Oceania Elections

Process

 * Seats & terms: In 2019, all 9 seats will be up for election (current directors may stand for re-election). After the election, half of the directors (ie. 4 or 5) will volunteer or be randomly chosen to serve a 1 year term, with the remainder having a full 2 year term. Director terms will thus be staggered, and subsequent annual elections will elect half of the board for 2 year terms.
 * Nominations: Any member may nominate a member (including themselves) to stand for election. Nominations should state the candidate's name, their usual place of residence (town/city/country), and a brief statement on why the person would make a good director. Please send nominations to elections@osgeo-oceania.org.
 * Candidate statements: Candidates will be invited to share some information about themselves, their aspirations for OSGeo Oceania, what they would like to change, improve, or introduce, and what role they would like to play on the board, in 150 words or less. This is designed to give members some insight into who they are voting for, and provides some accountability. Candidate names and their statements will be posted on this page (under the relevant year election) (old Oceania elections page to be deleted).
 * Voting: OSGeo Oceania members are eligible to vote. The election will be run electronically using an independent system (ElectionBuddy), and will run for one week. Members will be notified by email when voting is open, and provided with instructions on how to cast their ballot. Members' votes are secret - nobody can see who you vote for. At the end of the election, the winning candidates will be announced on the Oceania mailing list. Vote tallies will be kept private.

Candidates
I have a long-standing involvement with FOSS4G and OSM, from early deployments of Mapserver back in 2002, through heavy use and (minor) contributions to Geotools back in my Java days, through to the design of large projects using FOSS4G ( the AURIN Portal). I teach and conduct research with and on an exclusively FOSS4G stack, with a heavy focus on OSM projects. In OSGEO Oceania, I would focus on contributing to maintaining and building strong links with the academic community, which is in my eyes vital to maintain a supply of fresh and diverse members to the FOSS4G community (the training and education pipeline), and as a major contributor to new capabilities, via research. I am passionate about all things Open Geo especially in working with our friends in the Pacific with regards to mentoring and capacity building. I am also very keen to encourage more Pacific Island residents to become members and/or Directors.
 * John Bryant
 * I have a deep passion for this community, and want to see it thrive. I've been heavily involved in the organisation of the 2018 & 2019 conferences, and in the creation of OSGeo Oceania, so I have detailed knowledge of the history & founding principles of this organisation. I'm committed to the principle of empowering other people to step up and take leadership roles in the management of the organisation, whether they are directors or otherwise, and feel I can play a key role in helping to make this happen. Finally, I have thought deeply about where I think this organisation should go in 2020 and beyond, and would be motivated to work in collaboration with others to realise this vision.
 * Jan Ducnuigeen
 * As a participant in FOSS4G conferences in North America and Australia, I was always impressed with the connections people build across countries. I was on the organizing committee of the 2019 FOSS4G Oceania conference, and have been inspired to further sustain the organisation and bring together a diversity of ideas and people. The conferences in 2018 and 2019 have been an ideal way for reaching out to the furthest reaches of Oceania and building a stronger geospatial community, and I look forward to supporting these efforts.
 * Dionne Hansen
 * I have been volunteering for the OSGeo Oceania community for nearly a year as a lead on the FOSS4G SotM Oceania 2019 organising committee. The values of the free and open source resonate deeply with me and I want to do my part to foster and grow the community for the future. My goal, if elected to the governing board, is to promote and raise the profile of the community and to reach out to communities who haven’t yet been exposed to open source tools. I have a lot of energy and enthusiasm to give to this board and a drive to run with great long term ideas that will enable the sustained growth of the OSGeo Oceania community.
 * Martin Tomko
 * I have been a founding member and volunteer for OSGEO Oceania since the initial discussions that led to FOSS4G SOTM Oceania 2018, which I have helped co-organise and host at the University of Melbourne.
 * Greg Lauer
 * I am a current OSGEO Oceania board member. I was part of team that was involved in the creation of OSGeo Oceania and a member of the 2018 and 2019 Conference organizing committees (and quite likely assisting on the FOSS4G SotM Oceania Conference 2020 in Fiji.). OSGeo Oceania is in its infancy and there is still a lot of work to be done by the directors/membership and I look forward to continuing being a part of board to further OSGEO Oceania vision and goals.
 * Alex Leith
 * I have been volunteering with OSGeo Oceania and the previous committees for around two years now, and I would like to continue to add to our young organisation's structure and processes. I'm not ready to move on yet, I still have lots to give. I'm currently serving as the Treasurer on the inaugural Board, and have relevant prior experience including three years on the SSSI Board.
 * Daniel Silk
 * After organising the social program, catering and merch for our conference in 2018, and then chairing FOSS4G SotM Oceania 2019, I have a lot of insight on event organisation and community engagement to build upon and share. In 2020, I'd like to broaden the events on offer for our community by exploring the possibilities for smaller, focused miniconfs and code sprints. I'm keen to enable other community members by mentoring, and documenting the journey so far. I like getting stuck in and making things happen, and am enthusiastic about contributing to the board in 2020.
 * Adam Steer
 * I'm standing for election to the board of OSGeo Oceania because I believe I can help the organisation move forward with audacity! We are creating a scaffolding which supports deep geospatial engineering practice; teaching / training / outreach; and environmental / social responsibility from multiple viewpoints across a broad region - which requires a lot of stepping outside our usual models and approaches. I’m a charter member of OSGeo and active in the Women in Geospatial mentoring programme. I’ve worked on OSGeo Oceania and the FOSS4G SotM Oceania conference series since the start in late 2017, as the sponsorship lead in 2018 and driving our carbon offsetting initiative in 2019. Along the way I helped create the Good Mojo programme and include children and parents in conferences. I want to continue this work toward a vibrant, creative and sustainable community.
 * Emma Hain
 * Like Vicky Vergara, I like to spend hours trying how to do things efficiently, people think it is laziness, but I reckon if we can sort those things out, we can move onto other things of importance. I am an end user who with the sloth characteristics is trying to move into dev side. Heaps of ideas, but no technical dev skills. I first started getting into OS via QGIS around 2016 and nothing has made more sense, ever. I am starting to get more involved in FOSS4G over the last 2 years by sitting on the committee for the Oceania conference. My keen area of interests includes the Economy of OS and how to empower users from educational, community to corporate. I bring to the community experience gained from working in event and sports management (Rugby Union and the Olympics) in both coordination and participation areas.

