drupal

Avi Schwab, Community Organizer, Drupal Architect, and Technical Product Consultant at ImageX, has spent over a decade shaping not just Drupal projects, but the community that powers them. In this interview with Alka Elizabeth of The DropTimes, Avi opens up about the evolution of Open Y, the real costs of SaaS platforms, the importance of non-code contributions, and how local events like MidCamp keep the Drupal spirit alive. Whether you're a longtime contributor or new to open source, Avi’s reflections offer a grounded, human perspective on what it takes to lead and sustain meaningful work in tech.

Join the London Drupal Engineering Meetup on June 9 at 5:30 PM for an evening of practical insights, real build stories, and peer-to-peer advice on Drupal 10/11 — no ticket, no ego, just smart conversation.

DrupalCon isn’t just about attending, it’s about participating.

Open source is more than a licensing model, it’s a culture, a movement, and a global force driving innovation, collaboration, and inclusion. At DrupalCon Vienna 2025, this spirit takes center stage as we gather to celebrate not just Drupal, but the vibrant community and ecosystem that make it thrive.

Why Open Source Matters Now More Than Ever

In a digital world dominated by proprietary platforms and walled gardens, open source empowers organizations to build with freedom, transparency, and long-term sustainability. From local governments to multinational enterprises, Drupal is trusted because of its flexibility, security, and active community.

DrupalCon Vienna 2025 is your opportunity to see how open source continues to shape the future, not just of web development, but of digital transformation at large.

 

 A Global Community, United in Purpose

One of the most powerful aspects of DrupalCon is the people it brings together. Developers, designers, marketers, strategists, and decision-makers from all corners of the world come to Vienna to:

• Share their knowledge and experience
   
• Collaborate on solutions to common challenges
   
• Celebrate their contributions and milestones
   

Expect contributions from leading open source advocates, inspiring stories from underrepresented communities, and honest conversations about the future of Drupal and open technology.

 

The Power Behind the Code

Open source isn’t just about using free software, it’s about building it together. DrupalCon Vienna will spotlight the often unsung heroes behind modules, patches, translations, documentation, and testing. These contributions are the backbone of the Drupal ecosystem.

Through contribution sprints, mentoring sessions, and initiative updates, attendees will get a front-row seat to Drupal’s continuous evolution and learn how to play a part. Whether you’re fixing bugs, writing new features, mentoring newcomers, or documenting, every contribution counts, and DrupalCon is where it all comes together.

 

Cross-Industry Innovation, Open by Design

Drupal’s open architecture enables seamless integration with cutting-edge tools  from CRM platforms and marketing automation to AI personalization and multilingual content workflows.

Sessions at DrupalCon Vienna 2025 will highlight use cases across industries:

• Healthcare: Delivering accessible, privacy-compliant patient portals
   
• Higher Education: Managing complex, decentralized content across departments
   
• Government: Building scalable and secure citizen-focused platforms
   
• Retail & Commerce: Leveraging personalization and automation to boost engagement

Open source means freedom, the freedom to build what your organization truly needs.

 

Voices That Represent the Future

DrupalCon Vienna 2025 will elevate diverse voices from across the community including first-time contributors, veteran maintainers, and those pushing the boundaries of open source for social good.

Sessions will explore:

• Ethical technology development
   
• Inclusive and decentralized collaboration models
   
• Accessibility and sustainability
   
• Non-traditional pathways into open source

Open source thrives when it reflects the diversity of its users, and DrupalCon is a place where every voice can be heard and valued.

 

Talks That Inspire, Inform, and Ignite Change

Whether you’re new to Drupal or a long-time contributor, the session lineup at DrupalCon Vienna offers something for everyone:

• Keynotes from influential voices in open source and digital freedom
   
• Deep dives into real-world implementations of open source at scale
   
• Panels on diversity, accessibility, and responsible technology
   
• Hands-on contribution sprints and Birds of a Feather (BoF) sessions
  
   

Join the Celebration

If you’ve ever built with Drupal, contributed to an open source project, or simply believe in the power of community-built technology DrupalCon Vienna 2025 is where you belong.

This isn’t just a conference. It’s a celebration of shared values, collaboration, and the endless possibilities of open source.

 

By Iwantha Lekamge

Technical Lead
WSO2

Get the full details on DrupalCamp Poland 2025, happening June 7 in Warsaw. Learn what’s planned for this one-day Drupal and PHP conference, including sessions, panels, community events, and how organisers are shaping it for today’s open-source ecosystem.

Why Drupal's Global Community Needs More Than Good Intentions

Image Image Article body

I've heard it countless times in Drupal community discussions: "I like that idea," "We need this," "This can really help." The enthusiasm is genuine, but here's what I've learned through my experience with community initiatives. Good intentions without action don't move the needle.

