Bio
Rebecca C. M. (she/her) has been active in fandom since the conception of Sold to One Direction, though she has written stories for as long as she has been able to. Whilst many of her earliest fanworks have been lost to time, she occasionally still posts fanfiction whenever inspiration strikes. She joined the Organisation for Transformative Works as a Fanlore Social Media and Outreach Volunteer in 2025, transitioning into a Chair Track Volunteer role that same year, before becoming a Fanlore Co-Chair in February 2026. She previously volunteered for a local children’s nonprofit. Rebecca describes herself as a “bilingual mess”; she’s fluent in both English and German, yet sometimes can’t remember words in either language. In addition, she also speaks French, Spanish and some Korean. Outside of the OTW, she works in marketing and follows various academic pursuits, including marketing research, with the ambition to pursue a PhD. She completed her Master’s in Management in 2026, with her thesis focusing on one of her current fandoms. In her spare time, she enjoys baking too much sourdough, reading, and playing story-heavy RPGs.
1.Why did you decide to run for election to the Board?
The OTW and its projects have been a part of my life long before I officially became involved as a volunteer, and I’ve long appreciated the work each volunteer dedicates to it. Since joining the OTW in 2025, that appreciation has both deepened and shifted, now that I’ve gained a clearer understanding of both the impact of our work and the needs of our volunteers. Now feels like the right moment to contribute more broadly. I have the time, the commitment, and the skill set to take on this responsibility, and I’m motivated to help shape thoughtful, sustainable changes that benefit the organisation as a whole. I care deeply about the community we support, and I want to ensure it continues to grow in an inclusive, supportive, and rewarding way for everyone involved.
2.What skills and/or experience would you bring to the Board?
I bring a combination of leadership, strategic thinking, and operational experience from both my professional background and my work within the OTW. As a Chair, I help lead a team, providing ongoing support and collaboration while managing workflows, communication, and long-term planning, giving me a better understanding of how to build sustainable structures and support volunteers effectively.
In my professional roles, I’ve worked across marketing and communications, focusing on project coordination, cross-functional collaboration, and performance analysis. I’m used to managing campaigns end-to-end, working with diverse stakeholders, and using data to inform decisions and improve outcomes. Combined with my Master’s in Management, this allows me to contribute a balanced perspective, clear communication, and a reliable approach to governance and decision-making.
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 of the main goals I want to focus on is ensuring the organisation is set up for long-term sustainability through creating an environment where volunteers feel supported, safe, and able to contribute without burning out.
Burnout is not unique to the OTW, but with the growth and scale this organisation has seen, it’s important to ensure people are able and willing to stay engaged over time to ensure continuity and longevity. From my experience managing volunteers and coworkers in my professional life, I’ve seen how workloads, unclear structures, and communication gaps can strain teams. Addressing these challenges is not just about well-being, but foundational to the organisation’s ability to function and grow. To work toward this, I would collaborate closely with committees and engage directly with volunteers across teams. I believe it is essential to listen first to understand where friction points exist, where processes may be unclear, and where additional support or resources are needed.
Another key focus for me is ensuring accessibility. Though the OTW has stark anglocentric origins, users and volunteers alike come from all walks of life from all over the world, and it’s necessary to ensure that important information, policies, and opportunities for input are accessible beyond English-speaking spaces. Strengthening collaboration (e.g. with the Translation committee) and embedding accessibility into workflows would help make participation more equitable and inclusive.
Beyond that, I would support the development and refinement of policies and structures that balance the needs of volunteers with the long-term health of the organisation; whether that means clearer expectations, better documentation, or more sustainable workload distribution.
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’s projects is still relatively recent, as I joined Fanlore in August 2025. Particularly, stepping into the role of Fanlore Chair has provided me with an expanded view of the organisation and how its projects interact and interconnect.
I have learned much about the value of documentation, preservation, and accessibility in fandom space, and also what is involved in maintaining a resource built by volunteers through community collaboration. On the other hand, being a Chair has allowed me to see the larger picture and better understand how Fanlore fits within the OTW’s other projects.
I’m a natural planner and a researcher – both in my work with the OTW and in my professional life. I value knowledge of system processes, problem identification, and analysis of committees’ intersecting responsibilities. I believe that mindset is especially important in an organisation like the OTW, where many projects contribute in different ways to the shared goal of preserving and supporting fanworks and fan communities. I also believe in listening to the volunteers directly involved in these projects. Their experience is essential to understanding what is working well and where support is needed.
While my direct experience is still growing, I bring a strong commitment to learning, a structured approach to problem-solving, and a genuine investment in the long-term success of all OTW projects.
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?
I do not intend to step back from my role as Fanlore Chair, as I value the work and the team deeply, and I have goals I still wish to accomplish in this position. That said, I am very mindful of the responsibility that comes with taking on Board work and the importance of maintaining a sustainable balance.
I am a very structured and organised person; I plan and prioritise with various tools (calendars, project management tools like Trello, etc.), and I regularly use task tracking, timelines, and documentation to ensure responsibilities are clearly defined and manageable. Additionally, I am very fortunate to have a remote, flexible professional role, which allows me to allocate time where it is most needed. This flexibility makes me confident that I can take on Board responsibilities alongside my existing commitments to Fanlore.
Moreover, I do not approach this as something I need to manage alone. Part of sustainable leadership is delegation, trust, and ensuring that responsibilities are shared appropriately. If elected, I would continue to support and empower my team within Fanlore, while remaining attentive to my own capacity and open to adjusting responsibilities as needed.