I am also active locally, as organiser of the monthly meetings of the Canberra Python User Group since 2017, and the GIS Community of Practice at my workplace. I have also played a role in coordinating the Local Organising Committee from across the South Pacific that was awarded the opportunity to host the FOSS4G SotM Oceania Conference 2020 in Fiji. My ability to undertake the responsibilities of OS Geo Oceania Board Director is demonstrated by: I am inspired by the transformational role open source software and open data plays in our society at all levels, bridging the digital divide and have a deep appreciation for the community that makes this possible. I would like the opportunity to continue to contribute through building a sustainable, principled and purpose-driven organisation that provides for the community and its members. My experience as a data and systems manager for government, GIS user, cartographer and outreach coordinator, provides me a broad perspective and appreciation of the work that the open source community does and where OSGeo Oceania can be most effective. Oceania is a diverse area in terms of demography, expectations and priorities. I believe the variety of experiences I possess, including organizing events in challenged environments and negotiating barriers in different circumstances (technical, political, ethnical) would be valuable in OSGeo Oceania. Especially in shaping communities and working groups from diverse audience.
 * Jonah Sullivan
 * I have a strong interest in the Free Open Source Software theme. I’ve become increasingly involved in these communities, as evidenced by my membership on the Local Organising Committee for the first FOSS4G SotM Oceania Conference in 2018, and my subsequent membership on the OSGeo Oceania board in 2019.
 * Kerry Smyth
 * I am a firm believer in the value of OS for education, business and entrepreneurial pursuits. By fostering the growth of the geospatial open source & open data community in Oceania, we are delivering a means for innovation and business opportunities in our region.  I am motivated by this generosity of spirit that donates to the greater good.
 * being instrumental in the 2018 agreement with SSSI that facilitated financial capacity for the inaugural FOSS4G & SotM Conference in Melbourne;
 * commitment as foundation Board Director for OSGeo Oceania;
 * being Convener of the WA Surveying & Spatial Sciences Conference for 4 consecutive years (2014-17);
 * 5 years’ experience as Director of SSSI (2014-19);
 * Past senior positions in WA State Government agencies as a cartographer and GIS program director, currently work as a spatial ambassador through my consultancy Spatialize.
 * I hope you see value in the diversity and experience that I bring to the leadership team. Your vote for me will make a difference.
 * Trisha Moriarty
 * I have been actively involved with the open source community for the last couple years, initially as part of the organising committee for the 2018 FOSS4G SotM conference in Melbourne, including taking on the role of workshop lead, and then later assisting with the genesis of the Oceania chapter.
 * Alan Cheung
 * I have been an active user and promoter of FOSS, including FOSS4G for many years. Through the years I have successfully constructed and taught geospatial courses using FOSS4G in universities and work environments. In my current job in the government, I active pursue and promote the usage of open source software for all purposes. Together with my colleagues, we also manage to release government funded geospatial data in Creative Commons license for public consumption.
 * Celina Agaton
 * I’ve been supporting the open source community since 2008, where I helped raise awareness on the benefits of free and open source software and open data through events and workshops to 7,000 NGOs in Ontario. My journey with OpenStreetMap began in 2010 after the Haiti earthquake. My work has since been centered on working together with communities to understand their long term needs and connecting them to long term, strategic partnerships with funders. I’ve been based in the Philippines since Typhoon Haiyan to develop methods of community resilience with mapping, open data and cross sector coordination. My work now takes me further into the Pacific region, where I hope to help steward more inclusive and resilient development in the region.