[Note: All questions from members and candidate responses appear in the form they were submitted and represent only the views of the individual who wrote them. Questions and responses are not endorsed by the Organization for Transformative Works.]
caira
Hi everyone, and welcome to our only candidate chat for 2026!
Today you’ll have the opportunity to observe3 candidates: Jennifer, Rebecca and Theodore.
My name is Caira, and I’ll be hosting the candidate side today. On the audience/open_chat side, your host will be my fellow Elections Committee member @Louie.
Louie, can you wave so everyone can see you?
Louie
Hi!
caira
Thanks, Louie!
A transcript of the candidate side of the chat will be posted publicly on our website. The open chat transcript will not be posted there, but its transcripts will remain visible until after the election. During the chat, you may see candidates fix their typos; this is to make Elections Volunteers’ job easier later.
As the candidates discuss each question, audience members can notify Louie that you have questions for the candidates – either follow-ups or new questions – by raising your hand like this: o/ (for new questions), or o// (for follow-ups to the current question)
Louie will pass me the questions, and I will ask them during appropriate pauses in the conversation between the candidates.
Louie and I welcome all questions, subject to the following restrictions: – Specify who your question is for, or if it’s for all candidates. – Refer to everyone in the room by their username in this conversation. Don’t use other names you may know them by. – Please keep questions reasonable and polite, as well as under 50 words (these are our expectations: https://elections.transformativeworks.org/electionsprocess-behavior-expectations/). – We will not accept a question that is a repeat of one already answered in the platforms (https://elections.transformativeworks.org/category/2026-en/2026-bios-platforms/) or the Q&A (https://elections.transformativeworks.org/category/2026-en/2026-qa/). If your question is a follow-up to one of those, please say so.
We will accept questions for the first hour. If time permits, we will accept follow-up questions related to answers given after the first hour. We will provide a 15 minute warning before the cut-off.
Now, I’d like to welcome our candidates and invite them to say hello
Rebecca C. M.
Hi everyone! Excited to be here today – hope everyone’s having a great day, wherever they are!
Jennifer H.
Hello and happy [time of day]!
Theodore B.
Hello everyone! Great to be here!
caira
Hi Candidates! Here is your first question: Followup to “Some of the smaller OTW committees are understaffed…” question from Q&A Round 2: Your responses mention better training materials, training more Chairs/CAs, more contractors and reductions in scope. However, understaffed committees don’t have the capacity to recruit and train volunteers/contractors, to write the missing documentation, nor can they further reduce their scopes. How do you plan to resolve this?
Jennifer H.
I know that the Board Assistants Team has mentioned being available to help other committes with projects in addition to their regular work, and they happen to be excellent at documentation. I also think resource sharing between committees as far as documentation templates and structure could be a really helpful starting place. Not all documentation necessarily needs to be started by Chairs/Leads, either – it could be a good way to get other committee members involved and possibly to see who might be interested in and suited for future leadership positions. Once training materials and documentation are in place, I believe that even the smaller committees could be in a better position to sustain recruitment and increase their numbers if needed.
Theodore B.
Tough situation. My initial thoughts would point towards someone from Board or BAT possibly assisting with the actual writing of the documentation if that were to be possible confidentiality-wise, just to get some of the load off of the committee in question. Similarly, getting more documentation templates together so that again, the act of writing takes less effort and it’s more fill-in-the-blank. Ideally this can get done before volunteer burnout reaches a critical point, I think even in an extreme circumstance where no volunteers remain to train, as long as documentation exists then anyone new coming in won’t be starting from scratch.
Rebecca C. M.
It’s a fair point. The fix has to come from outside, with the Board (or BAT to some extent) doing the first lift by directly running/helping with recruitment, onboarding early volunteers, or helping with scope reduction (if possible), rather than asking them to originate it on their own. In previous years, the role of an Executive Director has been discussed (and it’s something I’d like to see done as well), and this is the kind of ongoing operational work I’d want them to own, rather than relying on already-stretched volunteer leadership. I’d also want staffing-threshold triggers, so falling below a minimum automatically pulls in outside help rather than requiring the committee to ask (which itself takes energy they do not have). Bottom line: for committees in real crisis, it can’t be “here are tools, now fix”. As the Board, we have to help stabilise them temporarily first.]
caira
Thank you, candidates, for your answers! Here is your next question: For @Theodore B. Do you have plans for how to advance the OTW’s commitments to anti-racism and an equitable volunteer environment? Thanks! Other candidates, please also feel free to answer.
Theodore B.
