I had the pleasure of meeting Aaron for the first time at SCaLE this past year, in person. I noticed his name floating around, but had not interacted much with him before that point. Aaron shared his story of joining the Ubuntu Community with me, and while it was sudden, he embraced the challenge and flourished. He cares deeply about the community, and personally, not just professionally, aspires to see it thrive.
Aaron is an passionate and vibrant contributor who is exemplary of core Ubuntu values, written and unwritten. His decade of experience in education shows, through his considerate and thoughtful, yet enthusiastic attitude. If you ever have doubts as to the depth of his contributions, let me assure you, the countless hours (and straight days) of behind-the-scenes work and sleepless nights, and the tough conversations and decisions required to maintain a resilient community, are taxing, but hold the community up in ways you would not even imagine. Besides the tough work in conference organization and Local Community Team planning, Aaron is always friendly and approachable, working to take my sincere concerns (and the sincere concerns of the broader community) seriously.
We would be fortunate to have such a dedicated contributor join the roster of officially-recognized Ubuntu Members. Regardless of the outcome, let’s continue to encourage and support Aaron, as he takes the next steps in his Ubuntu journey. Although Aaron has not told me he will, I suspect he would be an excellent member of the new LoCo Council, so I would personally encourage the Ubuntu Membership Board to swiftly approve his application.