About Me: 

I'm currently your Director At Large and I'm hoping to be given the chance to serve another two years.  I've been your elected voice and have made myself present and available to anybody wanting and needing that connection to the Association.  I've been involved with the Drupal community since 4.6 having worked in agencies, in media, as a small business owner/operater, and most recently in a large corporation.  I've been helping organize Drupalcamp Colorado since 2007, taking the lead for the last few years.  I was on the organizing committte for Drupalcon Denver.  I love speaking at Drupal events, mostly on the topic of Project Management.

I currently live the United States, but grew up in Canada.  My father is British and my mother is Danish.  I've spent a ton of time over the pond both in my youth and as an adult.  I have a 15 year old daughter, who has recently decided that she wants to pursue online application development.  When I'm not Drupaling, I'm gardening, walking the dogs, and sometimes painting or sculpting.  I love to cook.

Questions for the Candidate

matthews’s picture
matthews:
Comment: 

Why am I running for re-election with the Drupal Association?

http://www.dogstar.org/drupal/content/why-im-running-drupal-association-re-election

Drupal has supported my family for the better part of a decade. It is deeply rooted in my identity now. Some of my best friends, supporters, and colleagues have come from this community. You have supported me, and I want to continue to support you.

joecrespo’s picture
joecrespo:
Comment: 

Matthew is a leader within the Colorado Drupal community. The Drupal Camp (DCCO) has been a huge success since Matthew's taken the helm. He's organized and streamlined nearly every part of the event.

I cannot imagine a better candidate for this position.

matthews’s picture
matthews:
Comment: 

Thanks Joe - I appreciate the note.

jcfiala’s picture
jcfiala:
Comment: 

Matthew is a great organizer and leader on all sorts of projects.  In all the years I've worked with him he's had a great eye for detail while not losing track of the larger picture, helping things come together to form a harmonious whole.  Plsu, as Joe says above, he's done a great job with the Drupal Camp Colorado.

Matthew's just the sort of person I'm happy to have helping Drupal as an organization move forward.

matthews’s picture
matthews:
Comment: 

Thank John - I appreciate the support!

matthews’s picture
matthews:
Comment: 

Why am I qualified and possibly the best suited for re-election?

http://www.dogstar.org/drupal/content/drupal-association-election-2016-why-am-i-qualified

I'm committed to Drupal, I have board experience in multiple capacities, I worked directly with the Drupal Association, and I have governance experience. You add to that the education and the technology background, it paints a picture.

matthews’s picture
matthews:
Comment: 

Being on NP boards, like the @DrupalAssoc is a legal & governance commitment.  I understand the ins and outs of such a commitment.

Read a bit about it: http://bit.ly/drupalgov16 and then please support me in the upcoming election.

ohthehugemanatee’s picture
ohthehugemanatee:
Comment: 

One of the problems with community positions, is that it's easy to fill them with people that we like, or respect for other work, but who have no idea how to work with a board successfully. Being a great web developer does not prepare you to be a successful board member. Running a meetup or managing an event does not prepare you (though it's better).

Working effectively in boardroom situations is a special skillset. You need someone who knows how to lead, and how to support, at the same time. You need someone who understands the balance between long term and short term organizational objectives. You need someone who knows how to collaborate under high pressure. In our particular case, the person has to be deeply multicultural, too - you can't represent the world's largest open source community without a multicultural understanding!

Matthew Saunders is a great choice, because he is that person. He's served on several boards and has worked with the Drupal Association for years. He understands the technology and the governance needed, at the same time. As a child of two nations, and as a lifelong collaborator between many nationalities, he understands the Drupal multicultural landscape, too.

Matthew has been an effective board member for the last two years, because of his organizational and multicultural background. He is exactly the kind of candidate we want to represent us for the next two years, as well.

matthews’s picture
matthews:
Comment: 

Thanks Cam, I appreciate these supporting words tremendously.

matthews’s picture
matthews:
Comment: 

I think when you look on balance, my well rounded experience makes me the perfect candidate to continue serving on the Drupal Association Board as your At-Large representative. I very much hope you'll support me when voting starts March 7th.

Please take the time to read about why I'm a great choice!  http://bit.ly/votedrupalmatthew

zachattack’s picture
zachattack:
Comment: 

Matthew Saunders has been co-worker, boss, partner, and friend for more than 6 years and in all that time he has been one of the best leaders a group of creatives and developers could ask for. Constantly balancing the developer workload and client expectations, Matthew knows how to navigate the calm as well as the turbulent. He continues to be someone that is truly invested in the community and the people. I can't say enough good things about him. I am thankful that he has been and continues to be there for us. 

Log in or register to post a reply