My Python Community Journey

My journey in the Python community began in 2019 as a room monitor at PyConf Hyderabad. It was a small volunteer role, but it gave me my first opportunity to contribute.

From there, my involvement grew gradually. In 2020, I became a core volunteer, helped organize online meetups and the virtual PyConf Hyderabad, and worked with the program committee. I later served as Co-Chair of PyConf Hyderabad in 2022, Co-Chair of PyCon India in 2023, and Chair of PyConf Hyderabad in 2025 and 2026.

Through these roles, I have worked across CFP and program management, sponsorship, technology, logistics, speaker coordination, volunteer management, operations, and Code of Conduct responsibilities. One lesson has stayed with me throughout this journey: a healthy community cannot depend indefinitely on the same few people.

At HydPy, we have worked to bring newer volunteers into organizing responsibilities and support them as they grow into co-organizers. For me, community growth is not only about increasing attendance or running more events. It is also about sharing knowledge and responsibility and creating opportunities for new people to take ownership.

Inclusion and Community Safety

My conference-organizing experience has shaped how I think about inclusive participation. At PyConf Hyderabad, our organizing team has focused on community outreach, encouraging first-time speakers, improving selection processes, and speaker mentorship. Over the years, we have seen broader participation in our conference program. This has reinforced my belief that inclusion is not only about who gets selected; it is also about creating the conditions that enable more people to participate in the first place.

Community safety is another important part of my work. For the past two years, I have been an active member of the NumFOCUS Code of Conduct Working Group, contributing to Code of Conduct matters and efforts to maintain safe and welcoming open-source communities. I have also taken on Code of Conduct responsibilities through Python conferences. I also participate in the NumFOCUS Small Development Grants program, reviewing proposals that support open-source projects and contributing to grant funding decisions. These experiences have given me practical exposure to both community safety and responsible allocation of resources/funds within an open-source nonprofit ecosystem.

I joined the PSF Diversity & Inclusion Working Group in February 2026 and have since participated in its monthly meetings and discussions. While my involvement is relatively recent, the group's work around supporting community organizers connects closely with challenges I have experienced through years of community organizing.

Learning Across Python Communities

My involvement in the Python ecosystem extends beyond Hyderabad and India. Since 2022, I have contributed through reviewing and program activities across Python and scientific-computing conferences in Asia and internationally, including PyCon US, EuroPython, PyCon JP, PyCon APAC, PyData Global, JupyterCon, and SciPy.

I have been part of the PyCon JP program team for the last three years and have reviewed scientific paper submissions for SciPy for three consecutive years. These experiences have given me opportunities to learn from communities operating in different regions while seeing many shared challenges: finding volunteers and sponsors, sustaining leadership, broadening participation, and connecting local communities with the wider Python ecosystem.

In 2026, I was honored to receive the Python Software Foundation Q2 Community Service Award. I see this recognition not as a destination, but as encouragement to continue serving the community and take on greater responsibility where my experience can be useful.

Professional Perspective

Professionally, I currently work as an AI & Data Science Practice Lead, with more than a decade of experience spanning operations, data, technology, and AI transformation. I am a self-taught data scientist, and my own career transition has shaped how I think about continuous learning, opportunity, and mentorship.

Over the years, I have built and mentored teams, worked across technical and business stakeholders, and contributed to strategic decision-making in complex organizations. I hope to bring this experience alongside my community perspective to Board discussions around strategy, organizational sustainability, partnerships, and Python's evolving technology ecosystem.

What I Hope to Focus On

If elected to the PSF Board, I would particularly like to contribute in three connected areas:

Sustainable local and regional communities. I would like to support efforts that help organizers build teams, share knowledge, develop future leaders, access useful resources, and reduce dependence on a small number of long-term volunteers.

Pathways into community leadership. My own journey began with a small volunteer opportunity. I would like more people to have opportunities to move from participant to volunteer, speaker, organizer, mentor, and eventually community leader.

Inclusive participation and access. I would like to help create stronger pathways for people from different backgrounds, regions, and levels of experience to participate meaningfully in the Python ecosystem whether through local communities, open source, community programs, speaking, mentoring, or leadership. I am particularly interested in reducing the barriers that can prevent people from moving from simply using Python to actively contributing to its community.

Local communities understand their own contexts best. I believe the PSF can help them access resources, learn from one another, build stronger connections across the wider Python ecosystem, and develop leadership that lasts.

Why I Am Running

I started my Python community journey by monitoring a room at a conference. Seven years later, I am fortunate to be helping newer volunteers take on responsibilities that I once had to learn myself.

That journey has shaped one belief I would bring to the PSF Board:

The strongest communities are not those that depend on great organizers, but those that continuously create new ones.

I would be honored to serve the Python community as a member of the PSF Board.

I'm Kojo Idrissa and I'm nominating myself for a position on the PSF Board of Directors.

tl;dr

I'm running to use my combination of business/financial training, software skills and global community engagement to contribute to the overall Python community. I want to:

• Help the PSF remain focused on its core mission (Infrastructure, Community Support, PyCon US)
• Focus on enhancing two-way communication between the PSF and the Python community, especially outside of the the US & Europe
• Encourage the development and growth of transnational organizations to better serve the needs of the Python community in different regions

None of it's easy but it's all doable.

Who Is Kojo In The Python Community?

If you know me or recognize my name, it's probably from my community organizing work or a talk I've given. I originated the Newcomer's Orientation at DjangoCon US in 2016 when I first became an organizer for that event. I've been helping organize another version of it at PyCon US since 2022. In 2018 I was also able to help with a similar session at PyCon AU. I was also the Lightning Talks and Development/Contribution Sprints chair for DCUS for a number of years. I'm also one of the co-founders of Black Python Devs waves in cousin.

I'm a PSF Fellow and Community Service Award recipient, as well as a member of the Django Software Foundation and a recipient of the Malcolm Tredinnick Memorial Prize.

I attended my first Python conference in 2010 and spoke at my first Python meetup and conference in 2013. After becoming a DjangoCon US organizer, I was on the board of DEFNA, the non-profit that puts on DjangoCon US. While there, I created the role of DEFNA North American Ambassador. In that role, I've spoken at a number of Python events in the US, while working on community-building and spreading news about DEFNA and its grants program. I've also been fortunate enough to speak at conferences in Canada, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Australia, Ghana, Portugal, Uganda, and Tanzania.

One of my primary purposes for speaking at and attending events has been to interact with different local Python communities around the world. We all have different problem sets and thus, we build different solutions. Building connections to help share that knowledge strengthens our global community.

Kojo Before Python

Before most people reading this met me, I worked as an accountant and a university educator. After earning an accounting degree and an MBA, I worked in a number of different industries, including time at two of the world's largest accounting firms and a stint at a non-profit. I've also worked as a university instructor, teaching accounting and computing in the US and in China for an Australian university.

I stopped being a practicing accountant over 10 years ago. However, I'm willing to use the knowledge and skills I have from that career to help the PSF better serve our global community. I'd also like to use my business acumen to help encourage transnational groups outside the US to better serve their local Python communities.

In Conclusion

A wise PyLady once said, "No More Spreadsheets!". As a former accountant, I support this message. And I'll continue to support the Python community.

Hi, I'm Ramya Ravi, a Developer Advocate for AI and Open Source at NetApp Instaclustr, based in Connecticut, USA. My work is about helping developers go from reading about open source technology to actually shipping with it. I write technical tutorials, produce videos, and speak at conferences, including OpenSearchCon North America 2026, to make complex tools approachable. Python is the substrate underneath almost everything I build and teach. The PyTorch and OpenSearch tooling I write about every week runs on it. I'm running for the PSF Board because I want to point that same energy directly at Python and the broader PSF community, and because I believe Python needs more people actively bringing in developers who use it daily inside adjacent ecosystems (AI/ML, data infrastructure) but haven't yet engaged with the PSF directly.

What I Bring

• A track record of building community from scratch. I grew a developer community from zero to 6,000+ members focused on AI/ML, and I know what it takes to onboard, retain, and grow an audience over years, not months.
• Teaching at scale. I've authored technical tutorials and produced video content across multiple open source ecosystems, always with the same goal: lower the barrier to entry for the next developer.
• Cross-ecosystem developer advocacy. My work sits at the intersection of Python, AI/ML, and open source infrastructure, giving me a perspective on how to bring new, non-traditional audiences into established communities.
• A fresh, energetic perspective, shaped by working across multiple open source ecosystems rather than any single one. That gives me an outside view on how newer developers discover and engage with communities like the PSF, unclouded by "how we've always done it."

