Paul Roeland

integrator, open source activist and non-profit tech person.

Who am I?

I'm a long-time technology and open-source activist, that has worked for a wide range of non-profits and other organisations. Been wasting my spare time at hacklabs and the like as well.

Currently my function is known as 'tech coordinator', which is a fancy way of saying sysadmin, programmer, and e-campaigner all at once. The combination fits me like a glove.

Started using Plone just around 0.99beta, and I've enjoyed the ride so far immensely.

Why I'm interested.

Well, sometimes it's time to do something back for the community that has given you so much. And a nagging suspicion that I might actually be able to give a useful perspective on the board.

What I Bring.

Long experience in questions of process and decision-making. If there's one thing you learn in a large, federated non-profit with 60-odd member countries, it's a keen eye for how to keep discussions focused, guarantee diversity of opinion, and use best-of-breed methods of reaching a conclusion.

As an integrator, that has set up Plone sites large and (very) small, I have a good understanding of what end users like, both for public sites and for intranets. I've not only set those up, but also kept them running for years on end, which is quite a different experience than just delivering a site according to specs.

I'm not using Plone only. The various non-profits I work with have a voracious appetite for all kinds of tools, so from SMS-based reporting systems to steganography, I've used it all. We can learn from some of the ideas out there.

And, while I fully support and endorse all the fabulous Plone companies out there, it could also be good to have a perspective on the board of someone who has absolutely nothing to sell.

Nomination seconded by:

Elizabeth Leddy
Matthew Wilkes