Category: 2018 Q&A

Lex de Leon 2018 Q&A: Group 3

Lex de Leon

[Note: Candidates were limited to 300 words for each answer.]

9. What is something nice that you can say about your colleagues that you’re running with/against?

Thank you for asking this. I would absolutely like to have it recorded what I think of my fellow candidates.

Natalia Gruber: Natalia has a fantastic sense of humor and brings a wonderfully different perspective to discussions. Her work within the Abuse and Tag Wrangling committees has given her a unique perspective into the issues various users have with the Archive, and her work within Translation has provided her with a larger view of the OTW.

C. Ryan Smith: Ryan’s enthusiasm and unfailingly gentle spirit is coupled with a conviction in his beliefs that is refreshing. He has a sense of curiosity and desire to learn that emboldens his position. He brings a fresh perspective to discussions that provides an alternative viewpoint.

Michelle Schroeder: Michelle is a kind and hardworking person. I appreciate very much how wonderfully work has gone both between us and within the entire Support committee. As I have learned more about what the Documentation committee does, my respect for Michelle has only grown. We share a conviction that documentation is a vital aspect of the work that the OTW does.

Read More

Michelle Schroeder 2018 Q&A: Group 3

Michelle Schroeder

[Note: Candidates were limited to 300 words for each answer.]

9. What is something nice that you can say about your colleagues that you’re running with/against?

I am super excited about all of the candidates I’m running with!

I really appreciate Lex’s passion for the OTW and its mission, and his willingness to take on any task that needs doing.

I also really like Natalia’s platform, especially her goals of making the OTW’s projects more accessible to non-English speakers and protecting all transformative fanworks.

Additionally, I’m a big fan of Ryan’s experience with different committees, which gives him a better big-picture view of the OTW than I have, and gives him a lot of valuable information about the administrative side of things.

Read More

Natalia Gruber 2018 Q&A: Group 3

Natalia Gruber

[Note: Candidates were limited to 300 words for each answer.]

9. What is something nice that you can say about your colleagues that you’re running with/against?

Running with, definitely! Michelle and I first met and started talking after we found out we shared some fannish interests, and have been friends ever since. It is a pleasure to talk to them both to discuss fannish things and projects we might be involved with. They are organised and proactive, always willing to help, and I’m confident they would be a great addition to the Board of Directors.

I first ran into Ryan in one of our Membership Drives. As a member of our Development & Membership committee, he was quite busy at the time, and it was easy to see he was a committed and hardworking person. Since we started running together, I got to know him better and see how sweet and friendly he is. I would be delighted to work with him in the future.

Asking me to say nice things about Lex is almost unfair. Ever since he joined the OTW, he’s been one of my closest friends. We talk about all sorts of silly and serious things, and he’s been incredibly supportive of me whenever I needed him. Lex is kind and passionate, and always ready to listen to anyone in need. I know he’ll do his very best if elected, because he already does in all of his current projects.

Read More

C. Ryan Smith 2018 Q&A: Group 3

C. Ryan Smith

[Note: Candidates were limited to 300 words for each answer.]

9. What is something nice that you can say about your colleagues that you’re running with/against?

To be quite honest, I have too many nice things to say about all of them to limit it to 300 words! They have all been wonderful co-candidates and it’s been truly great getting to know each of them more. On our private chat platform, we all have a private room that we can talk to each other and discuss the election or any questions we have with our Elections Committee liaisons. It has also been a good place to find encouragement to continue working towards the end of the election season. We have had several light hearted conversations about procrastination and how we promise to do better the next week (spoiler alert: we haven’t yet). We’ve also had serious discussions about the questions that we have answered over the past three weeks. Overall, it has just been a great experience running with each of them and I’m happy to say that I’ve made three new friendships with the organization. I am also very happy to say that I am confident the OTW in great hands no matter who among us is elected.

Read More

Michelle Schroeder 2018 Q&A: Group 2

Michelle Schroeder

[Note: Candidates were limited to 300 words for each answer.]

5. What are a couple of major issues that you know the OTW board struggles or has struggled with, and how would you personally act to avoid them if elected?

One issue that I know the Board has struggled with in the past is disconnect from the Org itself, but since that’s the next question, I’ll save the full answer for that. Another issue is that people aren’t entirely sure what being on Board entails. This can make it difficult for people to know if they would make good candidates, and can also affect Board handoff when things are less than ideal, like it did a few years ago.

Read More

Natalia Gruber 2018 Q&A: Group 2

Natalia Gruber

[Note: Candidates were limited to 300 words for each answer.]

5. What are a couple of major issues that you know the OTW board struggles or has struggled with, and how would you personally act to avoid them if elected?

The board has faced some issues in the past when directors became extremely out of touch with the OTW committees, which I will address in the next question. Another problem was that not only volunteers but also members of the organisation used to have no means to reach out to the Board to address concerns and dissatisfactions about how the OTW was run. I believe current members of the Board have made a lot of progress to improve this situation by communicating with committee chairs and the membership as a whole more openly and transparently. I intend to continue these efforts, and one measure I would like to take if possible is establishing a way in which Board members who are not fulfilling their duties appropriately can be removed from the Board by committee chairs.

Read More