Bio
Morgan Schroeder: Morgan has been in fandom since high school, though staying in one fandom is very difficult for them. They joined the AO3 Documentation committee in 2016 and the Tag Wrangling committee not long afterwards, and they were also on the Support committee for some time. Outside of the OTW, Morgan works as a manager at an arcade, directing employees during the school year and assisting day camps during the summer.
Platform
1. Why did you decide to run for election to the Board?
Because last year was so much fun! All joking aside, though, I have loved fandom ever since I discovered it, and I try to give back to it whenever and however I can. Volunteering for the OTW has been one way I’ve been able to help the community, so I’m always delighted to see what other new and interesting things I can do as part of my volunteer work. Running for Board also gives me an opportunity to meet new people in the OTW and see what the membership is interested in through the Q&A period and the live chats. I’m excited to be able to apply what I’ve learned (and will learn, should I be elected) to serve the community as best I can.
2. What skills and/or experience would you bring to the Board?
I have a lot of experience with the AO3 side of the OTW through my work with the AO3 Documentation and Tag Wrangling committees, and as a former member of the Support committee. I bring with me a love of helping users and a love of documenting everything I can get my hands on. I also bring a love of reading all the documentation that I can get my hands on, which has helped me get a good overview of all the committees in the Organization. As far as my experience outside the Org, I have a degree in business and accounting, which gives me a solid base of knowledge in areas such as non-profits and the American financial system, along with time management and organizational skills. Additionally, my current job has given me a lot of experience in managing people and resources effectively.
3. Choose one or two goals for the OTW that are important to you and that you would be interested in working on during your term. Why do you value these goals? How would you work with others to achieve them?
One goal I feel strongly about is continuing to document everything, both internally and externally. Internally, it helps to share what information we can to ensure smooth transitions if key people need to step down or retire. Externally, the more information we can provide users with, the more accessible and transparent our work will be.
Building on that, another goal that’s very important to me is the internationalization of the Archive. With the influx of new users, I think it’s essential to continue working on making resources—and eventually, the Archive—accessible in as many different languages as we can. The Translation team is doing amazing work so far, including translating FAQs and news posts, and I’d very much like to see that work continue and evolve to suit our growing needs.
4. What is your experience with the OTW’s projects and how would you collaborate with the relevant committees to support and strengthen them? Try to include a range of projects, though feel free to emphasize particular ones you have experience with.
My experience with the OTW in general is very AO3-centric. I’ve volunteered with the AO3 Documentation committee, the Support committee, and the Tag Wrangling committee, all of which focus most or all of their work on the Archive. To overcome that, I try to keep up with committees I’m not in, including reading the monthly newsletters, following their activity in internal spaces where possible, and talking to people who volunteer elsewhere in the Organization. I believe the best way to collaborate with committees is to have open communication where they can tell Board members what they need for support and strength; that way, we aren’t trying to make assumptions for them.
5. How would you balance your Board work with other roles in the OTW, or how do you plan to hand over your current roles to focus on Board work?
Right now, I volunteer as staff on two committees, and I’m in training to become a co-chair of one of them. If I am elected to Board, I plan to stay in the training role and delay stepping up as a full chair until after I’ve had a chance to settle into Board, since I’d rather not over-extend myself by tackling both at once. I don’t anticipate any problems with my other commitments, though I’m open to reassessing that if I am elected. As far as time management, by the time the election has concluded, the busy season at work will be wrapping up and I’ll have plenty of free time to spend volunteering.