I would like to announce my candidacy for the GNOME Foundation board of directors’ 2020 election. I have been a contributor at GNOME for a little over eight months and I have been actively working on building a GNOME community in Africa through efforts including Pan African GNOME Summit. PAGS is the first appearance of GNOME in Africa that aims at introducing new contributions to the GNOME Project. I am contributing to an initiative to create a great onboarding experience for newcomers by determining where there are gaps in the process and looking at possible ways of improvement. I use my video editing skills to contribute to Foundation programs and events.
My focus points are building a strong GNOME community in Africa and creating opportunities for a more diverse population to participate in GNOME activities.
If elected I will build a sustainable home for GNOME within African tech communities. I intend to further my vision by collaborating with the software industry and educational institutions to create a diverse community of GNOME contributors in Africa. My election into the Board of directors will serve as a bridge and channel for other Africans to join in the community, communicating that there is space for us, and GNOME is ready to welcome African open source contributors.
I will actively work with the other Foundation members in raising funds to increase the budget for the travel committee in order to bring a more diverse population to GNOME events.
I spent most of my career working at technology consultancies helping customers solve daily technical and non-technical issues. Over time I have built my project and people management skills. I volunteered in non-profit organizations geared towards making technology accessible to schools in the rural communities in Nigeria. Volunteering for non-profits has greatly improved my collaborative skills.
The GNOME Project has been successful in places like Europe and North America, but Africa has been largely ignored. I believe it is time for the Foundation to extend into African tech space by building strong ties with the software industry and educational institutions across Africa. The African open source community is growing and there are lots of exceptionally talented individuals excited to actively get involved in the community who need us to show them the way
Open source technology is a success today because it is built collaboratively. Contributors, maintainers, and other interested people are able to participate freely. Bringing GNOME into African tech spaces will bring in creativity and diverse ideas to expand and advance the GNOME Foundation’s projects and outreach.
I would like to use this medium to salute GNOME volunteers and members for being consistent in open source contributions and playing a significant role in the Linux user experience. The GNOME Foundation is a community that has strived through active collaboration and teamwork. I believe in the GNOME Project, which is why I want to bring it to my home in Africa.
Thank you,
Regina