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Nominee for 2024 Python Software Foundation Board Election

Cristián Maureira-Fredes

  • Previous Board Service: New board member
  • Employer: The Qt Company
  • Other Affiliations: Python en Español, PyLadies Berlin, Python Chile, Python Spain
  • Nominee Statement:

      Statement

      Introduction

      My name is Cristián and I'm currently a Team Lead and Developer at The Qt Company, working mainly on the Qt for Python project, which is the official set of Python bindings for the Qt Project, which is written in C++. I'm originally from Chile 🇨🇱, but I have been living for the past 11 years in Germany 🇩🇪.

      I have been around to Python since 2009, while I was studying Computer Science back in my country. Afterward during my further studies, I used Python and C++ both for my Masters and Doctorate. So in a nutshell, Python has been around during my whole student/professional life.

      Around 2019 I decided to try and join a few Python events to see if it was a nice thing to do during my spare time, And since then I haven't stopped. My involvement in communities and initiatives (see last section) led me to join also conference organization teams as well, including PyConUS and EuroPython.

      I'm a hands-on person, that not only has ideas, but prefer to present tangible proof of concepts in order to improve processes and initiatives.

      My nomination goals are:

      • Maintain and improve the transparency
      • Improve communication and resources
      • Helping invisible communities and fellowship
      • Advocacy for PyCons and PyLadies

      that you can read in the following sections.

      Qualifications and Experience

      After being involved in many communities, i have the feeling that I will be a good fit to join the board dynamics in order to contribute to all the active initiatives.

      My experience from conferences will make me able to react quickly when problem arises, and do my best to have a friendly environment.

      And my professional experience will help me acquiring stakeholders requirements in order to find solutions that can improve the participation of people in the Python community but also having in consideration my technical background, I can easily approach conversation that involves CPython and Python development.

      You can read more about the initiatives I actively contribute in the final section of this statement.

      Goals

      I want changes. My main goal is not to be around and keep doing what everyone is doing in the board, but to push for new ways of bringing more people to the PSF, by improving the way we communicate, and present our resources and initiatives.

      Maintain and improve the transparency

      The PSF board does a lot of things, do you know which ones? If the answer is no, you can quickly jump to https://www.python.org/psf/records/board/minutes/ where you can discover that most of the members provide monthly reports of their activities. I want every PSF member to be aware of those reports, so they can check the progress of everyone behind the board.

      I firmly believe that having official channels where those reports are shared, and even more important, to keep track of the individual goals that people promised in their nominations is crucial to keep people posted. Personally, I adopted a format of daily logs of my contributions that I will keep around for my own Board duties.

      There are other processes that the PSF is in charge as well, that as long as there is information that can be public, we could communicate and highlight how did it happen, like the recent hires for PyPI, PSF staff, etc, so people can be closer to our decisions. The same with the grants, I believe the board can be transparent on recommendations for good practices while requesting grants, sharing at the same time negative points that some might have, so people is able to improve their applications.

      Improve communication and resources

      The resources we have under https://python.org/psf-landing are essential to the participation of more people in the PSF for the working groups, join as members, apply for grants, etc. However, the way the information is presented can be improved in order to be a proper resource hub.

      I would like to migrate the content to a documentation-focused web that can be better indexed, easy to navigate, and that people can contribute to, specially with their translations. The PSF website needs to be an example of i18n and a10y, and our resources needs to be presented in a way that anyone can find any topic when needed.

      Similarly, we need to document our working groups processes publicly (when possible) so people can suggest improvements, or even mimic what we do. Providing information about the working groups on the same page is essential to improve the participation from new faces.

      There has been lots of work on https://psfmember.org which is great, so I believe a proper resources/docs web for the PSF will complement that functionality perfectly.

      Helping invisible communities and fellowship

      For me, an invisible community is one that is formed by people that has been working through the years that most people is not aware of, that have no PSF fellows around, and no participation in big projects. Those communities are the key for the evolution of the PSF, and we need to nurture them, and do our best in order to recognize their work.

      Similarly, I'm aware of many communities that try to get PSF grants and have failed so far. Like I stated before, I would like to help them to get PSF help, not only to increase the percentage of grants we give to countries in other continents, but to let them know that it's in our full interest that they do get our support and they are important for us.

      I know organizers from South America, Central America, Africa and Asia that will be very happy if such initiative's scope could reach them out.

      During PyConUS 2024 I started an initiative with two active board members, to start gathering names of people that have been doing lots of the Python community and are not yet PSF Fellows, so we could promote them and enable them to keep looking for others that needs to be recognized

      Advocacy for PyCons and PyLadies

      Due to my contributions to different PyCon and PyLadies initiatives, I will be actively contacting organizers to provide the most feedback and support I can in order to improve their dynamics, engagement, and organization.