My Goals as a Board Member

• Global community growth. Bring AI/ML and data-infrastructure developers who already rely on Python daily into active participation in the PSF community.
• Education. Apply the same hands-on, tutorial-first teaching approach I use in my day job to Python education specifically.
• Deepening my own involvement. I'm committed to this community for the long term, including active PSF membership and participation in a working group

Introduction

I am Cecília Tivir, a Mozambican AI in Education (AIED) researcher, educator, and open-source community organizer. Throughout my journey in tech, I have focused on building inclusive spaces for women and underrepresented groups, co-founding the Mozambican Association of Women in Technology (Wansati Lab), organizing Django Girls workshops across Mozambique, establishing the PyLadies Maputo and Beira chapters, and expanding the local Python ecosystem.

My connection with the community began in 2016 when I met the PyLadies Porto Alegre group in Brazil. Inspired by that experience, I partnered with local organizers to bring Django Girls to Mozambique as a welcoming gateway into Python programming. To connect our regional community with the global ecosystem, I joined PyCon Africa as a participant and volunteer, contributed to PyLadies Global, and helped launch local chapters across Mozambique.

However, sustainable growth across emerging ecosystems, particularly in Africa and Portuguese-speaking (CPLP) nations requires dedicated governance, intentional representation, and direct access to resources. I am running for the PSF Board of Directors to bring the direct perspectives of regional organizers, educators, and researchers to foundation-level decision-making.

Accomplishments

• Volunteering: PyLadiesCon (2023, 2024, 2025), PyCon Africa (2025), PyCon Namibia (2026), and PyLadies Global.
• Community Leadership: Co-organizer of PyLadies Maputo and Beira chapters; Co-organizer of Humble Data workshops.
• Speaking Engagements:
• PyCon Africa (2025): "Beyond Code: Understanding the Emotional Dynamics of Python Communities"
• PyLadiesCon: (2023, 2025)
• PyConZA: (2018)

Awards & Recognitions

• Outstanding PyLady Award Recipient (2025)
• Django Software Foundation (DSF) Individual Member (2024)

Goals

As a member of the PSF Board of Directors, my mission is to foster sustainable growth, decentralize resources, and lower participation barriers. My candidacy rests on three core pillars:

1. Simplify application procedures to reduce administrative friction for community leaders organizing local PyCons, meetups, PyLadies and Django Girls events across Africa and emerging regions.
2. Foster cross-border collaboration between Portuguese-speaking and African Python chapters through shared educational materials, translation initiatives, and localized mentorship frameworks.
3. Expand PSF and PyLadies mentorship structures to equip local community leaders with practical legal, financial, and operational playbooks for long-term chapter stability.

Language and geographical distance should never restrict anyone from contributing to or leading in open source. I am excited to bring my experience in education, research, and community leadership to the PSF Board to help build a truly representative, globally connected Foundation.

Hi! I'm Ee (ewdurbin) and I am excited to be running for the board of the Python Software Foundation (PSF).

As a director, my focus would be:

• Sustainability and wellbeing of the staff
• Everyday experience of members and sponsors
• Ongoing durability of the organization

Highlights of my experience with the PSF over the past thirteen years include:

• Contract systems administrator
• Volunteer PyCon US webmaster
• Maintainer of PyPI
• PyCon US Co-Chair (Portland) and Chair (Cleveland)
• PSF staff member and Director of Infrastructure
• Hat Wearer (miscellaneous)

These varied roles have afforded me a particular appreciation for the many facets of the PSF's work. Although each role required a particular focus, the decisions along the way carried technical, legal, fiscal, institutional, political, and operational dimensions. Regularly engaging with these considerations has continually widened my understanding of the PSF's operations. I hope to bring the breadth of these experiences to the board.

My work with the PSF has always been rooted in pursuing its mission and supporting the community it serves. I hope that the opportunity to serve once again will be another step toward my goal of returning to the Python community the full measure of what it has given to me.

Dear PSF board member and Python Community I am Calvin Tsang, Vice President of Open Source Hong Kong (OSHK) and Conference Chair of PyCon Hong Kong 2026. I have contributed to open-source communities since 2013 and have been involved in organizing PyCon Hong Kong since its beginning in 2015. I am standing for the Python Software Foundation Board to strengthen collaboration between local Python communities, particularly across Asia-Pacific, and the global Python ecosystem. Over the years, my involvement has grown from community participation and outreach to conference leadership, sponsorship, volunteer development, partnerships, and community operations. Through PyCon Hong Kong, OSHK, and the Hong Kong Python community, I have worked to create opportunities for developers, students, speakers, volunteers, companies, and open-source contributors to connect, share knowledge, and participate. My community work increasingly extends beyond Hong Kong. By participating in Python conferences and building relationships with organizers across Asia-Pacific, I have seen both the diversity and shared challenges of our communities. Differences in language, geography, resources, sponsorship, and access to international networks can affect how easily local communities connect with the wider Python ecosystem. If elected to the PSF Board, I hope to help bridge these gaps by strengthening connections between the PSF and local communities around asia, encouraging greater exchange of speakers, organizers, knowledge, and experience across countries, and bringing more Asia-Pacific perspectives into global Python discussions. I also believe strongly in sustainable community development. Successful conferences are important, but developing the next generation of volunteers, speakers, organizers, and community leaders creates a longer-lasting impact. After more than a decade of open-source contribution and organizing PyCon Hong Kong since 2015, I hope to bring my experience in community leadership, conference organization, and Asia-Pacific collaboration to the PSF Board and help build a more connected and sustainable global Python community.

Calvin Tsang

Hi!

I’m proud to have been part of the board over the last few years, as we’ve seen the organisation grow its staff to serve the community better, put necessary work into our grants program, and deliver our first strategic plan in 7 years. It would be my honour to continue serving the community alongside my colleagues on the board.

For those who don’t know me, I’m a Queer Australian, and I live in semi-rural northern California with my partner, and two cats. I ran PyCon Australia several years ago, and I currently run the North Bay Python conference here in California. I’ve been a happy Python user for more than half my life at this point!

My key contribution over the last few years has been institutional development, helping the Foundation update its bylaws to make voting easier, to better respect international privacy laws, and to better enable us to enforce our code of conduct. As an immigrant to the US, I’ve got an international perspective and can understand how the PSF can perform its role supporting the international community as a US non-profit: we have a wealth of international perspectives on the board, and I want to do everything in my ability to help those perspectives make the PSF better at accomplishing its mission.

Along with with continuing the work implementing our strategic plan, and helping the foundation on its way to financial sustainability, I have two key areas I want to focus on and believe I am well suited in supporting:

For my next term, I want to see the Grants program return to full strength, but with added financial sustainability. At the start of my term, the grants program had resumed following its pandemic-era shutdown, but was underperforming. Working to publicise the program made it grow too quickly and become unsustainable. I want to see us supporting our international community, and become a partner the community can trust and rely on again: grants are the best way we can do that.

I want to see PyCon US return to full strength so that it can contribute financially to the PSF again. PyCon US is the single biggest undertaking that the foundation makes every year, but it’s run at a loss for several years. At the same time – and not unrelatedly – the US has become a less welcoming place for our international community, and the few places in the US that are welcoming to our entire diverse domestic community are becoming increasingly expensive. I’ve spent my entire term on the PyCon US committee, and I have a good understanding of the structure of the conference’s budget, and a good understanding of how we can structure PyCon so that we aren’t locked into structural deficits four years in advance. I also want to work with international conference organisers so we can support them in bringing key international meetings to more of the global community, just like the successful move of the Language Summit to EuroPython.

The Python Software Foundation is unique among Open Source Foundations at the moment: it helps Python be accountable to its community in ways that no other programming language has succeeded in at the moment. That community accountability has helped Python become the most popular language in the world, precisely because we can anticipate our community’s needs. It would be an honour to help guide the Foundation and our community through the next three years.

Introduction

My name is Laís Carvalho. I'm Brazilian, based in Dublin, and I work in Developer Relations at Pydantic. I came to Python in 2014 through NumPy, using it to replace Wolfram Alpha for numerical analysis coursework in engineering school. When I switched my degree to IT, Java was compulsory, and coming back to Python afterwards felt like being handed back a language I could actually think in. I stayed for the people.

