NEXT UW MEETING:
- Email: m e l i s s a [at] m e l d r a w e b [dot] c o m
- IRC: elky
Launchpad Profile: https://launchpad.net/~melissa
Wiki Profile Page: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MelissaDraper
Bio
LoCo Contributions:
LoCo Coordination
Back before the LoCo Council was even thought of, I used to run weekly meetings in which ideas and advice were shared between the global LoCo teams and helped coordinate documentation of LoCo best practices.
I have played a part in mentoring other LoCo Teams including those for New Zealand, Venezuela and Singapore.
Ubuntu Australian LoCo Team contact
I have been the Ubuntu Australian LoCo team membership since 2006. Linux.conf.au Open Day 2007 and 2008 demo booth.
- Regional Membership Board for Asia-Oceania
- As a RMB Board Member for Asia-Oceania, I've evaluated the contributions of many members over the past few years.
- IRC Council
- For the past 2 years I have been sitting on the IRC Council. The IRCC is responsible for liasing with freenode, managing core channels, protecting the namespace from squatters, and beyond. I have been a senior IRC Op since 2006.
- Ubuntu Women
- I have been involved with the Ubuntu Women project since 2006. I have always been open to discussion with new women who need guidance or counsel. Since I am an IRC Op in #ubuntu-women, I am listed on the Ubuntu Women website under people to approach if "I encountered rude behaviour at Ubuntu-Women".
- Developer Summits
Attended the first Mt View UDS
Attended UDS Sevilla
- Outside Ubuntu
2008-2009 - Linux Australia Council, Ordinary Member.
2009 - Sydney Linux Users Group, Secretary.
Active in LinuxChix/AussieChix.
Expos and conference booths: Sydney Education Expo 2008 (Linux Australia Council), Sydney OpenCeBIT 2008 (Linux Australia + AussieChix), Software Freedom Day 2007 (in a region of 100k, street stall).
Future Goals for team
First and foremost, I plan to run initiatives to increase the visibility of the women who are already proudly within our midst, especially those who are regular users. We were all regular users once! By encouraging these women out from the cloud of invisibility by offering alternative ways to contribute their experiences, it will help to break down a major psychological barrier that still exists. Women are interested in their computers. Documenting their path to discovering Ubuntu is a great way to do this and I am already putting the framework together for these schemes.
Continuing to encourage the existing liasons between Ubuntu Women and the other Ubuntu Teams (Beginners Team, Developer groups, Marketing groups, etc) will provide a pathway for the regular users to follow if they so choose. Seeking to properly document and expand the mentor network within these and other community areas will expand the options of these women.
Most importantly, I intend to nurture a safe environment close to the core of the Ubuntu project for the women who need somewhere that their experiences can be discussed candidly and be acknowledged and be given the support to work through them, whilst making sure to encourage, document and build the confidence of those who have managed to grow beyond that need to fulfil their potential through horn-tooting and mentoring initiatives.
I don't believe in arbitrary numbers as goals, but to humour the exercise I nominate that attainment of the following is plausible within the short 6 month inaugural term:
- Break 5% of Ubuntu Membership held by Women (currently 4-point-something)
Increase Women ~ubuntu-dev membership by 50% (from 4 to 6)
Increase Women ~ubuntu-core-dev membership by 100% (from 1 to 2, because dealing in fractions of people is illegal in most places)
- Increase active mentors by 100%
Testimonials
Here others can offer testimonials in the following format:
- Testimonial content - Name Of Person
Melissa has a long record of outstanding work in the community. She provides countless hours of assistance and always seems willing to stay up late or get up early when needed. She's always willing to help out new folks and is not afraid to speak up when others choose to remain silent. I'm glad she has been a strong part of the Ubuntu Women's Project and that she is choosing to put her name forward for leadership. - Dinda, BelindaLopez
I don't think I can say it better than Dinda did, but I'd like to add that I think Melissa has a good grasp of all the nuances and variation in opinion among folks in Ubuntu Women with which the leader would need to be able to work. -- -- maco.m <<DateTime(2009-12-16T17:15:42Z
Melissa continues to be instrumental voice of change in the Ubuntu Community and a voice which I often turn to for advisement. Melissa is a constant source of encouragement to me personally, and others, within Ubuntu Women and the greater Ubuntu Community. She is a welcoming wealth of knowledge and all one needs to do is ask and she is there to help.
