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Nominee for 2021 Python Software Foundation Board Election

Katia Lira

  • Previous Board Service: New board member
  • Employer: Local Logic
  • Other Affiliations: DEFNA. PYLATAM. D&I Workgroup
  • Nominee Statement:

      Who am I?

      Hello, I’m Katia Lira, a software engineer from Mexico city. My first approach to the Python community was in 2016 when I attended PyCon US 2016. I’ve been coding for a few years before that but I wasn’t aware of meetups in my city. The groups that existed lacked consistency due to struggles to get speakers and sponsors. Since then I’ve seen amazing growth.

      During PyCon US 2016 I met a group of Mexicans and we all were interested in doing a similar event at home. None of us had previous experience organizing a conference or any idea of where to start.

      In 2017, I attended and spoke at my first DjangoCon US where I met a few board members of DEFNA. Next year I joined as a board member and after two years as Vice president I serve as President. During my time at DEFNA, I’ve helped organize DjangoCon US and rebrand the foundation image.

      After 3 years with some knowledge about organizing conferences and with a group of great people from Latin America. I was a co-organizer of the first ever PyLatam 2019. The event was a two day, two track conference with assistance from 20 different countries.

      Some things about me:

      • Helped with translating the official Python documentation.
      • I’ve volunteered at every conference I attended because IMO it’s the best way to experience the event.
      • In 2020 I received the Q2 Community Service Award and became a fellow of the PSF.
      • Gave a Keynote for the first ever PyDay Chile in 2020 and one for the first ever PyCon charlas track
      • I have a podcast based on Open Spaces in Spanish

      Objectives I would focus on as a Board member:

      Education

      • Fund and develop education programs. In Spanish at local universities.

      Conference organizing

      Organizing a conference is daunting, especially for the first time and the PSF can take a more active role with helping and guiding the new conferences.

      • Resources or “kits”. Based on the knowledge from organizing PyCon US, basic to-do lists, how to reach out to speakers, a chronogram of tasks, etc. If such resources exist, amplify them and translate them to as many languages as possible.
      • Mentoring. When a conference is approved for a PSF grant, give them the option to ask questions by email about organizing.

      Diversity and inclusion.

      • Grow the impact of the PSF in other communities. Sharing the importance of the work done by the PSF. Translating information to as many languages as possible. Especially the PSF Membership FAQ and the election resources.
      • Have an official PSF blog in Spanish. It would be focused on increasing visibility of “local heroes”. Developers that have successful stories or achievements that could help as inspiration. And giving a platform to Python content creators in Spanish. Showcase their posts on twitter for exposure
      • Bring back the Python Ambassador role and create programs to reach out to students and get them involved.

      Thanks for reading and for considering voting for me.