A Step in a New Direction. Farewell from Amanda Gonser.

By amanda.drupal on 24 January 2019

When I joined the Drupal Association over 4 years ago, I didn’t ‘do Drupal’ and I didn’t have the faintest idea of what ‘the community’ was. These were things I read about in the job description for DrupalCon Coordinator, but didn’t mean anything to me yet. Now, as I prepare to leave Drupal - the Association, the community, the Con, the project - I can actually ‘do Drupal’ (albeit it on a Drupal 7 site, tsk tsk I know) and have such respect and care for the people that I have been lucky to work with from the community.

The journey from Point A to Point B, has been just that - a journey, with many steps in between.

My first DrupalCon was DrupalCon Los Angeles 2015 and it was full of firsts: the first time I met the Track Team who I had seen on the planning calls for months and who were surprised how short I was ‘in real life’; the first time I walked farther than a marathon in one single building; the first time I waltzed to the front of a session room to introduce myself to one of the many volunteer speakers to thank them for contributing; the first time I gained the understanding of how big, how passionate, how special this community was and how important DrupalCon was to all of them.

Since that Con, I have done my best to serve the community that makes Drupal so successful and special. There have been many volunteers, multiple Cons, too many emails to count, and a lot of smiles. As I prepare to step down from my role at the Drupal Association, there are many moments/projects that I am proud that we achieved together:

We’ve gone from not tracking diversity of our speakers at all to having our DrupalCon Seattle 2019 lineup be comprised of 50% speakers from underrepresented groups.
We held our first DrupalCon in India to serve an incredibly enthusiastic and growing community in what was one of my most memorable Cons ever.
We’ve taken the challenge of creating a sustainable and productive DrupalCon Europe and approached it with new eyes and ideas, to craft a new model that is community-driven and on course to be a great event to serve our European contributors.
We’ve continued to open our community to new and different audiences, working to create a welcoming environment along with relevant and compelling content for anyone who Drupal impacts- from the CTO to the content editor and marketer.

There are countless other moments that I also consider special - the hugs, the thank you notes that I’ve received, the inside jokes, the staff retreats, the volunteer dinners - thank you for those. In addition to the magic I have felt within our larger community, I also am grateful to the truly fantastic team at the Drupal Association who works to serve the community every single day; I am grateful to have worked with such talented, driven, and fun teammates.

My last day will be February 1, and between now and then I'll be reaching out to all the volunteers involved in the upcoming event to put you in touch with the great team that will succeed me. I am more than confident that the Association, the community, and the project will continue to grow, change, and prosper. Thank you for letting me be part of that, it has been a true privilege to serve you.

In my time here, I learned that to do well in my job, I needed to do my best for all of you. So even though I won’t see you at DrupalCon Seattle 2019, imagine me whizzing by you at speed-walk pace with a smile, shouting lovingly at you to squeeze in the group picture, or receiving a handwritten card from me thanking you for contributing to the Con.

Comments

Thank you

hestenet

He/Him

Portland, OR 🇺🇸

commented 24 January 2019 at 19:03

Amanda, you are an incredible coworker, human being, and friend.

It’s been my honor to work with you these past four years. We have gone through a lot of changes together, both at the Association and within the Community, and in those key moments, whether tragic or triumphant, you have been an essential partner.

I’m incredibly proud of everything you’ve accomplished on behalf of the community over the years - and in awe of the pace you maintained and the care you invested into every aspect of your role.

You are, and always have been, part of the Drupal community, ever since your first day in the office at the Association. And since that first day I would say that you’ve become one of the top contributors to the Drupal project for these past four years. You will still be part of our family..

We’ll certainly miss you, but we’re excited for your future growth, and the opportunities that will bring you.

We certainly won’t be losing touch.

--
Tim L
Drupal Association - CTO

For all those wondering what comes next

hestenet

He/Him

Portland, OR 🇺🇸

commented 24 January 2019 at 19:04

For all those wondering what this transition means for DrupalCon Seattle, and our future Drupal events, just know that Amanda and the rest of the team have been working closely together on a robust transition plan, and will be in communication with the wide number of community members involved in the event so you know who your contacts are going forward.

We have many partners and new team members who have been helping with the event, and who are expanding their roles help us execute a fantastic Con when we arrive Seattle.

Karly Kopra, who joined the team last year with a primary focus on DrupalCon Marketing, will be expanding her role on the team to manage programming for the Builder track.

Lisa Gregory, who has already been managing the new Content & Digital Marketing Track, will be taking lead on the Agency Leadership Track as well.

Myself and Rebecca will be working together to ensure that our co-located Executive Summit for Drupal end-users is executed successfully as well.

Rachel Lawson will be leading the coordination of contribution days with the mentorship team.

Diana Connolly, and the Groundswell Marketing team, will be handling all aspects of Production (food and beverage, event AV, on-site setup, etc) as they have been doing for DrupalCon for more than 15 past events.