      I want to actively help the Global PyLadies Council to grow even further, by being around and being available to listen to any issue that might require the help from the board, and I believe my experience from PyLadies Berlin and PyLadiesCon has helped me understand how to support this amazing organization.

      Final words

      I know there are a lots of things to be done, and many hours per weeks needs to be used in order to make real progress, so part of my plan is to focus my attention to my PSF Board duties, delegating my other responsibilities to other community members, so I can have enough time for this new role.

      As any nomination, some of the goals might be impossible to achieve, but I want to ensure you I will do my best to fulfill them all, and if somethings falls down, I will provide you with the reasoning behind I couldn't achieve what I stated here.

      Community contributions

      I decided to keep track of my contributions since mid 2022 on a public repository but the following are the communities/initiatives/conferences I have helped with:

  • Nomination Statements:
    • Nomination by: Pablo Lira

      Cristian is a great leader in the Python community in Chile, he has contributed his time and knowledge to the Python ecosystem in the country of Chile. It would be a great contribution to the international community and an excellent link with the Spanish-speaking community.

    • Nomination by: Tania Allard

      Cristian is deeply involved in the Python community, both at regional and global levels. Wether he is organising a conference (PyCon Charlas, PyCon Chile, and more), building inclusive communities (Python en Español), leading and mobilizing volunteer groups (translation and localisation) or mentoring others, he always does it with an immense amount of care, kindness, and humility. And he always strikes the right balance between supporting and empowering others he works with.

      Cristian truly embodies our community standards and is one of the most relentless allies and advocates I know - he goes above and beyond to support the PyLadies Berlin chapter and other initiatives such as PyLadiesCon in a thoughtful way, while being aware of his role as an ally and ensuring he is not taking but creating space for those belonging to marginalised groups.

      I am sure he would make a unique and valuable contribution to the board and I'd like to endorse his nomination.

    • Nomination by: Denny Perez

      I'd like to nominate Cristián Maureira-Fredes for the PSF Board of Directors. Cristián's contributions to the Python community over the past years have been outstanding, and I believe his dedication, vision, and passion make him an ideal candidate for the board.

      Working with Cristián in various communities and conferences has been inspiring. His commitment to fostering growth, inclusivity, and collaboration within the Python community is exceptional. I am genuinely proud to support his nomination, and I am confident he will excel in this role.

      Cristián has been a PSF Fellow since 2021, which shows his significant impact on the community. As the coordinator of the "Python en Español" initiative since 2020, he has worked tirelessly to create a unified space for Spanish-speaking Python enthusiasts. He maintains the official website, moderates the Discord and Telegram groups, and handles communication at various events.

      As a co-chair of PyCon Charlas, the Spanish track at PyConUS since 2022, Cristián ensures our voices are heard on an international stage. His work in translating and coordinating the Python Docs ES initiative shows his dedication to making Python accessible to everyone.

      Cristián is also a PyPI moderator, helping with project and upload size limits. He has supported Chilean Python communities in organizing their first PyDay and PyCon events, demonstrating his leadership and organizational skills.

      In addition, Cristián co-organizes PyLadies Berlin, where he helps with organizational tasks and mentoring. He has been involved with the Spanish Python Association and PyCon Spain, and has volunteered at EuroPython 2023. He is also co-organizing EuroPython 2024.

      Cristián played a key role in organizing the first PyLadiesCon in 2023 and Python Pizza Hamburg 2023. Both events were very successful and brought the community closer together.

      Cristián's passion for the Python community, along with his extensive experience and genuine desire to help others, make him an outstanding candidate for the PSF Board of Directors. He will bring valuable insights from his work with Spanish-speaking communities and the broader Python community, driving initiatives that will benefit us all.

      I wholeheartedly support Cristián's nomination and believe his leadership will help the PSF continue to thrive and evolve. He has my total and absolute support.

    • Nomination by: Andres Pineda

      I am nominating Cristián for the Board for all their contributions to the Python Ecosystem. As a speaker, conference and meetup organizer, volunteer in different events, and many more.

      Among the different things Cristián has done for the Python Community, it is hard not to note:

      • "Python en Español" initiative Coordinator since 2020: Here, Cristian maintains the official website and Discord bot, moderates and administrates the Discord server, and also assists with the moderation of the Telegram group.

      • Co-chair of the PyCon Charlas (Spanish track at PyConUS) since 2022: For two years, Cristián has shown dedication and hard work co-organizing the Spanish Track at PyconUS. Some of the most critical tasks are talk selection, coordination with all the selected speakers, advocating for the PyconUS for those who did not know about the Spanish Track, and ensuring the Pycon Charlas keeps the same grade of the organization as the rest of Pycon, among many others.

      • PyPI moderator: In the last two years, Cristián has helped close 110+ Github issues in PyPI.

      • Translator and Coordinator for the Python Docs ES initiative. This initiative helped translate Python Docs into Spanish for the first time, and every year since then, for new docs or updates, Cristián has been crucial in organizing the translations and helping new translators join them.