I joined the Python Ireland committee in 2019 and later became the first Black woman to serve on its Board, hosting meetups and helping organise the national conference. I started organising EuroPython in February 2020, the first online edition, led the Comms & Design team, and later served on the EuroPython Society Board. Since 2022 I have run Humble Data, a beginner workshop programme that has travelled across conferences and languages, most recently into Portuguese, translated with PyLadies Nordeste in northeast Brazil, who are about to run it in a public school in Salvador. I co-founded MidMeetPy, co-organised the Pyjamas Conference, and I turn up for PyLadies Dublin whenever there's a call. The PyLadies lunch at the first PyCon Greece was my idea; I helped shape it and put it together with the local community, and the people who made it happen went on to form the PyLadies Athens chapter. I started PyLadies Day at EuroPython in 2024, which has run again in 2025 and 2026, and Humans of EuroPython in 2022, an interview series about the people who make that conference happen. It is still running four years later (Thanks Mia Bajic), written now by volunteers who came after me. At PyCon US 2025 I session-chaired talks in Charlas because rooms needed chairs and I was there.

That sort of happens often. I have been around long enough in this community that people ask me directly, and I say yes. The community has been generous in return: a PSF Community Service Award, PSF Fellowship, and EuroPython Society Fellowship. I would like to turn that recognition into responsibility.

Being the first of something is a fact about the room. I would rather it stopped being token-remarkable, and the way that happens is by changing who gets found, funded, and asked.

My nomination goals are:

• Grow the Foundation itself: membership, capacity, and the money to sustain both
• Finance the community that already does the work: find places where the PSF cannot reach and help
• Position the PSF in the AI ecosystem

Qualifications and Experience

I have done a version of this job twice. The EuroPython Society Board meant budgets, contracts, sponsor negotiations, volunteer disputes, and the permanent gap between what a volunteer board wants to do and what it has the capacity to do. The Python Ireland Board meant the opposite end of the scale: a small national community where the difference between a healthy year and a dead one is two or three people staying involved.

I know the PSF's recognition programmes from the receiving end. I have been through the Community Service Award and the Fellowship, so I have seen how they surface some people and quietly miss others, and I know what recognition does for someone's willingness to keep going, and how valuable that is. It is also work I do unprompted. I started Humans of EuroPython because the people holding that conference and some of the foundation together were invisible to the people attending it.

Some of what I helped start has outlasted my involvement. PyLadies Athens grew out of a lunch at the first PyCon Greece. PyLadies Day at EuroPython has run every year since 2024. Humans of EuroPython is on its twentieth interview, written now by volunteers who joined after me. Humble Data was translated by the communities that wanted it, not by me. Handing things over is fundamental.

I do growth and developer marketing for a living. I run paid campaigns, developer content, and event strategy for a commercial product. That means my working days are spent on questions the PSF also has to answer: what a sponsorship is actually worth, what makes a conference presence pay for itself, and how you tell afterwards whether any of it worked. It is an unusual background for this board, and it sits close to the Foundation's sponsorship and fundraising work.

And I teach beginners. Humble Data exists because "just get started with Python" only goes so far without a room and a mentor.

Goals

Grow the Foundation itself

The PSF's ambitions have outgrown its capacity, and that gap does not close by asking volunteers for more. Growth here means three things: more members who understand what membership is for, revenue that does not depend on a small set of large sponsors, and enough staffed capacity that critical work is not one burnout away from stopping.

The commitment I would make is on the revenue side. The PSF runs on an annual budget of around $5 million with a staff of 14, while most of the value created by Python is captured by companies operating at a completely different scale. Python is the language of AI, and the businesses built on that fact are not the ones carrying the cost of maintaining it. In 2025 the Foundation withdrew a $1.5 million NSF proposal rather than accept terms that contradicted its mission. The community responded within two weeks with donations and hundreds of new Supporting Members. That response was moving, and it covered a small fraction of what was turned down. Individual generosity is not a funding model. Independence has to be paid for by income the PSF can predict.

I would work on diversifying the Foundation's sources of income and on moving more of it onto structured, recurring terms with the companies that profit most from Python, so that the PSF has both a say in where the language is going and the money to fund the next wave of newcomers.

The test I would hold that work to is the Grants Program. It was paused in August 2025 after reaching its budget cap, and it reopened in 2026 with a lower cap for conference grants. That programme is a small amount of money doing a disproportionate amount of good, and it should be funded on a permanent basis instead of being the thing that gives first when the budget tightens. Securing it indefinitely is what the revenue work is for.

Finance the community that already does the work

Most of what grows Python is unpaid and invisible to the people funding it. I have written the grant applications and I have sat on a board reading them, and the failure is usually not merit. It is that a first-time organiser in an under-represented community does not know what a fundable application looks like, and nobody tells them after a rejection.

Here's an example. The Humble Data materials were recently translated into Portuguese by PyLadies Nordeste, in northeast Brazil, and they are about to teach them in a public school in Salvador. Nothing about that required PSF money. It required someone doing the translation and someone knowing the chapter existed. But the version of that work that reaches ten schools instead of one does need money, and the organisers doing it are the people least likely to have written a successful grant application before, or to know that the PSF funds this kind of work at all. A foundation's job is to be present where that work happens: to have people who can speak for the PSF in the rooms and languages it does not currently reach, and to go and find the organisers who need support instead of waiting for them to arrive with a proposal.

What I would commit to is that outreach: advocates for the PSF in the regions and languages where it has none today, and reaching the people who need support treated as the Foundation's own work, not something it waits on.

Position the PSF in the AI ecosystem

This is the question the Foundation cannot keep deferring. AI companies are building large businesses on Python and its ecosystem while maintainers absorb the costs: review burden from machine-generated contributions, support load, infrastructure strain. The PSF has no clear position on any of it, and the tooling landscape is moving fast enough that waiting is itself a position.

I sit close to this. I don't build the tools. I work with the maintainers carrying the load and with the companies that profit from their work, and I keynoted PyCon Greece 2025 on open source in this shift, so I hear both sides of the argument in their own words. My employer works in this space, and I would step back from any board decision where that became a conflict. What I would push for is that the PSF says plainly what it asks of the companies profiting from Python, what support maintainers can expect, and how the Foundation talks to its community about tools that are already in their workflows.

Final words

In short, my aim as a PSF Board member is to: fund the Foundation properly, by diversifying its income and moving more of it onto structured terms with the companies that profit most from Python, and giving the Grants Program funding it can count on. Reach the organisers who are already doing the work, in the places and languages where the PSF currently has nobody speaking for it. And take a clear position on Python in the AI ecosystem, for the maintainers carrying that weight and for the community relying on them.

I do not expect to deliver all of it, and I am not going to promise that I will. Boards move slowly, priorities compete, and plenty of the work will be other people's, not mine. What I can promise is that I will serve with respect and consideration for every member of the board, and that I will do everything I can toward a more sustainable PSF, one able to keep supporting the members who sustain it.

Community contributions

• PSF Fellow (Q2 2025)
• PSF Community Service Award, Q2 2024, for Python Ireland committee service since 2019 and EuroPython organising since 2020
• EuroPython Society Fellow
• Former Board member, EuroPython Society; organiser from Feb 2020, leading the Comms & Design team
• Committee member since 2019 and former Board member, the first Black woman to serve on the board of Python Ireland; meetup host (playlist) and conference organiser
• Organiser of Humble Data beginner workshops since 2022, including the Spanish edition and a Portuguese translation done with PyLadies Nordeste, now being taught in a public school in Salvador, Brazil
• Proposed and helped organise the PyLadies lunch at the first PyCon Greece, alongside the local community; the people involved went on to form the PyLadies Athens chapter
• Founder of PyLadies Day at EuroPython (2024), repeated in 2025 and 2026
• Founder (2022) of Humans of EuroPython, an interview series about the volunteers behind the conference, now on its twentieth interview
• Session chair, Charlas track, PyCon US 2025
• Former co-organiser of the Pyjamas Conference, a 24-hour worldwide Python conference
• Co-founder and former co-organiser of MidMeetPy, a Python podcast series with Cheuk Ting Ho
• Volunteer and ally for PyLadies Dublin and PyLadiesCon
• Opening keynote, PyCon Greece 2025: The Open Source of Self
• PyCon Italia 2024: Python and Freedom and Bias
• Panel discussion, PyCon DE 2024
• Talks at PyData Hamburg, PyData Cambridge, Python Pizza Hamburg, TechNottingham, MoinWorld

Hellooo [EN]

Hola, I'm Karo Ladino-Puerto, most of the community knows me as Karobot. I'm Colombian, I've been a PSF Fellow since 2020, and I've spent the last eight years building Python community infrastructure in my country alongside a lot of amazing people: PyLadies chapters in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Bucaramanga, Boyacá and Santa Marta, PyCon Colombia, and now Python Colombia, where I'm one of three women leading the organization.

