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Nominee for 2023 Python Software Foundation Board Election

Christopher Neugebauer

  • Previous Board Service: 2018-2021
  • Employer: None
  • Other Affiliations: Pantsbuild (open source maintainer), North Bay Python (a Software Freedom Conservancy project).
  • Nominee Statement:

      Hi! I’m Christopher Neugebauer. I’m a Queer Australian living in Northern California. I currently serve on the PSF Grants Working Group, and as director of the North Bay Python conference here in Petaluma. I previously served on the PSF Board between 2018 and 2021.

      I have a track record of building diverse communities, and spending time working directly with fellow board members to help make the foundation do better work. That said, I have specific things I want to accomplish too.

      If elected, I want to focus on the following:

      1. More effectively using the Grants program as a tool for outreach
      2. Building stronger partnerships with regional and international Python conferences to further the PSF’s mission

      Grants:

      I’ve served on the Grants Working Group since it was founded in 2015, and over the last year, have been a source of institutional knowledge as the Grants program has resumed since shutting down at the start of the Pandemic.

      I see our Grants program as the easiest way for the Foundation to achieve its mission of growing the international Python community. We enable local volunteers to do great work.

      Now that the program is running at close to the capacity it was in 2019 again, I want to serve on the board to help guide our Grant-giving strategy: I want to focus on ensuring our grants are impactful, ensuring that our money grows a diverse and international Python community, or that our grants help further the reach of the PSF.

      Regional conferences

      Our community has done a good job of building up regional and national conferences all over the world, and we’re starting to see more conferences come back from their Pandemic-enforced break.

      The PSF runs PyCon US, which has an outsized influence on other Python conferences, in the US, but also abroad. I’d like to help the PSF better work with regional conferences: traditionally the PSF has not done a good job of sharing sponsorship resources or infrastructure (both financial and technical). I’ll use my time on the board to help build relationships with conferences, seek opportunities to pool funding opportunities, and prioritize projects to make it easier for Python events to benefit from our infrastructure and ability to attract interest from larger companies.

      In return, I’d like to see regional conferences be a resource the Foundation can better rely on when PyCon US can’t effectively serve our entire community, for reasons within our control — for example, providing opportunities if PyCon US becomes capacity-restricted again — or out of our control — for example, if a PyCon US venue again unexpectedly becomes unsafe or inaccessible for marginalized members of our community (as it did in Utah for 2023). Regional conferences can help us keep our community welcoming, even if circumstances out of our control make the Foundation less so. I want to lead the Foundation in building up that capacity.

      I want to continue growing our community, and I want to be able to welcome more people as our community grows.

      I’ve been an effective Board Member in the past, and I am excited to request your vote, so I can do this important work.

  • Nomination Statements:
    • Nomination by: Kushal Das

      I work along with Christopher regularly in the grants working group and also in the previous boards. He is analytical and also brings in important questions for the community in all of the platforms. He is someone whom I trust when it comes to understanding the issues and possible solutions. Asking the right questions in the time of need is something he does very efficiently. I am hoping to see him being able to be more engaged by being part of the board again.

    • Nomination by: Thomas Wouters

      I have served with Chris on the PSF Board in the past. He has a community mindset as well as a solid understanding of the PSF's inner workings, the history of the PSF and the Python community as a whole, and good ideas on how to iterate and improve. I'm certain Chris would have a unique and valuable contribution to the Board, so I want to endorse his nomination.

    • Nomination by: Carol Willing

      I'm nominating Chris Neugebauer for election to the PSF Board. Two words come to mind when I think about Chris and his impact on Python: Selfless Leadership. His commitment to the Python community has grown over the past decade that I have known him. Whether it is helping a new person in the community get connected or bootstrapping a conference, Chris brings his thoughtful, calm, and inclusive attitude to deliver results.

      With his high standards for governance and work ethic, Chris has helped the PSF navigate unforeseen challenges and strengthen the PSF's health and ongoing success. I trust his judgement on governance matters and to make decisions that carry out the mission of the PSF.