2023 Board Candidates
Jul. 6th, 2023 10:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
endotwracismWe have taken time to go over the bios and platforms presented by the current candidates, and will here present our thoughts for each on how we feel they align with our campaign's goals at this stage. We are particularly concerned with how willing and capable we feel they would be in helping the OTW meet its commitment towards developing anti-racist policies and practices. We encourage everyone to read the platforms for themselves, and we look forward to getting to know each candidate more during the question-and-answer period.
Gave no pronouns, the bio uses they/them.
Anh P. identifies the OTW's lack of transparency as a direct symptom of its current structure and human resource management not being up to the task of managing its 900+ volunteers, but does not offer solutions in their platform at this time. Their main focus seems to be reaching out towards new fans, particularly in non-English-language fandoms, for which their international, non-Anglo background and perspective are well-suited. However, they do not specifically acknowledge racism as a distinct problem nor do they indicate that they would prioritize anti-racist goals. They do not mention the Terms of Service (TOS), Policy and Abuse Committee (PAC), or their position on a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) consultant, nor do they state a position on using funds towards hiring anyone for that position.
Gave no pronouns, the bio uses she/her.
Audrey R. has experience within the organization and has a background in policy and nonprofit work, which could translate well to the Board. The work she has done has been on the Strategic Planning committee, which has worked at a particularly slow pace (6 years for implementation of the strategic plan), which she acknowledges “does little to address immediate needs.” Her stated primary reason for running is to protect fandom from AI which, while admirable and important, is not our focus – and to that end, she does not mention racism or harassment at all. She expresses willingness to have paid employees and calls for a conflict resolution management system for volunteers.
Pronouns: she/they.
Jennifer H. specifically addresses the importance of communication with the OTW’s user base. She also speaks to the need for complete structural reform. Her platform indicates an experienced perspective on what she can accomplish as a Board member and a willingness to do the hard work to make things better. We find their platform promising in that they are directly addressing issues we have raised, show these issues to be a priority, and express an understanding of the difficulty of the road ahead, but a willingness to do the hard work anyway. She seems to have a bit less experience working for the org, having only joined in 2022, but that is not necessarily a point against them.
Gave no pronouns, the bio uses she/her.
Kathryn S. has experience in nonprofit work and community activism, implementing DEI efforts and Human Resources (HR) experience which seem to make her a good fit for the Board and realizing our goals. She explicitly prioritizes the hiring of a DEI consultant along with an HR position. She does mention “recent controversies” in her platform, though she does not specify which ones. Her experience with the OTW is significant, at 9 years.
Pronouns: she/her.
Qiao C. also brings an international fandom perspective and focuses primarily on the importance of communication inside and outside the organization. She makes a very brief mention of updating the TOS. She does indicate she would like to hire an HR professional, but her platform – while it mentions the recent protests and spends time discussing diversity issues – makes no explicit mention of racial issues outside bringing in more diverse volunteers. We do feel that more diverse voices within the OTW are important, though diversity alone is not going to solve the issue of racist harassment currently allowed in the OTW’s policies and enforcement practices. There is nothing else in her platform that speaks to dealing with racist harassment, updates to the TOS, or hiring a DEI consultant.
Gave no pronouns but the bio uses she/her.
Zixin Z would also bring an international presence to the board. She mentions the need for structural change, paid positions, and increased documentation to prevent the loss of institutional knowledge. She also mentions the need for outreach towards non-English-speaking fans and has a desire to provide support to volunteers from minority groups. She does not mention racism, racist harassment, or hiring a DEI consultant in her platform, so outside the outreach and support she mentions, there is not enough for us to conclude that these would be priorities for her.
[Edited July 10,2023. Revised Zixin Z.’s position on outreach to be “towards non-English speaking fans and has a desire to provide support to volunteers from minority groups” and added “outside the outreach and support she mentions” to the subsequent sentence. Original stated the outreach would be towards “Chinese-speaking fans”.]
Anh P.
Gave no pronouns, the bio uses they/them.
Anh P. identifies the OTW's lack of transparency as a direct symptom of its current structure and human resource management not being up to the task of managing its 900+ volunteers, but does not offer solutions in their platform at this time. Their main focus seems to be reaching out towards new fans, particularly in non-English-language fandoms, for which their international, non-Anglo background and perspective are well-suited. However, they do not specifically acknowledge racism as a distinct problem nor do they indicate that they would prioritize anti-racist goals. They do not mention the Terms of Service (TOS), Policy and Abuse Committee (PAC), or their position on a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) consultant, nor do they state a position on using funds towards hiring anyone for that position.
Audrey R.
Gave no pronouns, the bio uses she/her.
Audrey R. has experience within the organization and has a background in policy and nonprofit work, which could translate well to the Board. The work she has done has been on the Strategic Planning committee, which has worked at a particularly slow pace (6 years for implementation of the strategic plan), which she acknowledges “does little to address immediate needs.” Her stated primary reason for running is to protect fandom from AI which, while admirable and important, is not our focus – and to that end, she does not mention racism or harassment at all. She expresses willingness to have paid employees and calls for a conflict resolution management system for volunteers.
Jennifer H.
Pronouns: she/they.
Jennifer H. specifically addresses the importance of communication with the OTW’s user base. She also speaks to the need for complete structural reform. Her platform indicates an experienced perspective on what she can accomplish as a Board member and a willingness to do the hard work to make things better. We find their platform promising in that they are directly addressing issues we have raised, show these issues to be a priority, and express an understanding of the difficulty of the road ahead, but a willingness to do the hard work anyway. She seems to have a bit less experience working for the org, having only joined in 2022, but that is not necessarily a point against them.
Kathryn S.
Gave no pronouns, the bio uses she/her.
Kathryn S. has experience in nonprofit work and community activism, implementing DEI efforts and Human Resources (HR) experience which seem to make her a good fit for the Board and realizing our goals. She explicitly prioritizes the hiring of a DEI consultant along with an HR position. She does mention “recent controversies” in her platform, though she does not specify which ones. Her experience with the OTW is significant, at 9 years.
Qiao C.
Pronouns: she/her.
Qiao C. also brings an international fandom perspective and focuses primarily on the importance of communication inside and outside the organization. She makes a very brief mention of updating the TOS. She does indicate she would like to hire an HR professional, but her platform – while it mentions the recent protests and spends time discussing diversity issues – makes no explicit mention of racial issues outside bringing in more diverse volunteers. We do feel that more diverse voices within the OTW are important, though diversity alone is not going to solve the issue of racist harassment currently allowed in the OTW’s policies and enforcement practices. There is nothing else in her platform that speaks to dealing with racist harassment, updates to the TOS, or hiring a DEI consultant.
Zixin Z.
Gave no pronouns but the bio uses she/her.
Zixin Z would also bring an international presence to the board. She mentions the need for structural change, paid positions, and increased documentation to prevent the loss of institutional knowledge. She also mentions the need for outreach towards non-English-speaking fans and has a desire to provide support to volunteers from minority groups. She does not mention racism, racist harassment, or hiring a DEI consultant in her platform, so outside the outreach and support she mentions, there is not enough for us to conclude that these would be priorities for her.
[Edited July 10,2023. Revised Zixin Z.’s position on outreach to be “towards non-English speaking fans and has a desire to provide support to volunteers from minority groups” and added “outside the outreach and support she mentions” to the subsequent sentence. Original stated the outreach would be towards “Chinese-speaking fans”.]
no subject
Date: 2023-07-07 08:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-07-09 06:38 pm (UTC)I mean, it's from my perspective, but might still help with some clarifications.
no subject
Date: 2023-07-10 06:46 pm (UTC)