Steering Council nomination: Emily Morehouse (2023 term)

Core Development Steering Council Nominations
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I’m self-nominating myself for the 2023 Steering Council term. After taking a few years off to chair PyCon US (then a few months to recover :sweat_smile:), I’m thrilled to have time to devote to core development again.

I hope to bring a diverse perspective as someone who has been plugged into the broader Python community in many ways – as a business owner who guides companies ranging from startup to mid-size on Python best practices and implementations alongside cutting-edge web development, a mentor of bootcamp grads and junior engineers, balanced with a deep technical understanding not only of Python and its libraries but other languages and OSS ecosystems as well.

Background

  • Python Core Developer since 2018
    • Attended the PyCon US Language Summits since 2017
    • Attended all but 1 Core Sprint since 2018
  • PyCon US Co-Chair 2019 and Chair 2020 - 2022, guiding us through the shift to virtual events then back to in-person
  • PSF Fellow awarded in 2021
  • Co-Founder and Director of Engineering at Cuttlesoft since 2014
  • Organizer of a handful of Python and Javascript meetup groups pre-COVID
  • Given talks and keynotes around the world since 2018
  • Implemented PEP 572 Assignment Expressions

Priorities and Opinions, TLDR versions

  • Stability, not Stagnation: A delicate balance to strike, I support the forward movement of the language and its internals with a sustainable view on breaking changes. Friction should be reduced as much as possible but avoidance of such should not cause a blocker on important improvements and changes.
  • Core Modernization and Performance: We’ve seen great strides in these areas (certainly not limited to, but my favorites are easily the replacement of Python’s parser, improved error messages, and the most notable performance bump in 12 years). I believe that Python’s future progressions rely on continued development in Python’s Core.
  • Funding and Support for CPython Development: We’ve seen a great impact from the Developer-in-Residence position. I believe that a formalized funding and support system for Python is key to the long-term stability of CPython and avoiding further dependence on large tech companies to support OSS.
  • Evaluation of the SC Lifecycle: During my time as chair of PyCon US, I encouraged and implemented a shift in term lengths to facilitate the staggering of incoming chairs versus locations to reduce the onboarding stress of a new chair in a new city. I do see a similar risk with the SC if we wound up with a council made up of entirely new members and welcome discussion around these issues.
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: One can’t argue that we haven’t made strides in the diversity of the Core Team, though I do hope to see an uptick in support for underrepresented groups again. I believe that the enforcement of our Code of Conduct is the foundation for creating an environment that welcomes all people and would consider this one of the most important tasks for the SC.

Previous Nomination

20 Likes
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It great to hear your acomplishments. I’m rooting for you. Best of luck for the future endeavors.

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FWIW, I’ll chime in here with an endorsement.

Reasons why Emily would be a valuable member of the Steering Council:

  1. newcomer perspective (lived the experience and challenges most aspiring contributors face, rather than the relatively few of us for which getting involved was relatively easy)
  2. owns/runs a small business that depends heavily on Python
  3. community experience (e.g. PyCon chair)
  4. solid technical instincts (I’ve worked closely with Emily in the past)
  5. working knowledge of critical runtime components (e.g. compiler, sub-interpreters)
  6. excellent insight into the challenges of underrepresented groups, of which we sorely need a wider variety
  7. kind, thoughtful, and easy to work with
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There’s a wonderful slate of candidates. I highly endorse @emily since I believe that she would be a wonderful Steering Council member. Years ago, I was struck by her passion and dedication to become a core developer. She has the technical chops to review PEPs thoughtfully and in context of the language’s future direction. She also has great empathy for building individual effectiveness and community achievement which was evident when stewarding PyCon through the pandemic. I hope you will consider supporting Emily and see her impact on Python as a Steering Council member.

4 Likes