Who are you? (biography/background
Brad Jones is a 14+ year member of the Drupal community and a regular contributor to both core and contrib codebases and initiatives. Professionally, he is founder/CTO at Not Vanilla, Inc., a dating-industry startup with a Drupal and open-source technology stack. He has previously worked in state and local politics, investigative journalism, technology consulting, and served as CTO at a Drupal web development agency. A full-time digital nomad living primarily in his RV throughout the mountain American west, he also serves as a part-time paramedic in a rural Colorado county every summer.
Drupal.org profile: bradjones1
Why are you running for a board seat at the Drupal Association? (mission/motivation)
Drupal was recently recognized as a “digital public good,” and this distinction sums up well the important place Drupal has carved out in both the open-source ecosystem as well as the core global tech infrastructure. As Drupal matures from scrappy roots to a longer-term legacy, so should its caretaker organization. The Drupal Association has grown also, from early conference sponsor to infrastructure caretaker to policy advocate. As the association grows and matures – especially with a new CEO - it is important for its board to carefully craft and guide its strategic vision with care. I believe the Drupal Association can serve as a model for open-source project governance and longevity, but we must stay vigilant to balancing many competing pressures (both internal and external) on its mission.
Why should members vote for you? (qualifications)
My experience as the chairman of the supervisory (audit) committee at a nonprofit $2bn credit union, as well as an agency executive and now startup founder provides me a unique perspective on nonprofit governance and cooperation with corporate partners and individual contributors.
As a board member, I pledge to be open and accessible to stakeholders as we take on important issues of the association’s mission, vision and program execution. While our visions and beliefs may not always overlap, it is important for a strong diversity of ideas to flourish in boardroom discussions with the shared goal of building a stronger and more effective organization. Building on the strong work of the DA to date, I believe the Drupal project’s best days are still before us.