I ran for the Board in 2024. I'm running again because the question in front of the PSF has changed, and I believe I can be more useful this time.

In 2024 we were mostly talking about growth. Today the Grants Program is running on a capped budget after last year's pause. PyCon US has run at a loss for three years. The Foundation is operating with less than twelve months of runway. That is not a communications problem and it is not only a diversity problem. It is a sustainability problem, how do you keep serving a community that keeps growing, with less money than you had last year? I want to help with that question. I want to work alongside the Board to find ways to be sustainable in the long term.

Contributions to the Python community

I've co-led PyLadies Colombia since 2018, supporting chapters in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Bucaramanga and Boyacá with events, workshops, sponsorships and job pipelines. I co-organized PyCon Colombia from 2020 to 2025. I've keynoted PyLATAM and PyCon Bolivia, spoken at PyDay Cali, PyDay Pereira and events across the region, and co-organized Django Girls and Humble Data Workshops in Colombia and Mexico. I'm also part of the PSF's Grants and Diversity & Inclusion Work Groups.

Three things I've done recently matter for this election:

First, I left something on purpose. In September 2025 I stepped away from organizing PyCon Colombia, because how it was being run had drifted from the values I could stand behind. I raised that with the people involved at the time, and I don't think relitigating it here would serve anyone. A community project that depends on one person is a project with an expiration date, and succession is something you have to practice, ideally while things are going well, and sometimes when they aren't.

Second, I helped rebuild my national community. In December 2025 I joined the team now leading Python Colombia, three women, shared responsibility, with one mandate: reconnect the Python communities across the entire country, not just the capital. Colombia had strong local groups that had drifted apart from each other. Rebuilding that is slow, unfunded, deeply hard work, and a labor of love.

Third, I co-founded a non-profit that funds and supports community events. In 2025, with Carolina Gómez and Nicole Franco, I co-founded Fundación Átoma, a legally constituted Colombian non-profit under the country's special tax regime for charitable organizations. Átoma runs programming workshops for women, supports women-in-tech communities, and helps local organizers keep their tech conferences free and accessible. So far: more than 5,000 women reached, 10+ communities supported, and a network of 30+ national partners funding this work.

Why I want to join the PSF Board

Because I want to be useful in the hard part, not only in the good part.

I wrote in my 2024 statement that "not everything requires a huge budget; it's more about the mindset and how we organize ourselves." I've had to live that sentence since. Latin American organizers have never had a large budget. We've learned to build events, chapters and workshops with sponsorship money that wouldn't cover a single line item at a larger conference. I also want the Board to hear, in the room, from someone whose entire experience is outside the funding centers of the world.

How I can contribute

1. Support that isn't money. Some of what organizers need was never money in the first place. The PSF already started here with the Community Partner Program, which lends the PSF's name and reach to community events, I'd like to help it grow into something bigger: contract templates, vendor negotiation, introductions, shared infrastructure, organizer-to-organizer mentoring. This is precisely what Átoma does for Colombian organizers, and it's what I've asked for and been given by others over the years. With grants capped, non-monetary support is how we make sure a smaller budget doesn't read to the community as less care.

2. Sponsorship outside the usual map. The PSF is actively looking for new sponsors. I've spent years asking companies for money in a market where almost nobody has a budget line for open source, which has mostly taught me how to be persistent without being annoying, and how to make an ask small enough that a company can actually say yes to it. I want to help build a pipeline of regional and mid-size sponsors, and to make the case loudly that the companies profiting from Python need to fund it. Many small sponsors are less glamorous than one large one. They're also much harder to lose all at once.

3. Volunteer sustainability and succession. Burnout is the cheapest cost to prevent and the most expensive to absorb, and the PSF loses institutional knowledge every time an organizer disappears without a handover. I've just done a handover properly, and I'm doing distributed leadership now. I'd like to help turn that into something documented and shareable.

4. Communication that reaches Spanish speakers as a first draft, not a translation. The PSF has been admirably transparent about its finances this year, and most of that transparency did not reach the Spanish-speaking community in a form it could act on. A community can't defend what it hasn't understood. I want PSF financial updates, decisions and calls to action to land in Spanish, clearly and on time, and to help other language communities do the same. That is also a fundraising activity: people give to organizations whose situation they actually understand.

5. Listening, in more than one language. I'd like to bring back what regional communities actually say they need, rather than what we assume they need, and to be a person the community feels comfortable telling uncomfortable things to.

What I'd want you to know about me

I'm a project manager by trade, which mostly means I'm the person who notices the task nobody was assigned, asks the awkward question early, and keeps the timeline honest. It's the same skill I use in community work.

I'm detail-oriented to a degree that occasionally annoys people. I over-communicate on purpose, because most community conflict I've seen came from someone assuming everyone else already knew. I don't make commitments I'm not sure I can keep, and I take Board attendance, code of conduct, budget work, and the boring parts of governance seriously, because that's where trust is actually built. I also know that a Board works by consensus and that good decisions here are slow ones, I'm not coming in to move fast and break things.

I'm also, still, pretty fun to be around 😅

Gracias por leer ♥️

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¡Holaaa! [ES]

Hola, soy Karo Ladino-Puerto, en la comunidad me conocen como Karobot. Soy colombiana, soy PSF Fellow desde 2020, y llevo ocho años construyendo infraestructura de comunidad Python en mi país junto a un montón de personas increíbles: los capítulos de PyLadies en Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Bucaramanga, Boyacá y Santa Marta, PyCon Colombia, y ahora Python Colombia, donde soy una de las tres mujeres que lideran la organización.

Me postulé a la Junta en 2024. Me postulo otra vez porque la pregunta que tiene enfrente la PSF cambió, y creo que esta vez puedo ser más útil.

En 2024 hablábamos sobre todo de crecimiento. Hoy el Programa de Grants funciona con un presupuesto limitado después de la pausa del año pasado. PyCon US lleva tres años en pérdidas. La Fundación opera con menos de doce meses de reserva. Eso no es un problema de comunicación y no es únicamente un problema de diversidad. Es un problema de sostenibilidad, ¿cómo seguir sirviendo a una comunidad que no para de crecer, con menos dinero que el año pasado? Quiero ayudar con esa pregunta. Quiero trabajar junto a la Junta para encontrar formas de ser sostenibles a largo plazo.

Mis aportes a la comunidad Python

Co-lidero PyLadies Colombia desde 2018, acompañando a los capítulos de Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Bucaramanga y Boyacá con eventos, talleres, patrocinios y oportunidades laborales. Co-organicé PyCon Colombia de 2020 a 2025. He sido keynote en PyLATAM y PyCon Bolivia, he dado charlas en PyDay Cali, PyDay Pereira y eventos de toda la región, y he co-organizado Django Girls y Humble Data Workshops en Colombia y México. También hago parte de los Work Groups de Grants y de Diversidad e Inclusión de la PSF.

Hay tres cosas recientes que importan para esta elección:

La primera: me fui de algo a propósito. En septiembre de 2025 me retiré de la organización de PyCon Colombia, porque la forma en que se estaba manejando se había alejado de los valores que yo podía respaldar. Se lo dije en su momento a las personas involucradas, y no creo que volver a discutirlo aquí le sirva a nadie. Un proyecto de comunidad que depende de una sola persona es un proyecto con fecha de vencimiento, y la sucesión hay que practicarla, idealmente cuando las cosas van bien, y a veces cuando no.

La segunda: ayudé a reconstruir mi comunidad nacional. En diciembre de 2025 entré al equipo que hoy lidera Python Colombia, tres mujeres, responsabilidad compartida, con un mandato: reconectar las comunidades Python de todo el país, no solo de la capital. Colombia tenía grupos locales fuertes que se habían ido distanciando entre sí. Reconstruir eso es un trabajo lento, sin financiación, profundamente difícil, y hecho con amor.

