Hi,
My name is Alexandru Voica and I am contacting you about the
current Fedora Diversity Advisor volunteering opportunity.
I am very excited about the role and I'd be honored to be considered for the job.
- Why do you believe diversity and inclusion are
important for Fedora?
Since the Fedora Project exists based on a partnership of community members from around the globe, it is really important that everyone feels welcome and inspired to contribute. By fostering a diverse and inclusive environment where minority groups feel safe to contribute and communicate, Fedora can continue to thrive and grow based on constructive collaboration. In addition, the Fedora Project has always striven to be a leader in the open source community; by promoting diversity and inclusion, Fedora developers set the right example for others to follow. It is therefore important that the Fedora Project continues to invest in an open framework built on the right values and policies to ensure success through shared action from everyone and anyone in the community, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or other considerations.
- Why do you want to serve as Fedora’s Diversity
& Inclusion Advisor?
I am a firm believer in equal opportunity for everyone. I want to encourage and inspire Fedora contributors to work together, quickly resolve conflict, and prevent frustration or prejudice to turn into personal attacks. I also want to help foster a productive community based on inclusion and collaboration.
- What specific minority group(s) or issues can
you offer insight about? What perspectives, experiences, or knowledge
about diversity and inclusion could you share with the Fedora community?
I have been living in the UK for the past five years but come from an Eastern European background so I believe I have a very good understanding of the dynamics of migrant minority groups and the difficulties they face in terms of integration and outsider perceptions/prejudices. In addition, I have been closely following the recent debates on the need to ensure pay equality for women or to stop the rising wave of hate speech towards the LGBTQ community. I believe that sensible measures can and must be implemented so that the open source community leads by example in tackling these serious problems that are gravely affecting real people on a daily basis. One tragic but resonant example of the serious consequences of online abuse is the unfortunate suicide of DOLPHIN emulator contributor Rachel Bryk.
- Do you have experience working across various
cultures? (Cross cultural refers to various geographies, cultural groups, etc.)
I have worked for several multinational companies (Siemens, ARM, Imagination Technologies) that have a global presence. I also travel yearly to North America and Asia, spending a large portion of my time there interacting with colleagues, developers, journalists, or company executives from different geographies, cultural backgrounds and sexual orientations. In addition, I work with universities and schools to inspire young adults and teenagers to try out coding or consider careers in STEM subjects.
- To give us further insight, feel free to provide
names and contact information for up to three people who can speak to your
passion, interest or experience with
diversity and inclusion.
Art Swift art@prplfoundation.org - president of the prpl Foundation
Ricardo
Quesada ricardo@us.chukong-inc.com - chief architect at Chukong
Technologies, developers of Cocos2d-x (a widely adopted open source game
engine)
Michal Toman Michal.Toman@imgtec.com - Fedora contributor
Andreas Jonsson andreas@angelcode.com - lead maintainer of AngelScript (a powerful and free scripting library)
Here is how my skills and abilities map to the requirements
of the role.
- Knowledge of and experience in working with
historically underrepresented groups
I have a good understanding and
very strong personal beliefs on the importance of equal representation in any forum
or industry, including technology and software development. For example, I’ve
had the pleasure of holding a STEM
ambassador position in Cambridgeshire, England where I helped a group of
sixth form students from St Mary’s
School (an independent school for girls in Cambridge) to create and present
a science project focused on improving energy efficiency in schools.
- Excellent written communications skills,
demonstrated through blog posts or other written work
In my
current job, I have authored over 150 blog articles and whitepapers (blog author profile),
managed all corporate social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn,
Google+), worked with established PR agencies across multiple projects and
product lines, and contributed to key product launches that have enjoyed
widespread media coverage.
I have
also authored and been quoted in numerous articles that have been very popular
among consumers, technology enthusiasts and analysts; the list below includes a
small selection of my work so far:
- Understanding of and experience in open source
communities
- Ability to communicate at a moderate technical
level about open source projects
My
current role as senior technology marketing specialist for Imagination
Technologies, my previous involvement in
the design of mobile and embedded processors which run Fedora (ARM, MIPS), and the in-depth knowledge of the larger technology,
consumer and business media landscape are unique qualities which help me
understand and promote complex technical terms to any given audience.
- Experience in similar roles in your past is a
significant advantage
My
current role as senior technology marketing specialist for Imagination Technologies,
my previous involvement in the design of mobile and embedded processors which
run Fedora and the in-depth knowledge of the larger technology, consumer and
business media landscape are unique qualities which help me understand and
promote open source-related topics to any given audience.
Since this is a volunteer position, I was also wondering if you could please confirm whether I am able to:
- keep my current position (senior marketing
technology specialist for Imagination Technologies)
- work based on a flexible, reduced schedule depending on availability (6-8 hours
per week on average, with the possibility of dedicating more time when and if required)
I have attached a CV
for your reference and I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks and best
regards,
Alex.