I don’t have any specific plans beyond keeping my eyes and ears open. As I am a white man, I don’t believe it’s my place to be speaking for our non-white volunteers and what I think they need. I hope to use my position to amplify and support the voices of our non-white vols and to advocate for these topics to be discussed whenever possible, but not to produce answers myself.
Rebecca C. M.
Tying it a little to my platform: actively recruiting and reaching out beyond Anglocentric fan spaces, not just accommodating them after the fact. And regular, honest checks on whether our stated commitments actually match volunteers’ lived experience, not just policy on paper. I don’t think this is a one-time or quick fix. We need ongoing accountability, and I’d like to ensure those systems remain in place for years to come.
caira
Thank you candidates! Here is your next question: Not all board seats will be filled even with this election. Is there a plan for getting someone assigned on a temporary basis maybe (like someone from the BAT) or will you just all have to take on extra tasks?
Rebecca C. M.
The Board can appoint someone to fill a vacant seat, though I’m not currently aware of any specific plan from the current Board. If a seat isn’t filled that way, realistically the rest of us have take on the extra work until it’s hopefully filled through the next election in 2027.
Theodore B.
I’m not aware of any such plans from the Board. I’m happy to take on any more responsibilities that the lack of a seventh member may bring.
Jennifer H.
I am not aware of any plans to bring anyone else in to fill the empty seat. That does mean that the workload will be divided among fewer people for that first year, and we may have to take on extra tasks, however I know the beginning of Board service is very training-heavy anyway, so by the time we are hitting the ground running it will be closer to the next election ahnd hopefully having that partial term seat filled anyway.
caira
Thanks for all the responses! Here is your next question: This is an uncontested election. Even so the Q&A’s and candidate chat and so on still get organised. What are your thoughts about that, seeing as strictly speaking this was not really necessary and people don’t really show up for them anyway?
Jennifer H.
I think it is still important for the OTW membership to know who will be serving on the Board even if there is no election to vote in. The Q&As and chat are a great opportunity to do that as well as to ask questions that make your priorities known.
Theodore B.
I think it was helpful to see the kind of questions that would be expected of me as a Director. I don’t exactly love answering questions, but it’s good to get some practice before being inducted. Plus, having this info out here is helpful for potential candidates to get an idea of who they’ll be working with next year by back-reading.
Rebecca C. M.
As Jennifer said. I think it’s still important, because it gives everyone a chance to ask their new Directors questions they otherwise wouldn’t get to ask, and it’s a great opportunity for us candidates to show what we wish to do in the coming years.
caira
Great! Thanks for the responses. Your next question is: In your experiences as a volunteer, how would you describe the culture and morale amongst volunteers within the org? Has it changed over time and what directions would you like to see it going in the future?
Rebecca C. M.
I’ve only been with the OTW a year (to the date, almost!), so I can’t speak about any changes firsthand, but from talking to longtime volunteers (some of which were there when this org was founded!), culture has shifted alongside our growing HR needs. Right now, I’d say morale is genuinely good at its core: people love the work and are deeply committed, because we’re contributing to spaces we care about. But that commitment sometimes runs up against burnout as our needs outpace our structures, and that unfortunately pulls morale down. Going forward, I’d want to see sustainability built into how we operate, e.g. things I’ve mentioned in the Q&A’s already: succession planning, earlier check-ins on capacity, and committees like ICCR maturing into something volunteers genuinely trust. You can’t really fix the morale itself without making sure people feel supported and respected for their time.
Jennifer H.
I have been a volunteer for 5 years now! I find the culture at the OTW very interesting because of its online-only and often asynchronous nature. If you don’t share a committee or an interest with someone, you may never encounter each other. On the other hand, even if we are all fans of different things, we are brought together by our fannishness and understand that part of each other, which facilitates our shared goals and leads to some great conversations! Morale has definitely gone up and down over the time I’ve been here alongside the events and leadership changes we have had. I would like to see fewer reasons for morale to be low – to see leadership listening to volunteers and meeting their needs wherever possible.
Theodore B.
I think it really depends on which committee(s) you’re a part of. On the whole, I feel that morale is pretty good these days, though there are a couple of underlying pain points which I’d like to poke at as a Director, such as the paid staff project and staffing concerns in general. I can’t directly state how it’s changed, as I have not experienced those olden days of the OTW, but from talking to other volunteers and backreading, it definitely has changed. If I could directly move it, I’d like to look into the underlying machinery—documentation, collaboration, and cross-committee transparency.
caira
Thanks for the detailed response! Here is your next question: Since several of you mentioned interface translation in your Q&A answers, how do you plan to support Systems, AD&T and Translation in implementing it?
Theodore B.
