Diversity as Strategy: Ashe Dryden on Inclusivity and Technical Community
The Interviewer
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
The Guest
Ashe Dryden
Diversity and Inclusion Advocate, Software Developer
The Conversation
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
Hi, it's Mike with UGtastic. I'm here with Ashe Dryden, who has been involved in the past with DrupalCon, but now she's involved with several other conferences in the PHP and Ruby world. Hi Ashe, thanks for taking the time to sit down.
Ashe Dryden
Diversity and Inclusion Advocate, Software Developer
Hi there.
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
So you were involved with DrupalCon in the past and other conferences in the PHP and Ruby world. You've also had some interesting thoughts on Twitter about diversity and how we can have a more diverse attendance and participation in our conferences. But let's start with the conferences. How did you get involved with DrupalCon back in the day?
Ashe Dryden
Diversity and Inclusion Advocate, Software Developer
Well, I've been pretty involved in the Drupal world for probably the past five, six, or seven years. I started out organizing more local camp-style events. I did DrupalCamp Wisconsin and I got to know a lot of the people that are on the Drupal camp circuit.
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
Thank you very much for taking the time to sit down with me. That's some good advice.
Ashe Dryden
Diversity and Inclusion Advocate, Software Developer
Thanks.
Mike Hall
Interviewer, community organizer at UGtastic
Thank you.
Critical Insights
durable
"Ashe Dryden's background in local 'camp' style events (like DrupalCamp Wisconsin) provided the foundation for her later work in large-scale technical conference organization."
durable
"The transition from Drupal/PHP ecosystems to Ruby often coincided with a shift in focus toward social issues like diversity and inclusion in tech."
time bound
"Local technical communities in the Midwest (Wisconsin/Chicago) were active centers for open-source development and conference organizing in the early 2010s."