My name is Barbara Shaurette, and I’m running for a seat on the board of the Python Software Foundation.

Why am I qualified to join the PSF board? I know the community well. I’ve been an active member of the Python community for almost 20 years - less so in the past five because of a serious illness, but I’m finally returning to organizing and teaching this year, and I’ve stayed involved remotely during that time.

I’ve worked as a Python (and sometimes Django) developer for most of that 20 years, almost all of it building applications and working with data in the media/journalism space. These days, I work as an SRE for Vox Media, putting my Python skills to work writing tools to help manage our infrastructure.

I’ve been a PyLadies member and organizer since 2012. I co-founded PyLadies Austin and ran that group for its first year, heading up workshops and educational events. I also have extensive experience with teaching - from 2013 through 2017, I organized and taught the Young Coders workshops at PyCon US and at regional conferences around the United States. I’ve taught Python workshops aimed at beginners in Portland and Austin, and in 2015 I was a DjangoGirls organizer and coach in Austin. In 2017, I was honored to receive the Frank Willison Memorial Award for my contributions to Python education. I also spoke at the UN in 2016! (I’m only half-joking - that year, PyGotham was actually held at the United Nations and I gave a talk about Python pedagogy and organizing classes.)

Why am I running? Because I care about the community that’s given so much back to me, and I want to see all of its members succeed. I’ve been advocating for women in programming throughout my career, but I know that creating equity is bigger than that. I’m a politically active person with strong opinions, but I am also dedicated to listening to what people need.

I want to make sure the PSF builds on its legacy of supporting marginalized groups and expands its programs supporting them, through grants, education, communication and whatever other tools we have at hand. And I want new members of the community - new attendees at conferences, new contributors to Python libraries, new students learning Python - to feel as welcome as I did the first time I went to a Python conference. It’s the reason I’m still here many years later.