La tercera: co-fundé una organización sin ánimo de lucro que financia y apoya eventos de comunidad. En 2025, junto a Carolina Gómez y Nicole Franco, creé la Fundación Átoma, una entidad colombiana sin ánimo de lucro legalmente constituida y bajo Régimen Tributario Especial. Átoma dicta talleres de programación para mujeres, respalda comunidades de mujeres en tecnología y ayuda a que las conferencias de tecnología sigan siendo gratuitas y accesibles. Hasta hoy: más de 5.000 mujeres beneficiadas, más de 10 comunidades apoyadas y una red de más de 30 aliados nacionales financiando ese trabajo.

Por qué quiero estar en la Junta de la PSF

Porque quiero servir en la parte difícil, no solo en la parte bonita.

En mi statement de 2024 escribí que "no todo requiere un gran presupuesto; es más una cuestión de mentalidad y de cómo nos organizamos". Me ha tocado vivir esa frase desde entonces. En América Latina nunca hemos tenido un presupuesto grande. Aprendimos a hacer eventos, capítulos y talleres con montos de patrocinio que no alcanzarían a cubrir un solo renglón del presupuesto de una conferencia más grande. También quiero que la Junta escuche, dentro de la sala, a alguien cuya experiencia entera transcurrió fuera de los centros de financiación del mundo.

Cómo puedo contribuir

1. Apoyo que no es dinero. Parte de lo que necesitan quienes organizan nunca fue dinero. La PSF ya empezó por ahí con el Community Partner Program, que le presta el nombre y el alcance de la PSF a eventos de comunidad, y me gustaría ayudar a que crezca hacia algo más grande: plantillas de contratos, negociación con proveedores, presentaciones, infraestructura compartida, mentoría entre organizadores. Es exactamente lo que Átoma hace hoy con las comunidades colombianas, y es lo que yo misma he pedido y he recibido de otras personas a lo largo de los años. Con los grants limitados, el apoyo no monetario es la forma de asegurarnos de que un presupuesto más pequeño no se lea como menos cuidado.

2. Patrocinios fuera del mapa habitual. La PSF está buscando activamente nuevos patrocinadores. Llevo años pidiéndole dinero a empresas en un mercado donde casi nadie tiene una línea presupuestal para código abierto, lo que sobre todo me ha enseñado a ser persistente sin volverme molesta, y a hacer una propuesta lo suficientemente pequeña como para que una empresa pueda decir que sí de verdad. Quiero ayudar a construir un pipeline de patrocinadores regionales y medianos, y a decir en voz alta que las empresas que se benefician de Python tienen que financiarlo. Muchos patrocinadores pequeños son menos vistosos que uno grande. También son mucho más difíciles de perder todos de golpe.

3. Sostenibilidad y sucesión del voluntariado. El desgaste es el costo más barato de prevenir y el más caro de absorber, y la PSF pierde conocimiento institucional cada vez que alguien que organiza desaparece sin hacer una entrega. Acabo de hacer una entrega bien hecha, y hoy trabajo en liderazgo distribuido. Quiero ayudar a convertir eso en algo documentado y compartible.

4. Comunicación que llegue a quienes hablan español como primera versión, no como traducción. La PSF ha sido admirablemente transparente sobre sus finanzas este año, y buena parte de esa transparencia no llegó a la comunidad hispanohablante en una forma sobre la que pudiera actuar. Una comunidad no puede defender lo que no ha entendido. Quiero que las actualizaciones financieras, las decisiones y los llamados a la acción de la PSF lleguen en español, con claridad y a tiempo, y ayudar a que otras comunidades lingüísticas hagan lo mismo. Eso también es recaudación de fondos: la gente aporta a organizaciones cuya situación entiende de verdad.

5. Escuchar, en más de un idioma. Quiero traer de vuelta lo que las comunidades regionales dicen que necesitan, y no lo que asumimos que necesitan, y ser una persona a la que la comunidad se sienta cómoda diciéndole cosas incómodas.

Lo que me gustaría que supieran de mí

Soy project manager de profesión, lo que en la práctica significa que soy la persona que nota la tarea que nadie asignó, hace la pregunta incómoda a tiempo y mantiene el cronograma honesto. Es la misma habilidad que uso en el trabajo de comunidad.

Soy detallista a un nivel que a veces molesta. Sobre-comunico a propósito, porque casi todos los conflictos de comunidad que he visto salieron de alguien asumiendo que los demás ya sabían. No hago compromisos que no esté segura de poder cumplir, y me tomo en serio la asistencia a las reuniones de junta, el código de conducta, el trabajo de presupuesto y las partes aburridas de la gobernanza, porque ahí es donde se construye la confianza de verdad. También sé que una Junta funciona por consenso y que aquí las buenas decisiones son lentas, no llego a moverme rápido y romper cosas.

Y bueno, siempre buscaré hacer sonreir 😅

Gracias por leer ♥️

Why I am running

I am running for the PSF Board to help more people move from learning Python to sustained contribution, community leadership, and long-term participation in the ecosystem.

Background

I teach Advanced Python and CPython internals at Universities. I have worked with more than 100 students, helping them progress from coursework into technical research, open-source contribution, and conference speaking.

I am active in the international Python community as a PSF member, PyCon speaker, PyCon US Speaker Mentorship mentor, EuroSciPy reviewer, educator, and community organizer.

From learning to contribution

I have built and tested this pathway in practice. Under my mentorship, five students opened nine CPython issues and pull requests. Three pull requests were merged, including documentation improvements and a memory-leak fix in array.array.

I also created Python Days, a two-day technical conference where students researched CPython and Python implementation topics, prepared talks, and received expert feedback from a CPython core developer.

Their talks covered generators, CI/CD, free-threading synchronization, MicroPython internals, and memory management. I am currently mentoring another student toward speaking at PyCon Indonesia.

This work is not only about helping people make their first contribution. It is about helping them build the skills, confidence, relationships, and increasing responsibility required for sustained participation.

Python community experience

I have delivered more than 10 talks at PyCons and Python conferences across Europe and Asia.

Selected talks include:
- Turn Your Personal Growth into Python Impact — PyCon Busan keynote, where I share ideas for turning individual growth into sustained contribution and strengthening the Python ecosystem
- High-Load Python: SIMD, GPU, and Horizontal Scaling — PythonAsia
- Free Threading: Future CPython — PyCon Russia

Working with Python communities across Europe and Asia has shown me both their diversity and their shared challenges: unclear contributor pathways, organizer burnout, fragmented institutional knowledge, limited sponsorship capacity, and difficulty turning initial enthusiasm into sustained participation.

I would bring these perspectives into Board discussions through active listening, evidence gathering, and connections between communities facing similar problems.

Priorities

I understand that the PSF Board governs the Foundation rather than directing CPython technically. Its responsibilities include strategy, financial and organizational oversight, risk, partnerships, fundraising, and accountability for long-term outcomes.

My first priority would be sustainable contributor growth. I would support mentorship infrastructure, funded contributor and maintainer time, clearer progression resources, and partnerships with educational institutions and employers. Success should be measured through contributor retention, repeat contributions, increasing responsibility, mentorship activity, and long-term participation.

My second priority would be connecting community impact to sustainable funding. The PSF should communicate infrastructure, maintainer, and community needs through clear outcomes, credible evidence, technical context, and human stories that sponsors and institutional partners can understand.

My third priority would be preserving and sharing community knowledge. Case studies, reusable playbooks, educational media, interviews, and exchanges between organizers can reduce duplicated work, strengthen local communities, and make successful practices easier to adopt.

What I would bring

I would bring to the Board:
- demonstrated experience turning education into open-source contribution;
- the ability to explain complex technical systems to different audiences;
- experience developing contributors, speakers, and community leaders;
- relationships across technical, educational, and international communities;
- a focus on measurable outcomes and long-term capacity.

My goal is to help the PSF invest in systems that make participation in Python more visible, sustainable, and rewarding—and that continue working beyond any individual teacher, organizer, maintainer, staff member, or director.

Introduction

I am Saurav Singla, Head of Data Science and Market Innovation at the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). I am nominating myself for the Python Software Foundation Board because I would like to contribute my experience in technology leadership, education, research, community development, and responsible adoption of Python at scale.

