Announcing 2023 Board Nominations

By Kathy Davis

Clojurists Together is in the process of electing new board members to fill the four volunteer positions that are expiring this year. These positions are for two-year terms.

The board is responsible for governing the organization, selecting and administering the projects that are sponsored, and interacting with sponsors. It also facilitates decision-making and implementation for the future plans of Clojurists Together.

We received 7 applications from the Clojure Community. 2 are from current board members who would like to continue to serve. All of the candidates are talented Clojurists that we would love (and be honored) to have on our board.

The board has nominated all 7 candidates for the current board election (in alphabetical order of first names):

Next Steps

All current Clojurists Together Members should have received a link to their ballot to vote via email. If you haven’t received a ballot by 3rd October (and you’ve checked your spam folder to see if it’s hiding there), please contact kdavis@clojuriststogether.org.

Voting will close on 7th October at midnight Pacific Time. The top four candidates, as voted on by members will win. We will announce the winners shortly afterward and you’ll be able to meet them at the Annual members meeting at 10 am Pacific time, October 10, 2023.

Your Vote is Important!! Please Vote!

Meet the Candidates

Chip Nowacek

https://clojurians.slack.com/archives/C0218CKTVEK/p1692842517062129

Company: Two Stewards, LLC.

Why you would like to join: The community has been so supportive. I want to give back where I can. I have no other ambitions. I don’t really know enough or have time enough to have any.
A short bio: Building a chatbot interface to a knowledge graph using the full Clojure/Script/Datomic stack. Using the tech because of the community ethos.

Daniel Compton

http://github.com/danielcompton
https://twitter.com/danielwithmusic

Company: Whimsical

Why you would like to join:
I am a co-founder of Clojurists Together. I have been involved with all of the funding rounds since the beginning and am currently the treasurer and secretary for Clojurists Together.

A short bio: Daniel Compton is a software engineer, working at Whimsical. He lives in a small town in New Zealand with his family. He was the co-founder of Clojurists Together and has been deeply involved with running Clojurists Together since the beginning.

Felix Barbalet

https://github.com/xlfe
https://psithur.com/blog/building-psithur-connect/

Company: Qantas Airways Ltd (Australia)

Why you would like to join: I’ve been using Clojure professionally for 3+ years now, and currently lead a team of Clojure engineers. Clojure has been the continuation of a life-long learning journey for me, and I don’t see that slowing down. The kind of things I’m interested in are figuring out how to raise the profile of Clojure as a smart choice for large enterprises all the way down to startups, and to help reduce the barriers to entry to Clojure as a profession. I want to see Clojure continue to grow and I’d love to see more corporate support to bring Clojure to more people.

A short bio: I’ve spent 15 years working as a technologist in a range of roles including analytics, data science, data engineering, software architecture and software engineering. I have experience across highly-regulated industries (Government), consulting and startups. I have a B Economics (Honours) with specialisation in advanced econometrics, statistics, game-theory and behavioral economics and a graduate certificate in Cyber Security.

Heather Moore-Farley

https://github.com/tophat8855

Why you would like to join: I’ve been on the board for the past 2 years and can keep it up. I know the work of board meetings and prep follow-up isn’t glamorous, but is really important for organizations to feel like they are going somewhere, and for increasing a feeling of community. I think it can be easy to feel like a lone developer working on a project, but knowing groups like CT are supporting projects can alleviate that a bit. And CT can’t support projects without a committee.

A short bio: Heather is a software engineer, knitter, and bicyclist. She has been coding with Clojure and Clojurescript full-time for 5 and a half years. In her 8 years of professional software development, she has both benefited from and contributed to open source projects.

Job Samwel Gateri Abellu

https://www.linkedin.com/in/job-s-27352545/

Company: Ezra World

Why you would like to join: I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to the Clojurists Together Committee for several reasons:

I believe I am a good fit because of:

A short bio: I am Job Samwel Gateri Abellu, a dedicated Clojure enthusiast with over 6 years of experience in this elegant and functional programming language. My journey into the world of Clojure began when a friend sought my assistance on a project, sparking a profound interest that has grown with each passing year.

My educational background includes a degree in Information Technology, with a major in software development. This academic foundation, combined with my hands-on experience, has allowed me to cultivate a robust skill set in Clojure. Throughout my career, I have leveraged this expertise to tackle complex challenges and develop innovative solutions.

Notably, my professional journey has primarily unfolded within the dynamic FinTech industry. My experience in this sector has provided me with invaluable insights into the intersection of technology and finance, making me well-equipped to understand and contribute to projects that bridge these domains.

While I am relatively new to open-source contributions, my unwavering passion for the Clojure ecosystem and my commitment to continuous learning make me an eager advocate for its sustainability and growth. I bring strategic thinking and a deep dedication to open source, aligning seamlessly with Clojurists Together’s mission.

If elected, I pledge to diligently collaborate with my fellow committee members to select and support projects that advance our shared goals, ensuring they continue to thrive and benefit the entire Clojure community. It is an honor to be considered for this role, and I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the Clojure community through Clojurists Together.

Max Penet

https://github.com/mpenet
https://twitter.com/mpenet

Company: Exoscale

Why you would like to join: I would like to have more of an impact on the community. I generally quite like to help out when possible, via the various discussion channels. I have also been the recipient of such help numerous times and it’s only fair I give back some of my time to help out. I think I might be a good fit given how long I have been involved in the community and how much I rely on the Clojure community to be healthy and thriving.

A short bio: I currently work as a software engineer for Exoscale, a European cloud provider that relies heavily on Clojure. I have been involved in the Clojure community and using Clojure professionally for more than a decade now, in various fields. I authored, contributed, and maintain a number of open-source libraries. I also tend to keep an eye on what’s happening at the community level almost daily, trying to be helpful when I can. More importantly, I really appreciate what CT is doing and would love to be able to help sustain that effort.

Vincenzo Chianese

https://www.linkedin.com/in/vncz/

Company: Microsoft

Why you would like to join: Have been using Clojure for a long time (unfortunately not at work), but I have been sitting in multiple committees (technical and not) and worked in technology for a long time. I have spoken to a lot of conferences and would love to help spread Clojure methodologies around.

A short bio: Vincenzo Chianese is an Italian Software Developer currently working as API Architect for Microsoft. He has been working in the API space for almost 10 years from building tools for API developers and architecting big systems.