We’re looking forward to seeing you all there, for the latest and greatest DrupalCon yet!

If you have any questions about these changes, or programs that you may be personally involved in, you can reach out to the Events team here.

--
Tim L
Drupal Association - CTO

Takk

baddysonja

Icelandic

Frankfurt am Main

commented 24 January 2019 at 19:45

Thank you Amanda for all the great work you have done for the Drupal community and the Association. Remember to pick a seat A when you fly next time to Europe and wave when you fly past Iceland, even better if you stop by :)

You rock

nielsonm commented 24 January 2019 at 20:11

Cheers! I'm excited to see what awesome organization is graced with your energy.

I still stand by what I said almost two years ago.

https://twitter.com/oswebguy/status/857296599915122699

"The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible."
-Einstein

THANK YOU!

cellar door commented 24 January 2019 at 20:13

Thanks Amanda for all the time and effort you've put into making this community work better and closer together than ever before. I will definitely miss you at Drupalcon, I'm not sure anyone else can give me the side-eye from the back of the room to speed me up when my talk is going long!

Hope this isn't a goodbye to the community and we'll all get to see you around at future events, spreading joy with smiles, laughter and fast walking.

Thanks for all you've done

rszrama commented 24 January 2019 at 20:48

Thanks for all you've done for Drupal and the help you've given me at Cons these last few years! I'm grateful for you.

Thanks Amanda for everything

aburrows commented 24 January 2019 at 20:59

Thanks Amanda for everything you have done. You truly are a rockstar! Good luck with everything in the future!

Thank you Amanda!

kattekrab commented 24 January 2019 at 21:00

Amanda - I’m so grateful for all you’ve done for our community, and our events. You’ve been an integral member of the DA team and you will be missed!

But all seasons must end. And the season of the smiling Amanda of the emails at the DA’s time is up.

Best wishes for your next adventure. Your new team doesn’t yet know just how lucky they are, but they’ll learn fast!

😊🙏

Donna Benjamin - @kattekrab
Drupal Association Board

Thanks for all you've done, friend!

leighcan commented 24 January 2019 at 21:01

It has been such a pleasure to work with you (first as coworkers, then as colleagues) over the past 4+ years. You've done so much to update and transform DrupalCon into an event that's welcoming for everyone, and you have so much to be proud of. You've brought a lot of light into my life, and I'm sure into the lives of many others as well. Big hugs and best wishes to you on this next step in your journey. I can't wait to see what amazing things you accomplish next.

Thank you Amanda!

pabloid commented 24 January 2019 at 21:25

Thank you Amanda for all the great job you did!

You've been my first contact with the Drupal Association and I still remember the good vibes I felt as soon as we started talking during our first meeting.

I always loved your energy and empathy

We will miss you

I wish all the best

Paolo

You’re the best

RuthieF commented 24 January 2019 at 22:48

I mean there goes my trivia night partner in crime! Ugh! No seriously, will miss you so much and excited to see what’s next. You’re an amazing individual who adds heart and laughter wherever you go. Thank you for everything!

Thank you so much Amanda! I

stella commented 24 January 2019 at 23:30

Thank you so much Amanda! I will always remember your help and guidance for DrupalCon Dublin. I am so sad to see you go and will miss you lots! DrupalCons won't be the same without you!!! Big hugs and I wish you well with the next part of your journey. If you're ever in Ireland again, be sure to say hi!

Thanks for everything Amanda!

mherchel

he/him

English

Gainesville, FL, US

commented 25 January 2019 at 01:03

Thanks for everything Amanda! Good luck wherever you go :)

Premium component based Drupal themes

Thank you for all your

ricardoamaro commented 25 January 2019 at 13:14

Thank you for all your Incredible work, energy and passion Amanda!

I keep amazing memories of working together with you and the rest of the event team!

Wishing you all the best. You deserve it!

THANK YOU

davidneedham

he/him

commented 25 January 2019 at 14:50

What can I say that hasn't already been said here? Thank you for contributing to Drupal and helping us as a community (and individuals) to be better people.❤️

--
David Needham

Thanks!

nonprofit commented 25 January 2019 at 16:56

Thanks for all you've done! I hope your next chapter brings great satisfaction.

Thank You so much Amanda for

manjit.singh

Hindi

Chandigarh

commented 27 January 2019 at 04:38

Thank You so much Amanda for the everything what you have done for Drupal, Drupal Events and Drupal Association !!

Best of luck for the future plans :)

You have been an inspiration

marcvangend

he/him

Dutch

Amsterdam

commented 27 January 2019 at 20:39

Thank you so much Amanda!

The warm welcome I received as a speaker at DrupalCon Vienna, and seeing you radiate your kindness while whizzing by, has been an inspiration for me. I have been trying to pay it forward ever since, for instance when I was helping organise Frontend United.

I wish you all the best with whatever life brings you.