I’m not familiar with this specific goal, but this seems like a good time to shill my hope for more frequent check-ins to see how the Board can assist (for any committee)! I don’t want to just assume what is needed for any particular goal, maybe here it’s a matter of code contributors or we just need to make more progress on the overall translation. Either way, the committees will know best what they need, as Board we just need to make the space for them to make those requests.
Jennifer H.
I would love to start by having conversations with these committees to see what their actual needs are. I can make some guesses, but it would be best to hear first hand what is needed before making any moves. Support in bringing in more contractors could be one thing that’s needed that Board can help prioritize. Or maybe the committees need help prioritizing within their own purview, and I’m happy to be a sounding board for that.
Rebecca C. M.
In my opinion, this isn’t really something we can just plan top-down. The Board’s role here is mainly resourcing and prioritisation, especially for the named committees here. Beyond pushing for this to be a clear, named priority in the next roadmap rather than something that gets deprioritised in favour of other work, I’d once again also support bringing in more contractor help for Systems/AD&T specifically because I’ve seen firsthand how stretched thin they are at times (hello current Fanlore downtime and a MASSIVE thank you Systems), and I obviously do not want them to burn out by building this alongside everything else. Where it concerns Translations, I’d want to collaborate closely from the start, since they’d know the real scope and pitfalls better than I/Board ever could.
caira
Thank you! Please find your next question below: Clearly none of you are afraid of the fact that you’ll be working very hard in the coming year! Please share some of your wisdom and habits concerning time management and how not to procrastinate on all of that.
Jennifer H.
I’m a big list-maker! It helps me to keep track of what I need to do and re-order things as priorities change while still not losing sight of the full scope of tasks. I use lists for my day job, my house chores, and my work at the OTW! As far as not procrastinating, that’s always a hard one to do, but it helps that I am passionate about what I do as a Tag Wrangler and will soon be doing as an OTW Board member. I currently carve out a couple of times a week specific to doing OTW work that are planned ahead of time as well, which I find quite helpful.
Rebecca C. M.
Laughs Honestly, beyond being very “Type A” at the baseline? Task tracking is my biggest “hack”. If it’s not written down somewhere, it doesn’t feel real to me, so I lean heavily on lists and calendars to break big goals into concrete next steps. Works in my professional role, and it’s served me well for volunteering as well. The other half is reducing distractions before I even start, which is genuinely hard sometimes, but I’ve found starting a task the moment I think of it, even just for two minutes, beats waiting for the “right” focused moment that may never come. Not really glamorous, I’m afraid, but being stubborn about these things may just help!
Theodore B.
My OTP is myself and my various reminders apps with how many I set for myself. For anything with a due date, let’s get a reminder to check in on that. Anything without a due date? Set a reminder for tomorrow morning so I give it a look every day, even if just to set another reminder for the next morning . Keeping things floating around in my head is important to get things happening, at least for me. From there I prioritize in the moment.
caira
Thanks for the answers! Please see your next question: How active a stance do you feel the OTW should be taking when it comes to the often worrisome legislation that’s coming from the US? Right now Legal puts their 5 cents into the pot by filing amicus briefs and opinions etc, but should they be starting/actively fighting cases?
Rebecca C. M.
I don’t have very deep legal expertise (especially regarding US jurisdiction), so I prefer to follow up with our wonderful Legal committee on that, rather than take a super strong personal stance. What I do know is that as a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we likely have to be careful about how active a legal posture we take, since our status carries its own constraints. Amicus briefs and public comment are lower-risk tools for that reason. I wouldn’t entirely rule out a more active role where we have strong standing, but that’s a decision I’d want made with Legal’s expertise, not something Board should just push unilaterally.
Jennifer H.
I would be interested to talk to the Legal committee about what any of our additional options might be in opposing some of these pieces of legislation. I believe that continuing to file these briefs and to partner with organizations with similar goals such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation is important. It is key for us to oppose legislation that threatens our purpose and projects first and foremost, and to do what we can to prevent it from becoming a law that we would be beholden to and in a position to bring a case against.
Theodore B.
I don’t want to take any hard stances in response to this question. I’m not a legal professional, no matter how much I helped my friend study for the BAR last month. I trust Legal’s choices, and would, in general, advocate against starting our own cases. I do not feel like we have the volunteer resources to put into extensive legal battles. Any specific situation would of course be discussed in more detail with those knowledgeable on the topic before deciding on a path forwards. Idealistically I think it would be great if the OTW could become a force for legal good. But I think it is unfeasible to pursue at the current moment.
caira
For the next round of questions, we have separate ones for each candidate.
