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.
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.
Facts Only
* Candidate is a software engineer at REVSYS.
* Candidate previously worked as an accountant.
* Candidate served as a university instructor in the US and China.
* Subjects taught include English, Western Culture, Problem-Solving, Accounting, and MIS.
* Candidate holds an accounting degree and an MBA.
* Candidate was a board member for DEFNA.
* Candidate has spoken at conferences in Canada, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Europe, Africa, and Australia.
* Candidate has been a DjangoCon US organizer since 2016.
* Candidate has served as the DEFNA North American Ambassador since 2017.
* Candidate is the Orientation Chair for DjangoCon US.
* Candidate has led the Newcomer's Orientation for PyCon US since 2022.
* Candidate is a co-founder of Black Python Devs.
Executive Summary
A candidate for the Python Software Foundation (PSF) Board of Directors is leveraging a multidisciplinary background in software engineering, accounting, and international education to seek a leadership role. With an MBA and experience on the DEFNA board, the candidate emphasizes a blend of business acumen and global community ties developed through speaking engagements across multiple continents.
The primary objective is to address a perceived decline in community confidence regarding the board's consistency and focus. Specific concerns center on the transparency and reliability of the Fiscal Sponsorees and Grants programs. The candidate proposes a strategic shift toward the core mission—specifically infrastructure and tool investment—while building a more sustainable internal framework for community support. There is a stated risk that failing to improve these internal mechanisms could lead the global community to seek support structures outside of the PSF.
Full Take
The strongest version of this narrative is that of a "bridge-builder"—a candidate who possesses the rare intersection of financial literacy (MBA/Accounting), technical skill (Software Engineering), and diplomatic experience (Global Speaking/Instruction) necessary to professionalize the PSF's operations without losing touch with its grassroots base.
The framing utilizes a "Crisis and Cure" pattern: identifying a systemic failure (lack of confidence/consistency) and presenting a specific set of credentials as the unique remedy. However, the argument remains largely conceptual; while the candidate identifies the *symptoms* (confusion over grant timelines), they do not provide a specific *mechanism* for the cure beyond "better internal infrastructure." This relies on the reader to assume that business acumen automatically translates into operational efficiency within a volunteer-driven open-source ecosystem.
The underlying paradigm is one of Institutional Professionalization. The assumption is that the PSF is currently operating with an amateurish level of consistency that threatens its legitimacy. The implication is that the PSF must evolve from a loose collection of initiatives into a disciplined organization to prevent a "fork" in community loyalty. This reflects a classic tension in open-source governance: the struggle to balance the agility and passion of a global community with the stability and predictability of a formal legal entity.
Bridge Questions:
1. Does "consistency" in a non-profit imply bureaucratic rigidity, or is it a prerequisite for equity?
2. How does the candidate's specific experience with DEFNA map onto the larger, more complex scale of the PSF?
3. What would a "sustainable fashion" of community support look like in practice?
Counterstrike Scan:
A coordinated influence campaign would use this narrative to push a "corporate takeover" agenda, utilizing credentials to marginalize volunteer contributions in favor of top-down management. The actual content does not match this pattern; it focuses on community support and accessibility rather than consolidation of power.
Patterns detected: none
Sentinel — Human
The text exhibits strong signs of human authorship through a distinct, multi-faceted personal narrative structured around specific professional experience and introspection about community challenges.