PSF Board nomination AMA for Agata Skamruk

PSF PSF Board Elections
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Hi, I’m Agata! I’m based in Gdańsk, Poland.

I’m dedicated to building and supporting the tech community for over a decade, continuously working across multiple initiatives. Here is my nomination statement.

Here is a little bit of information about my activity:

My official journey in contributing to the community began back in May 2015 when I joined the organizing team for PyCon PL. I’ve started contributing there across various roles in both 2015 and 2016. From December 2015 to February 2017, I served as an organizer and meta-mentor for PyCode Carrots in Koszalin, leading Python training workshops for beginners. In March 2016, I founded the regional PyKosz user group in that city, and shortly after, in August 2016, I launched PyLadies Trójmiasto covering the Gdańsk metropolitan region.

August 2016 also marked the start of my leadership within the Polish Python User Group (PLPUG), where I served as President until November 2017 before continuing as Vice President and board member. Concurrently, in September 2016, I took on leadership of Women in Technology in Gdańsk, and in November of that same year, I assumed the lead for PyLadies Poland in Trójmiasto. In August 2017, I co-founded the PyLbn user group in Lublin, and in November 2017, I supported emerging talents as a mentor in the Tech Leaders program.

Since January 2018, I have served as the lead organizer of the PyCode Conference. I further built upon this long-term commitment through my work as an organizer for EuroPython 2026 in Kraków and my candidacy for the Python Software Foundation Board of Directors in August 2026. Across all these efforts, I have spent over eleven consecutive years constantly devoting my time, expertise and energy into empowering the Python community and advancing diversity in tech.

Feel free to ask me anything about my board candidacy, my vision for the PSF, or my journey in community building - I’d be more than happy to share!

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With the formation of the Packaging Python Council (PPC) today to vote in this election you need to be a PSF voting member. This requires one of the 3 paths documented here Become a Member of the PSF | Python Software Foundation. Going ahead how do you think the PSF board and the PPC should work together? Do you think the 3 required paths sufficient to make sure no one feels excluded from the packaging story? If not, how would you improve on it? Thanks and best of luck Agata!

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Hello,
​Thank you for asking.

From my perspective, formal membership requirements are a foundational element of our governance and transparency, so I don’t see any possibility of bypassing this rule as an exception.

​At the same time, I deeply believe that our commitment to anti-discrimination and diversity is paramount.

In my view, this membership requirement is not meant to create exclusionary barriers; rather, it ensures that everyone making decisions on the Board shares equal, statutory commitments to the organization. For me, applying this rule consistently to every candidate is precisely what guarantees a fair, objective, and non-discriminatory process for all.

Regards

Agata