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Nominee for 2020 Python Software Foundation Board Election

Philip James

  • Previous Board Service: New Board Member
  • Employer: Ask Trim
  • Other Affiliations: BeeWare Project, PSF Conduct WG, PSF Sponsorship WG,
  • Nominee Statement:

      My name is Philip James, perhaps known better as Phildini. I believe in the power of the Python Community and the thousands of Pythonistas who are part of it. This community has in the past set the standard for welcoming and community-driven events, outreach to often-overlooked groups, and making the field of programming accessible to the widest audience possible.

      At the same time, the Python ecosystem is driving technological advances across the spectrum, from the Fortune 500 to the newest startups to the cutting edge of academic resource. The Python language has been in the Top 5 most-wanted languages in Stack Overflow's survey for the past 5 years, and has held the number one spot for the past four years.

      For Python's growth and survival, we need to continue being a world-class technology community while supporting a language and ecosystem that can serve the widest base of people and organizations.

      We must do this in the face of a rapidly changing world. The way we interact with technology has changed immensely in the past decade, and will change even more in the coming decade. The very nature of the Python community must adapt to a world that is not only increasingly powered by personal devices, but which is driven more than ever by distributed connections. We cannot rely on our old in-person methods of growing the community in the same way we cannot rely on everyone having a laptop or desktop.

      Thankfully, we have the tools to evolve and grow inside this community. As a frequent speaker at PyCon, I have seen this community change and adapt not just in how we handle and improve in-person events, but in how we make those events ever-more distributed and welcoming. As the Chair of the PSF Conduct Working Group, I have seen the community dedicate time and attention to growing in new spaces while making sure we are taking care of the whole community. As a Core Contributor to the BeeWare project, I have seen a new area of development for the Python ecosystem, and a bright potential future where programming in Python is accessible to everyone on any device.

      As a member of the Board of Directors for the Python Software Foundation, I will work with the Board and all Pythonistas to make sure there continues to be a bright future ahead of us. My goal will be to push all of us to grow and adapt and earn two unique distinctions in the universe of technology: That we are an ecosystem to be proud of, and a community that we are happy to call home.

      Thank you for your attention, and I hope to receive your vote.