      • Co-organizer of the first PyLadiesCon and Co-organizer of the PyLadies Berlin chapter. Cristián understands the importance of inclusion in the different Python communities and has made himself available to collaborate to create safe spaces for everyone who loves Python.

      I am confident that Cristián's participation in these various communities has positioned him as an excellent candidate, and his knowledge will benefit the PSF board and the greater Python Community.

    • Nomination by: Dawn Wages

      Cristian has been an active member of the Python community for a long time. I'm so lucky to have grown from our Python conversations as we have met at this event or that. His kindness and intention are the first to greet you, then his earnest and engaged advocacy of the most marginalized in Python. He brings ideas forward that are thoughtful, pragmatic and well-informed with activities to drive them forward.

      His advocacy of the Spanish speaking Python community is long standing. From his work in translations, PyCon Charlas, Hacktoberfest, and Spanish Python events; his passion for lowering barriers for a community that has historically gone without programming resources is impressive and authentic. It doesn't stop there; in our discussions about changes to the Python website, representation on the Python board, ways that the Python Software Foundation can engage with the community and how we as Python community members can engage with each other starts locally and acts globally to improve Python every day.

      I would be thrilled to serve on the Python Software Foundation board with him.

    • Nomination by: Maria Jose Molina Contreras

      I would like to nominate to Cristián Maureira Fredes.

      Cristián is an incredibly active and passionate individual who has made significant contributions to various Spanish-language initiatives within the Python community. His dedication is evident in his role as the maintainer of "Python en Español," which includes overseeing its official website (hablemospython.dev), Discord server, and Telegram group. Cristián's responsibilities also extend to handling merchandising and communication for various events and conferences.

      Additionally, Cristián has been the co-chair of PyCon Charlas since 2022, which is the Spanish track at PyConUS. He plays a crucial role in making sure that this aspect of the conference runs smoothly.

      Translating and coordinating efforts for the Python Docs ES initiative (github.com/python/python-docs-es) is another one of Cristián's responsibilities. His work on this project ensures that Spanish speakers have access to high-quality documentation.

      He has also been instrumental in helping various Chilean Python communities form a national association and organizing their first PyDay and PyCon with the approval and support from the PSF. He is an active member of Pyladies en Español as well.

      As a PyPI moderator since 2022, Cristián helps manage project/upload size limit requests, ensuring that the process runs smoothly for all users.

      Being a PSF Fellow since 2021 is another remarkable achievement by Cristián. This recognition speaks to his impact and influence within the Python community.

      Cristián's commitment to the Python community doesn't stop there. He co-organizes the PyLadies Berlin chapter, handling various tasks such as organization, design, and mentoring.

      A member of the Spanish Python association since 2020, Cristián volunteers and co-organizes the annual PyCon Spain conference in 2021, 2022, and 2023. He volunteers at EuroPython 2023 and co-organizes EuroPython 2024, where he leads the Programme team.

      Lastly, he co-organized the first PyLadiesCon in 2023, managing its website and infrastructure to ensure a successful event for all attendees. He is also a co-organizer of Python Pizza Hamburg 2023.

      Cristián's impact on the Python community is truly remarkable. His tireless efforts have made a significant difference in the growth and success of various initiatives, making him an invaluable asset to the global Python community. I am sure that he will bring valuable insights and value to the Board.

    • Nomination by:

      I think that Cristian has done a lot of things for the community, he is a truly advocate of helping others, furthermore he has been the organizer of PyCon España and PyCon Chile. He is also the creator of several initiatives but the most beneficial for me has been "Python en Español", there I could join to study groups and also have found a lot of support of other people over around the world.

    • Nomination by: Georgi Ker

      Cristián Maureira-Fredes is a prominent member of the Python Software Foundation (PSF) community, currently working at The Qt Company. His work primarily focuses on the Qt Core and Qt for Python teams, where he has been involved for over six years.

      Cristián is also a serial conference organizer and a significant community leader, contributing to numerous initiatives. He has helped translate Python documentation into Spanish and moderates PyPI. Dedicated to the growth of the LATAM Python community, Cristián fosters connections and shares knowledge. He is actively involved in EuroPython, PyLadiesCon, PyPizza, PyCon Charlas and many other events, constantly supporting the Python community. His presence at the board will be a great asset to the PSF.

    • Nomination by: Débora Azevedo

      I'm honored to nominate Cristián for the PSF board of directors. He is a fine member of our community, with so many outstanding contributions. I have seen Cristián tirelessly work on projects he's passionate about, such as PyCon Charlas (which he is chair with Denny Perez), helping out in PyLadies Berlin, and the entire Python en Español projects, which brings the Spanish speaking Python community together. I believe he's fine tuned with PSF goals and a valuable person to have on the board to help the PSF strive on its mission.