• UbuntuWomen
• LeadershipNominations
• January2010
• Penelope

Ubuntu Women Leadership Nomination For Penelope Stowe / Pendulum

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• Email: pstowe [at] gmail [dot] com
• IRC: Pendulum

• Launchpad Profile: https://launchpad.net/~pendulum

• Wiki Profile Page: http://wiki.ubuntu.com/Pendulum

Bio

I've been advocating for open source and Ubuntu for the past couple years, although have only recently become more formally involved.

Currently I am involved in:

• Involved in organizing Ubuntu User Days

• Contact and co-coordinator with czajkowski for Ubuntu NGO Advocacy

• Active participated remotely in UDS Lucid

• Involved in Ubuntu Women

• Involved in encouraging students at my uni to use FOSS in general and Ubuntu specifically

• Helping transcribe Ubuntu Podcast from the UK LoCo Team

• Collaborating in a project to create an open source augmentative and alternative (AAC) device for people who cannot communicate orally or through sign

I've been working in leadership roles since I was fairly young both in smaller situations such as school groups, all the way up to helping write and decide policy for an international NGO.

I'm also a women's college graduate and while there worked to get other students interested in open source, Linux, and computers in general (despite the fact that my degree was in English), including helping found a group for women interested in computing (which sadly died after I graduated).

My day job is in publishing, where I coordinate getting books physically printed as a production assistant.

Future Goals for team

The Ubuntu Women project is at a crossroad and working to define what it is. I want it to be a part of this and see it become a project that really supports women at all levels of involvement in the Ubuntu community along with bringing new women into the community. I see it as important that all the members of Ubuntu Women work together to reach this and that the members work to find some common ground, even when they cannot agree completely with each other. I want to see the project work more with other Ubuntu projects both by bringing the publicity of women in FOSS to other projects, but also bringing an awareness of other projects into Ubuntu Women as other places where women can be involved.

Within Ubuntu Women finding its place as a project, the IRC channel needs to find its place and the decision needs to be made about whether or not it will be logged and what, if anything, should be done with a second channel. I look forward to hearing everyone's opinion on this and working to find a compromise acceptable to all and which covers the needs of as many women as possible, although I accept that reaching complete consensus may be difficult or impossible.

I want to restart the mentoring program and really focus on having women mentor other women within different parts of Ubuntu. As it stands now there are only four mentors listed and 2 of them are male.

I want to start a monthly Ubuntu Women newsletter to go out on the mailing list as a way to both spark discussion on the list and keep it up to date with what is going on in other places in the project. This could include meeting minutes, information about what's been discussed recently on IRC, an overview of some recent posts on Planet Ubuntu Women, profiles of women in the project, and links to the archive of any important e-mails to the list.

I also want to work with the team to encourage the good work being done by Ubuntu Women and its members continued in the form of continuing interviews with women in FOSS and publicity. I'd like to see continued, as well, the research into quantifying how many women are involved and coming up with some definable goals for participation. We say that someday we want Ubuntu Women to no longer have to exist, but we need goals and milestones to be able to say when that day might come.

Testimonials

• Pen has shown so much enthusiasm for working on projects, taking up the initiative it's contagious. I've known Pen for some time from other IRC groups, her patience to explain and help others is remarkable. She volunteers to help before the call is even asked for help. She actively took part remotely at UDS Lucid on IRC and made valuable contributions to the discussions and volunteered to help where she could. She has joined the NGO team and is working on promoting NGO advocacy and steering people in the right direction of where they can get help. She seeks help herself and isn't afraid to ask questions or ask for guidance +1 czajkowski

• Penelope is certainly very enthusiastic about Ubuntu Women and other Ubuntu projects like helping a lot with Ubuntu-NGOs! Her enthusiasm comes across in everything she does and she is definitely willing to help do things, being, from what I've seen at least in UW meetings, the first to volunteer to help even before, as czajkowski said, help has been asked for. I feel she would be a good leader because her involvement in the project is brilliant and she has good ideas as to how it can progress and how she can lead! isabell121

• I have been working with Penelope on the Ubuntu User Days project since UDS. She has proved to be an wonderful asset to the team, providing assistance in any way that she can. She has been extremely helpful to many members of the community and would make a great leader in Ubuntu-Women! -- chrisjohnston 2009-12-18 01:07:06

• Penelope has a lot of enthusiasm for the Ubuntu Women project. She's always willing to help and provides good insight on things. -- MelissaDraper

• Penelope is kind and compassionate and she has been a great source of support to me recently. She is very tolerant of other people's views and seeks diplomatic solutions to problems. If you want a compassionate and diplomatic leader then Penelope is the right choice. -- AlanBell

• I have not personally interacted with Penelope but I am strongly interested in the mentoring program but somehow it never took-off after UW was founded. She has my vote and support in restarting the mentoring program for women within Ubuntu. I'd like to see a small team focus on mentoring women on any technical tasks within different parts of Ubuntu but am open to hearing any other idea on this. Svaksha

• When I wanted help with voice overs for a screencast, Penelope was among the first to volunteer to help me with it. Even though we couldn't get it done, I loved the enthusiasm she had to help me out. Her enthusiasm for free software and the Ubuntu Community is commendable along with her amazing patience. Later on, I worked with her for Ubuntu User Days, I came to know more about her and would certainly recommend her for leadership with Ubuntu Women Nigel Babu

• I've known Penelope on-and-off for 2 years, I've always found her to be a warm and caring person who's always got time for people. We worked together during the Freenode podcast project (Free-As-In-Node) and she was an enthusiastic, dilligent and hard working member of the team. I deeply value her friendship and think she'd be a great asset to the Ubuntu Women project. -- Bryn Salisbury

• I have known Penelope for a while and have been working on starting the AAC project with her. In addition to this, she has been active in the Ubuntu UK IRC channel, not just with transcribing the podcast. She is invariably kind, helpful, considerate and supportive in all her activities and will not hesitate to go out of her way to help wherever she can. Michael Maclean

• I haven't know Penelope for very long but the areas in which we are working together on a project she actively engages the communities she is involved. This is true for Ubuntu Women as well - in that she encourages and excites those around her to become more involved in the Ubuntu Community. Whether it is Ubuntu Women, Ubuntu User Days or remote participation at UDS she takes time to share her views in a way that would make people want to know more. -- akgraner 2010-01-07 20:51:31

• Penelope is someone i've met at least one real life event. I've always seen her to be a dedicated, productive and general good egg. I was recently impressed with her work transcribing the Ubuntu UK Podcast, as it involved learning new tools. It's my understanding that it was the first time she had used bzr. She has shown cool, when there is a volatile situation, and could be seen as a calming influence. Dave Walker (Daviey)