Python has played a central role throughout my professional journey—as a platform for learning, teaching, research, open-source collaboration, data science, artificial intelligence, and the development of systems used in complex enterprise environments.

Experience I would bring

I lead data-science and AI initiatives in India’s digital-payments ecosystem, working across areas such as fraud intelligence, graph analytics, machine learning, scalable AI systems, and responsible technology governance.

My broader contributions include:

• Authoring Machine Learning for Finance
• Teaching and mentoring thousands of learners in Python, data science, and machine learning
• Publishing applied research in artificial intelligence, graph learning, fraud detection, and digital payments
• Contributing to open-source projects and technical discussions
• Building collaborations between industry, researchers, educational institutions, and technology communities
• Evaluating technology initiatives and supporting the development of emerging professionals

These experiences have taught me how to work across technical and non-technical stakeholders, assess long-term technology investments, build consensus, and balance innovation with security, sustainability, inclusion, and accountability.

Priorities as a Board member

If elected, I would focus on the following areas.

1. Expanding Python participation globally

Python’s growth increasingly comes from regions with large populations of students, developers, researchers, startups, and first-generation technology professionals. I would support stronger outreach across India, Asia, Africa, and other underrepresented regions through local communities, educational institutions, translations, mentorship, and sustainable regional programmes.

2. Supporting education and career development

Python often provides a person’s first entry into programming, data science, automation, and artificial intelligence. I would support initiatives that make high-quality Python education accessible to students, teachers, working professionals, and communities with limited resources.

I would also encourage stronger pathways from learning Python to contributing to open source, participating in local communities, and developing long-term careers.

3. Strengthening the relationship with enterprise users

Many organisations depend heavily on Python but remain disconnected from the volunteer communities and maintainers who sustain its ecosystem. I would work to create stronger engagement between the PSF, maintainers, research institutions, startups, and enterprises.

This should include encouraging organisations that benefit from Python to contribute through funding, engineering time, community participation, and responsible open-source practices.

4. Sustainable support for maintainers and communities

Python’s success depends on volunteers, maintainers, event organisers, working groups, educators, and community leaders. I would support transparent and sustainable mechanisms for grants, sponsorship, contributor support, community infrastructure, and recognition.

I would particularly advocate for contributors from regions where financial, institutional, or travel constraints make participation difficult.

5. Responsible AI and data-science engagement

Python is one of the most important ecosystems for artificial intelligence and data science. The PSF should remain focused on its core mission while engaging thoughtfully with the opportunities and challenges created by these fields.

I would support community discussions around responsible AI, software security, reproducibility, open-source sustainability, education, and the needs of developers building real-world systems with Python.

6. Transparent and inclusive governance

The Board must listen to the community, make responsible financial and strategic decisions, and clearly communicate how decisions support the PSF’s mission.

I would approach Board service with openness, respectful collaboration, evidence-based decision-making, and a willingness to listen and learn. I would represent the wider Python community rather than the interests of any individual employer, project, region, or technology area.

Commitment

I understand that Board membership is an active governance responsibility rather than an honorary position. It requires preparation for meetings, committee participation, community engagement, careful review of organisational matters, and consistent follow-through.

If elected, I am prepared to dedicate the necessary time, collaborate constructively with fellow directors and PSF staff, and remain accountable to the Python community.

My goal would be to help the PSF broaden global participation, strengthen its educational and community impact, build sustainable relationships with organisations that depend on Python, and ensure that Python continues to be an accessible, inclusive, and trusted platform for people around the world.

Affiliations

• National Payments Corporation of India
• Python Software Foundation member
• Author of Machine Learning for Finance
• AI and data-science researcher, educator, mentor, and open-source contributor

My candidacy is personal. My views and Board participation would not represent my employer.

Hello! I’m Elaine Wong, a journalist, technologist, conference organizer, and open-source community builder based in Toronto, Canada. I am running for the PSF Board because I believe Python’s future depends on investing in people as seriously as we invest in infrastructure, and I would be honoured to bring my experience, care, and practical approach to the Board.

I hope to help advance the work outlined in the PSF’s strategic plan, and would advocate for sustainable community organizing, stronger volunteer support, meaningful global inclusion, clearer pathways for new contributors, and responsible stewardship of the PSF’s resources.

My main goals as PSF Board member would be:

• Championing clear, trustworthy governance. My background in journalism taught me that true transparency means explaining why decisions are made, not just what was decided. I will advocate for accessible communication, open processes, and genuine opportunities for community input.
• Empowering regional communities. The PSF doesn’t need to run every local initiative, but we can make life much easier for local organizers. I want to provide better tools, mentorship, and fundraising guidance so regional groups don't have to reinvent the wheel from scratch.
• Building a resilient future for PyCon US. Having served as Co-Chair and Chair, I deeply understand both the magic of PyCon US being a community-run conference and the complex operational realities behind it. I want to help protect what makes our flagship conference so special while building a more predictable, financially sustainable foundation for years to come.
• Sustaining our volunteers. Our community runs on volunteer passion, but passion isn't an infinite resource. I want to focus on preventing burnout, breaking down knowledge silos, and creating clear, encouraging on-ramps so new leaders feel supported when they step forward.
• Opening clear pathways from learner to leader. Learning Python is just step one. I want to ensure newcomers can easily see how to grow into contributors, speakers, mentors, and community organizers.

Relevant experience:

• Python Software Foundation Fellow.
• Recipient of the PSF Community Service Award.
• Extensive experience volunteering and organizing various community-run conferences (10 years+):
  • PyCon US Co-Chair in 2024 and Chair in 2025 and 2026 where I was working closely with PSF staff, volunteers, speakers, sponsors, and community members, and working closely with the Code of Conduct committee.
  • Core organizer of csv,conf where we organized multi-day conferences in multiple countries including Germany, US, Mexico, Argentina, Italy and online since 2015.
  • PyCon Canada Chair in 2018, and Co-Chair in 2019, part of the organizing committee since 2016.
  • AV nerd for csv,conf, FlaskCon, PyCascades, PyBeach and PyOhio
  • Volunteer for PyLadiesCon in 2024.
• Part of the organizing team for PyLadies Toronto and Python Toronto.
• Instructor for the The Carpentries and as a instructor at PyCAR, which is a Python bootcamp for journalists at NICAR, an annual conference focused on data journalism.
• Speaker at UN Open Source Week 2026 as part of the Women+ in Open Source panel, where I shared the importance of community events like PyCon US.

Quick bio and where to find me:

My day job currently is as Senior Producer at CBC News, where I work across live news operations, streaming technology, and cross-functional teams. I also serve as an alternate member of the Canadian Media Guild’s Pay Equity Committee. Together, these roles have strengthened my experience in governance, accountability, policy, operational leadership, and bringing people with different priorities together around a shared goal.

My work sits at the intersection of people, systems, and access: bringing communities together, helping information move clearly, and making technical spaces more welcoming. These experiences have taught me how to listen, build consensus, navigate complex decisions, and keep people at the centre of the work.

Python has given me a place to learn, teach, organize, mentor, and build friendships around the world. And has allowed me to to spend the last decade helping to build inclusive communities. The Python community has been so welcoming to folks like myself, who come from a non-traditional coding background and allowed me to grow my technical skills and be a proficient coder and I want to continue welcoming anyone who is keen to learn how to code.

You can reach me on Mastodon @elthenerd@fosstodon.org, Bluesky @elainew, or via linkedin

Agata Skamruk is an experienced Tech Community Leader, Software Developer, and Educator with a proven track record of building, scaling, and nurturing inclusive developer ecosystems. As the main organizer of the PyCode Conference and a key leader within initiatives like PyLadies Poland and Women in Technology, she has successfully driven engagement, fostered strategic partnerships, and created impactful technical programming for thousands of tech professionals.

Beyond her community leadership, Agata brings deep technical credibility and operational expertise. She is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of OSWorld.pl (an open-source portal), CEO of Code Squat, and an IT Educator. Her background spans software development and conducting academic research on digital safety.

As a candidate for the PSF Board of Directors, Agata combines hands-on engineering experience with a strategic vision for developer relations, member engagement, and community-led growth. She thrives at the intersection of technical strategy, advocacy, and community building.

