt endless, the community so capable and inspired. There was always more to learn and even early on, opportunities to give back. 2022 brought a career change for me and I am now a Scrum Master who focuses heavily on Continuous Process Improvement. The title may be different but ultimately, it's just the next step in a long journey through the world of Drupal.
When I am not working or volunteering, I love dismantling electronics and tinkering with Arduinos. One of my more interesting projects involved a mind-controlled RGB LED using tech from a children’s toy. My hope is to continue establishing myself in the community, but to also make time to work on personal projects like this on a more regular basis.
Why are you running for a board seat at the Drupal Association? (mission/motivation)
After a decade of working with Drupal, it was time for a change. The importance and value I place on community contribution and participation was a major factor in this decision. I wanted to find opportunities that were more aligned with both my personal values and those of the Drupal community.
In 2021, I signed up to volunteer for DrupalCon Portland helping with setup and Trivia Night. I spoke to nearly every single booth, went to BOFs, and met with initiative leads. By the time DrupalCon Pittsburgh rolled around this year, I had stepped into a role training as a Drupal Diversity and Inclusion lead, found a job that supports volunteer work and community contribution, worked with the EOWG writing a couple of interview articles about hybrid event organization, and helped organize DDI Camp 2022. For DrupalCon itself, I presented a session on neurodiversity, had the honor of participating in the Session Review Committee, and excitingly, was invited back as a Trivia Night Coordinator.
I wasn’t intending to take on anything more, but in the weeks leading up to DrupalCon, a painful rift emerged in our community that started with a LinkedIn post. As challenging as this topic has been, in some ways for me it has also provided a valuable gift of experience and knowledge. I did not show up in Pittsburgh feeling prepared to support the community as a DDI Lead, but over the course of the convention I had the opportunity to experience how deeply important and valuable this work is in a way I had not felt before. I decided to step into a more visible leadership role. It was the right decision and I am so glad I did.
Since then, I have continued to slowly build momentum in the community by promoting our Slack channel, connecting with other community contributors, and hosting video calls. This is just the beginning, I have so much more I would like to accomplish that feels very much in the realm of achievable. Even a very small change can sometimes have an important impact. I believe that there are times when we need to express our frustration or hurt and to feel seen. There are also times when we need to unify our voices and focus on healthy, achievable, positive change. The latter is where I have been very intentionally directing conversation because I do believe that this is what many parts of the community need right now. There will always be challenges and conflict, but strength and unity is how we endure and move forward.
I will continue forging strong relationships and building the DDI space no matter what, but my motivation for self-nominating is two-fold. First, to develop a deeper understanding of the challenges that exist in the broader community. To effectively advocate for change, one must understand where the needs of different groups align. Second, to help amplify the voices of marginalized populations that may lack representation so that we can strive to make informed and thoughtful decisions during strategic planning.
Why should members vote for you? (qualifications)
I am passionate about my values, which largely center around lifting up the people around me. As I write these words, I talk about people, empathy, and passion as if this comes naturally. The truth is that I am naturally a technical and analytical thinker who has worked very hard over the years to learn about people. This has become one of the greatest assets in my current work and may be my most powerful qualification for this role. Aside from this, some items from my CV include:
Technical achievements
- Tech lead and developer for Nestle for 2+ years
- Front End Dev Management experience, FE practice area leadership
- Agile Scrum & Iterative Process Improvement
- Post secondary: Comp Sci (Drupal-focused) and Graphic Design
- Curriculum development for an accredited training institution (still taught in Vancouver BC)
Community contributions
- DrupalCon speaking & volunteering
- Upcoming Oct 2023 JiraCon speaker
- EOWG author/contributor
- Community-driven initiative leadership (Drupal Diversity & Inclusion)
- DDI Camp visual design and event organization