For @Rebecca C. M. You said in your Q&A that you did not intend to step back from your role as a Fanlore Chair during your Board tenure. That is a significant concentration of responsibilities and influence! If you were ever faced with a Board decision that could be negative for Fanlore (or the opposite), how do you think you would manage conflict between your responsibilities as a Board member and as a Fanlore Chair?
For @Jennifer H. In your Q&A, you mentioned that you would encourage all committees to consider limiting concurrent leadership roles as a way to limit concentrated power and influence. However, a volunteer can hold only one formal position and still have a lot of informal influence! How would you address concentrated influence when it’s held by someone with only one formal role?
For @Theodore B. In your Q&A, you frequently propose more check-ins as a solution to various issues. However, sometimes you can identify a problem with a check-in and still fail to solve it/act on it. What would you do when a committee repeatedly fails to meet its goals and/or address its issues, despite those check-ins?
Jennifer H.
It’s true that there are other informal ways people can hold power and that those can, and often do, overlap with people who are in positions of formal power. I am always a big proponent of as much transparency for leadership as is reasonable and safe. I also think that having multiple leaders for each committee in the form of Co-Chairs and/or Chair Assistants can help serve as a check to keep volunteers from abusing their power and goodwill. I’d also like to see our newer Internal Complaint and Conflict Resolution subcommittee and procedures get fully up and running to be able to help when either formal or informal power is overstepped.
Rebecca C. M.
Funnily enough, a Fanlore Co-Chair has been on Board before – and it was also a Rebecca! So there is some historic precedent for us! I want to be clear that I take that concern very seriously, and I considered it before declaring myself as a candidate as well. I have even asked a current Board member about this and whether some situations automatically require recusal. Beyond leaning on our conflict-of-interest policy (which we recently had to agree to again with the new Code of Conduct rolling out) and disclosing and recusing myself in situations where my judgement could reasonably be seen as compromised (and holding myself to that standard as well), I also know that Board decisions are collective, not made by any single Director alone. That naturally limits how much influence I’d have on any one Fanlore-related outcome, even without recusal. I want to avoid pretending I can be perfectly neutral about my “own” committee. I don’t think that’s realistic for anyone, Chair or not, and being upfront about recusing when it matters is more trustworthy than claiming otherwise and as stated in my Q&A, I want to see us have clear conflict of interest documentation org-wide, so no one runs into risk of highly concentrated power.
Theodore B.
Really I think it depends on the specific problem and I could not give a single answer that addresses all possible situations of this type. I like to hope that, even if failing to meet their goals, such committees are still taking steps to try and fix them. Further, I assume the Board has already offered Board/BAT assistance. If attempts are not even being made, perhaps it’s a leadership issue/absence and Board can try to rectify that through encouraging breaks, contacting missing leadership through emergency channels, or finding a (possibly temporary) replacement. Honestly, I’m not too sure what the Board’s last resort options would be in this kind of situation. I’ll be sure to do some more research once I get inducted.
caira
Thank you for being with us for this session, candidates! Here is the last question for the day! A follow-up to the question about Legal: what circumstances would make you think that the OTW should move from filing amicus briefs to becoming a party to litigation?
Theodore B.
I will reiterate that I am not a lawyer and generally will follow the lead of our Legal committee. I do not have any particular thoughts on what might bring us to become party to litigation. Should this become a possibility, I will of course confer with Legal and do my own research on the topic, but as of now, I have nothing to say. I do think this would be a pretty big step, and would be important to ensure that it is one our membership is comfortable with us taking.
Jennifer H.
I would definitely still leave this question with Legal as I am by no means an expert. We would have to have clear cause to get more directly involved. There would have to be legislation that directly applies to us and prevents one of our projects from operating or accomplishing its mission, and our Legal committee would need to be willing and able to make a strong case.
Rebecca C. M.
Building on what I said before: I’d still heavily lean on Legal’s expertise rather than claim I know exactly where that line is. But a few things would matter to me: if the OTW became a direct target of legislation or enforcement, our standing would be much clearer. If amicus efforts kept failing to move outcomes on something that poses a genuine existential risk to any of our projects, especially AO3, that’s a different situation from a mere inconvenience. I’d also want to know whether we had dedicated funding set aside so litigation wouldn’t compromise everything else, whether allied orgs were willing to share the risk with us, and whether we had the manpower to actually tackle this. Even then, I’d want that decision made jointly with Legal, weighing our actual chances and the risk of bad precedent if we lost, and not something Board decides just because a bill sounds alarming.
caira
That’s all the questions we have for today! Thank you to our audience for being so supportive and for submitting questions!
Thank you also to our lovely candidates. Thanks to @Louie for modding the open chat. We’ll have the transcript of this room up on the website within a few days. Have a great day, everyone!