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Key Community & Professional Activities

• Meetups & Local Groups:
• Organizer of PyData Trójmiasto and PyLadies Poland (Trójmiasto chapter)
• Founder of local Python groups: PyLbn and PyKosz
• Conferences & Global Events:
• Main Organizer of PyCode Conference
• Member of the Program Committee at PyData Global, PyCon US 2021, and EuroPython 2026
• Co-organizer/Volunteer for EuroPython 2026 with PyLadies Poland
• Co-organizer of PyData Warsaw
• Former co-organizer of PyCon PL (2015 & 2016)
• Leadership & Community:
• Organizer & Leader at PyLadies Poland
• Member and former President of the Polish Python User Group (PPUG)
• Education & Publishing:
• Teacher of technical IT subjects and programming / Python Teacher
• Writer & Editor-in-Chief at OSWorld.pl

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I am excited about the possibility of serving on the PSF Board of Directors and contributing to the Foundation’s efforts to create a more inclusive and supportive Python community. Thank you for considering my nomination.

I’ve been a long-time member of the Python community, starting with my first PyCon US in Santa Clara in 2013. Over the past decade, I’ve helped organize PyCascades, taught Python to hundreds of students, and given talks, workshops, and keynotes at Python events around the world. I’ve also held roles at Microsoft and Google focused on Python, open source, developer communities, and open source security.

I previously served on the PSF Board of Directors from June 2020 to June 2023, including as a Communications Co-Chair from 2021–2022 and Co-Vice Chair from 2022–2023. During my three-year tenure, I worked on initiatives around grants, making PSF membership more accessible through the introduction of a $25 membership tier, and adapting Python community events (both remote and in person) to the challenges of the COVID era.

I’ve stepped back from volunteering over the past few years, but I’m interested in returning to the Board in 2026 because I believe both the Python community and the environment around it are entering a period of significant change.

• Open source is changing. The PSF has to work with changes in how open source is funded, maintained, and secured, as well as changes in conference attendance, sponsorship, and community participation. I’ve worked on these problems from several sides, as an open source contributor, community advocate, PSF director, and in professional roles focused on open source and software security.
• Python education in the age of AI. As a Python educator, I’ve been thinking about how we teach programming now that AI tools can generate code instantly. I believe the PSF, through its policies, grants, and working groups, has a role to play in how Python is taught in the age of AI and how we help new learners develop the skills to understand the code they write and become capable programmers.
• Experience with PSF governance. Having already served three years on the Board, including as co-Vice Chair, I understand both the public-facing responsibilities and the less visible operational work involved such as fundraising, executive oversight, and recruiting new board members. I can start contributing quickly while getting up to speed on the organizational changes of the past few years.

Python has been a significant part of my life and career for more than a decade. I’m running again because I believe my experience is particularly relevant to the challenges the PSF faces today. I’ve served on the Board before, I understand the commitment involved, and I would welcome the opportunity to bring that experience back to the PSF and the Python community at a pivotal time.

Speaker

• PyCon US 2023, 2021 (remote), 2020 (remote), 2019 (closing keynote), 2018, 2016, 2015
• PyCon Colombia 2022 (keynote, remote)
• PyCon Indonesia 2020 (keynote, remote)
• PyCon JP 2020 (invited talk, remote)
• PyCon Korea 2020 (remote)
• DjangoCon US 2019, 2018, 2014
• PyCon Australia 2019
• PyCascades 2019
• North Bay Python 2018
• PyParis 2018 (keynote)
• EuroPython 2018
• PyCon Russia 2017 (keynote)
• PyCon Canada 2017

I am honored to nominate myself for the 2026 Python Software Foundation Board of Directors.

Throughout my career, Python has been the foundation of nearly every major project I have led across artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity, scientific computing, education, and large-scale enterprise systems. As both an industry practitioner and educator, I have seen firsthand how Python has become more than a programming language; it is a catalyst for innovation, collaboration, and opportunity.

Over the past three decades, I have worked across academia, research, government, startups, and Fortune 100 organizations, leading initiatives that apply Python to solve real-world problems. My work has included AI and machine learning systems, agentic AI architectures, supply chain optimization, computer vision, cloud-native platforms, MLOps, and educational technologies that have supported learners at scale. In parallel, I have spent more than twenty years teaching and mentoring students, helping thousands of new developers gain confidence using Python as their first language for data science, automation, and artificial intelligence. If elected, I hope to contribute to the foundation in three primary areas.

First, I want to help expand Python's role in artificial intelligence and intelligent systems. As AI rapidly transforms every industry, the Python ecosystem will continue to be the language that powers research, experimentation, and production deployments. I would advocate for initiatives that strengthen the ecosystem while ensuring it remains accessible, secure, and community-driven.

Second, I am passionate about growing the next generation of Python developers. My background in higher education and workforce development has shown me the importance of creating clear learning pathways, practical educational resources, and inclusive opportunities for individuals entering technology from diverse backgrounds and disciplines.

Third, I believe the foundation has an opportunity to strengthen engagement between industry, academia, and the open-source community. Organizations around the world increasingly depend on Python for mission-critical applications. Building stronger partnerships can increase sustainability, encourage contributions back to the ecosystem, and ensure that Python continues to evolve to meet emerging technical challenges.

The Python community has always distinguished itself through openness, technical excellence, and a culture of helping others succeed. These values closely align with my own professional philosophy. If elected to the board, I would work collaboratively, listen carefully to community members, and help guide strategic initiatives that preserve Python's remarkable culture while supporting its continued growth.

Thank you for your consideration and for the opportunity to serve the Python community.

Introduction

I'm Jeremy Tanner, an organizer, speaker, sponsor, Python developer, and community member. I'm based in North America, though many of my favorite people, places, and events are not. I've spent much of my career in the open Python ecosystem; packaging infrastructure, developer tooling, and the supply chains that get Python into the hands of pythonistas building eveything imaginable. I believe the Python community should look like the world, not just the English-speaking, North American corner of it, and that sustainable finances are what make that vision achievable. I'm running for the PSF Board to do both: raise sustainable funds and resources, and make sure they reach everywhere.

Goals

The PSF is the organizational backbone of the most important programming language in the world, and it is perpetually underfunded relative to its mission. Companies and the community benefit enormously from the PSF's work sustaining PyPI, funding sprints, and keeping the ecosystem healthy. Many are interested and capable of supporting further, but unsure how. I want to change that, and I want the resources generated to flow toward a Python community that genuinely reflects the mission's diverse and global users.

Build a sustainable corporate partnership program

The PSF has sponsorship tiers, but lacks a structured program for engaging companies at the scale their Python dependency warrants. I’m interested in working with PSF staff to design and execute a partnership program that makes it easier, and compelling, for companies, and others to contribute meaningfully. I've done this work both from the corporate side, and the position of organizer as well. I know what makes it succeed.

Invest in regional and international events

PyCon US has been the largest gathering, but is no longer running profitably. Python is spoken in Lagos, São Paulo, Jakarta, Warsaw, and the events, meetups, and communities in those places are where most of the world's Python developers live. The PSF grants program is the primary lever for supporting these communities, and it is chronically under-resourced. I’ll advocate for dedicated, predictable funding for regional and international events, not one-off grants that organizers have to re-apply for every year, but structural support that lets community leaders plan, grow, and mentor the next generation of organizers in their own languages and time zones. A Python community that looks like the world requires the PSF to invest across the globe.

Connect packaging infrastructure investment to the PSF's mission

PyPI is critical infrastructure, and its funding has historically been precarious. My background in packaging and distribution gives me the context to make the case, both to the board and to corporate partners, for why sustained investment in Python's packaging ecosystem is a strategic priority, not an afterthought. I want the PSF to be a more confident and articulate advocate for the infrastructure that millions of developers depend on daily.

Transparency in PSF community interaction / operations

I'll advocate for clearer reporting on which initiatives get resourced, and what the board is doing to close gaps, so the community can hold us accountable and trust that their support is well-placed.