-- akgraner 2009-12-17 14:01:45 Melissa is always there to support members of the project. She works very hard both here and other places to support women in open source, doing whatever she feels she needs to for things to get done. --pendulum
Melissa has been a big part of the Ubuntu community for as long as I've been aware of the community. She's held various positions through out the community ranging from mentor through to IRC Council member. Melissa would be a valued figure in any group with experience of not only Ubuntu from a technical point but from a process and leadership position. A new group or growing group would do well to enlist her to help guide and grow the group. Melissa is a strong leader, very approachable and knows how to get things done. --Matt-Darcy ikonia
Melissa is has been a profound influence on my participation in the Ubuntu Community. I've been inspired over the years by her dedication to building a more inclusive Ubuntu, through Ubuntu Women and elsewhere. I think that she would make a fantastic leader for the Ubuntu Women project and fully support her nomination. --hypa7ia
Melissa is very intelligent and has strong debating skills, she uses powerful arguments to achieve her objectives. If you want a intelligent and strong willed leader then Melissa is the right choice. -- AlanBell
Melissa is a pillar of the Ubuntu Community since I know her. She is a tireless worker and always supportive and approachable when somebody needs help. Her technical insight is outstanding, here leadership abilities, while always in existence have even grown over time and her two years in the IRC Council have strengthened that quality. She is one of the driving forces behind Ubuntu-Women since the existence of the project and is the first person I would think of to propose for the Leadership position: Her experience in team leading, her profound insight in gender issues and her supportive nature are reasons enough for me to support her application wholeheartedly. myriam aka Mamarok
I am glad that Melissa has been with UW for years, an asset to any team, especially Ubuntu-Women and I am very keen on the idea of "nurturing a safe environment close to the core of the Ubuntu", given that founding UW was an emotionally draining time, personally. My +1 for her nomination. Svaksha
I have known Melissa on IRC for years. She is a person you can completely count on and trust. I am confident that as a leader, she has what it takes to expand and strengthen Ubuntu-Women, and in this way help Ubuntu be accessible to all, as well as make the Ubuntu project a better environment for everyone to work in. topyli (Juha Siltala)
I have not had that much contact with Melissa, however even from a distance it's obvious she's 100% dedicated to Ubuntu-Women, I fully support her nomination. -- noname420 ikt
Melissa routinely demonstrates a strong working knowledge of both women's issues and free software communities, a high level of personal commitment to Ubuntu, and a clarity of vision for the team. These qualities make her a preferred candidate for this leadership role. - mdz (Matt Zimmerman)
- Melissa is talented, committed, and personable. Others have already made most of these points already, but I think they bear repeating. She is supportive without being a pushover, and driven without being a dictator. I think she would make a fantastic leader for the UW group, and her election would in many ways be merely an acknowledgement of the work that she is already doing. Noirin Shirley
Over the past couple of years I've come to know Melissa fairly well through her outstanding work while serving on the Ubuntu IRCC -- through Melissa I have also come to know the Ubuntu Women project and I believe her passion and involvement in the project thus far puts her many steps ahead and shows that she would be a tremendous asset to the future growth and success of the project, and I trust that under her guidance and leadership the Ubuntu Women project would continue to grow as a environment which encourages participation by female users and contributors alike, both to Ubuntu and FOSS in general. I think we'd have to look hard to find anyone as dedicated as Melissa when it comes to UW. She's got my full support! - christel-freenode (Christel Dahlskjaer)