Experience

• Python Community: 10 time PyCon US participant, as well as PyCarribean, PyTexas, PyGotham, SciPy, PyData (Texas, London, New York, Seattle), North Bay Python, and meetups, which have kept me grounded in what pythonistas across the community are building, struggling with, and asking for.
• Sponsorship for Python Foundations, Events, Organizations: I have direct experience securing corporate partnerships and sponsorships for the Python ecosystem, including navigating the internal processes of large companies to provide support to open source projects, infrastructure, and community gatherings. I’ve been on the organizing side as well, responsible for fundraising, programming, and attendee experience.
• DevTools Packaging & Distribution at NVIDIA: My day job is making it possible for developers, inside and outside NVIDIA, to get Python-based software built, tested, packaged, and shipped at scale. I understand what corporate Python users need from the ecosystem, and I understand the gaps between what they expect and what a volunteer-driven foundation can sustainably provide.
• Platform Alliance Manager: My professional role is fundamentally about building and sustaining relationships between large organizations and the technical communities they depend on. I work across engineering, product, and executive stakeholders to deliver long-lasting and productive collaborations; skills I look forward to using with the PSF Board.

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I still feel the same way as this younger version of me, welcoming all to PyCon US last year. Deeply grateful, and interested in strengthening the PSF

If you're not already, please consider joining the PSF as a Supporting Member

I appreciate you reading this far. I'd be honored to serve

I'm Keith Murray, and I am running for the Board of the Python Software Foundation.

I use the handle KeithTheEE online, and am involved in the PSF Education and Outreach Workgroup, the community run Python Discord (as a Director and Community Outreach Lead), help with PyOhio (As a volunteer this year, prior two years as a Communication Chair), and previously was a Moderator on the Python subreddit from mid 2020 through mid 2023.

My Python Community Experience:

I've been involved in a number of Python Communities and have primarily focused on relaying events from neighboring communities, as well as inviting those communities into the space I'm in so they can relay the event themselves. This is largely in the form of Conferences, however also has involved helping host community chat events around things like CPython Releases, Ask Me Anything events around Library releases, and more.

The Python Community is large, varied, and filled with amazing projects and initiatives and most of my energy has centered around sharing things across communities.

In the Education and Outreach workgroup we have focused on evaluating the resources hosted on the python.org site to understand how a new user might navigate the site to learn more. Understanding what resources are available but hidden, and what are missing for different user stories and what kinds of needs are lacking has been an enjoyable and complex experience.

Looking at the Next Three Years:

I'd love to see the python.org website get reorganized so a new user has an easier time navigating the site.

This includes improving the PSF membership experience. I'd love for the whole membership experience to live on the python.org website, and to encourage a formal process to nominate individuals for Contributing Membership.

Thinking of how the PSF Strategic Plan 2026 can take further concrete steps:

Funding

Financial Security is critical to maintain the operations and infrastructure the PSF is responsible for. The growth of the "In Residence" program with Security and Developers is a key reason the PSF has been able to respond to the impact of AI. Between the strain on infrastructure via rapid data scraping, attacks via increasingly complex code, and the drain on community energy from reviewing pull requests where there isn't a person on the other end who's growing through the guidance in the comments, the Python world is undergoing a lot of changes, and having members In Residence has helped ensure volunteering can be a joyful experience.

Sourcing and securing funding is critical to continuing and hopefully expanding the "In Residence" program to include more forms of residency, such as educators.

Empowering Communities

This is one of the areas I have a strong motivation for. Supporting communities, be it identity focused like Black Python Devs, PyLadies, and more, Regional communities, like Python Asia Organization, EuroPython Society, and more, can exist in many ways beyond just financial.

A key form of guidance and support can be greater explanation of legal limitations and boundaries regarding issues such as trademark usage, paired with solutions other communities in the Python world have implemented to grow alongside the PSF.

Building a strong habit of explaining why certain things have restrictions can help empower more communities to grow via an understanding of why some seemingly acceptable behaviors or naming conventions are discouraged. This way engagement with the PSF becomes more collaborative.

At its core

I'm running for the Python Software Foundation's Board of Directors because I feel my experience leading and connecting communities can help guide outreach and empowerment while communicating why certain limitations exist. I think the Python Community is amazing, and helping further it's outreach, and ease the process of joining the community is something I care deeply for.

Hi, I'm Georgi

I am running for another term after serving three years on the PSF Board, including as Treasurer and currently as Vice Chair.

Who am I?

I currently live in Amsterdam, enjoying the canals, fabulous Pride celebrations, and the Netherlands' pragmatic relationship with weed. Much of my earlier community work was rooted in Asia, and I believe the PSF's global representation remains incomplete. More recently, I have been increasingly involved with PyLadiesCon, EuroPython, and other international Python communities.

I am not running because I believe that serving one term automatically earns me another.

I am running because the past three years have shown me much more clearly where the Foundation is strong; where it is fragile; what is no longer working; and where it urgently needs to adapt.

I have spent my time trying to understand how the PSF actually works, not only how it appears from the outside. This has meant learning about its governance, finances, staffing structure, legal responsibilities, and the limits of what the Board can accomplish without the right systems and expertise behind it.

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My three years on the Board

Year One: Understanding the Foundation

• Learned how the PSF operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
• Studied its governance, legal responsibilities, finances, staffing structure, and relationship with the Python community.
• Focused on understanding what Directors are legally, financially, and practically responsible for.

Year Two: Serving as Treasurer

• Stepped into the Treasurer role to understand the PSF's financial structure more thoroughly.
• Raised concerns about the lack of a clear financial runway.
• Proposed stronger budgeting policies and more regular financial planning.
• Saw how staffing and operational challenges can prevent Board decisions from being implemented, even after problems have been identified.

Year Three: Serving as Vice-Chair

• Took on additional responsibility through the Executive Committee.
• Participated in additional meetings, document reviews, staff discussions, and difficult organisational decisions.
• Helped move the PSF's long-delayed strategic planning process forward.

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My wider community work

PSF Diversity and Inclusion Workgroup

I have been a member of the PSF Diversity and Inclusion Workgroup since 2020 and have served as its Chair since 2024. During this time, I introduced recruitment, membership, representation, and voting processes, expanded the Workgroup’s global representation, established regular monthly meetings and clearer areas of focus, helped launch its public website, and just recently created monthly Discord office hours to connect directly with the community.

Other community work

• Developed Open Community Leadership through my Sovereign Tech Agency fellowship, focusing on community sustainability, mentorship, and the development of future leaders.
• Organiser of PyLadiesCon.
• Member of the EuroPython Code of Conduct team.
• Continued speaking and working with Python communities around the world. You can find examples of my previous talks and community work here.

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My priorities for the PSF

Create realistic budgets and financial projections

• The Foundation should not continue planning around outdated financial assumptions.
• The Board needs a clear understanding of runway, risks, commitments, and future operating costs.

Reduce dependence on PyCon US

• PyCon US was once a reliable source of profit for the Foundation but the economics and risks of large conferences changed significantly after COVID.
• PyCon US should remain an important community event, but it should not be expected to carry the financial future of the Foundation.

Build sponsorship around Python itself

• Companies benefit from Python throughout the year, not only during one conference.
• Sponsorship should support Python as a language, its infrastructure, security, legal protection, and global ecosystem.
• The PSF needs income sources that reflect Python's importance as global infrastructure.

Safeguard Python

• Protect Python's trademarks, copyright, infrastructure, and long-term stewardship.
• Ensure that the Foundation remains capable of defending the language and its identity as its use continues to grow.

Improve transparency

• Communicate Board decisions, financial priorities, strategic progress, and organisational challenges more clearly.
• Help the community understand not only what decisions were made, but why.

Review the PSF's business model

• The PSF must professionalise the support around the community without professionalising the community out of Python. It is the unique model of Python.
• Consider reserving a small number of Board seats for appointed directors with expertise the Foundation specifically needs.
• Ensure that capable community members are not overlooked simply because they are less visible or less well known.

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A request to voters

Board service is not a recognition award. It is not simply about attending meetings, representing a region, or being visible at conferences. Directors carry legal, financial, organisational, and fiduciary responsibilities. They may have to make difficult decisions whose consequences will remain long after their term has ended.

Representation matters. I would be proud to continue representing communities across Asia and the wider global Python community. But representation cannot be the only measure used to select a Board.

Visibility is not the same as governance experience. Popularity is not the same as preparedness.. Whether or not you vote for me, please take the time to learn about every candidate. Look beyond the names you recognise. Consider what each person understands, what they have already done, how much time they can realistically give, and whether they are prepared for the responsibility.

I do not mind if I am not elected. Holding a Board seat is not more important to me than seeing the PSF governed well. But I ask every voting member to think carefully about whom they elect and why.

The next few years matter.