 

When we launched the IXP (Inexperienced developer) Initiative, the response was overwhelming. So many people reached out saying they wanted to help. Then we get busy, life happens, and the follow-through disappears. I've been guilty of this myself. In the end, it was just a few of us (Mike Anello, Ana Laura Coto, myself, and Tim Lehnen from the DA) who did the actual work of defining the program.

 

This pattern isn't unique to the IXP Initiative. It's something I see across our global Drupal community, especially when it comes to regional representation and authentic global participation. For our community to thrive globally, we need systematic change that benefits everyone.

The Numbers Tell a Story

When you look at Drupal.org's certified partners, the geographic concentration tells a story. The gap between regions is massive, with top-tier partners with 30,000+ contribution credits predominantly based in wealthier markets. There are different business models working in different regions. Some companies focus on local markets, while others depend on staff augmentation work for international clients. This dependency relationship means many regional companies may not know about partnership opportunities or can't access them.

 

In my February intervention at the Drupal Association board meeting, I shared some economic realities: minimum salary in countries like Colombia runs $200-300 per month, while in the United States, minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. With 40 weekly working hours, that's approximately $1,160 per month in the US. This total may exceed what many junior developers would make in Latin America. I speak about Latin America because it's what I know, but this economic reality translates to other regions as well.

 

As Tim Doyle noted in the board meeting, the Drupal Association (DA) does have regional pricing adjustments, but this needs to be better publicized so regional communities know these options exist.

From Franchise to Federation Support

I proposed a franchise schema for DrupalCon to the DA back in 2015. I'm glad to see elements of that concept being used now, but there's a fundamental problem: all the risk gets placed on the people interested in organizing a regional DrupalCon.

 

When I explored DrupalCon Latin America returning, I was told to find a fiscal sponsor. This requirement exists because of DA budget constraints - another example of the paradox.

 

This should be an intentional strategy from the Drupal Association or the emerging Federation initiative. During my experience helping organize DrupalCon Bogotá 2015, if we had continued building on that foundation, we'd have established regional DrupalCons by now.

 

The path forward requires building a cadence of regional events. Initially, organizers need well-known international speakers to attract local developers and gain government and business support. Eventually, they could become self-sustaining regional powerhouses. The goal would be genuinely regional conferences: by Latin Americans for Latin Americans, by Africans for Africans, creating local business opportunities and expertise.

 

In Latin America, we have trade show style events (what we call "ferias") - imagine a conference where each company booth potentially generates business revenue where companies pay for their spots and create sustainable business models around the conference itself. I believe DrupalCon should incorporate a well-balanced hybrid approach that includes some of this business-community balance. I also wish DrupalCamps could find this local business connections approach beneficial, especially if we can open the middle and bottom of the pyramid to smaller budget customers.

The Federation Opportunity

During recent community discussions about the Federation initiative, I've emphasized that we're dealing with multiple chicken-and-egg situations. Regional conferences need international speakers for credibility, the Marketplace initiative for accessible business models, the Federation for institutional support, and Drupal CMS for simplified access. Each depends on the others.

 

Here's the paradox: everyone is resource-constrained right now, and these initiatives might not immediately solve everyone's problems. Yet without building this interconnected system, regional communities will remain dependent on wealthier markets indefinitely. We need to build this interconnected ecosystem when resources are scarce, even though skeptical communities don't see immediate benefits. Recent Federation discussions highlighted this when community members raised concerns about representation gaps, including regions like Africa that currently lack formal inclusion.

 

The Federation initiative represents a historic opportunity to move beyond the "we should do this" conversations toward systematic structures that actually enable global participation. Regional DrupalCons need institutional support, not just permission to proceed.

 

Think about what this could look like: DrupalCon Asia, LATAM, and Africa as ongoing initiatives with proper Federation support. Regional certification pathways that make economic sense for local markets. Partnership models that work for companies serving their regional markets.

Beyond Good Intentions

When I participated in recent Federation discussions, I saw genuine enthusiasm for addressing these challenges. People acknowledge the need. The question is whether we're ready to move from recognition to action.

 

I've spent years working on regional community building. From helping organize DrupalCon Bogotá 2015 to participating in the Colombian Drupal Association to implementing the IXP Initiative. Each experience has taught me that community enthusiasm is necessary but not sufficient. You need systematic support, proper incentive alignment, and institutional commitment.

 

I'm committed to contributing to these solutions, not just identifying the problems. The community has the opportunity to shape this transition, but only if we move beyond good intentions. The community has shown it can innovate when we combine good intentions with proper structure and resource commitment. The question is whether we're ready to apply that same approach to global representation and regional development.

 

The Drupal community has always been about building together. Now we need to make sure "together" actually includes everyone, not just those who already have the resources to participate on terms designed for the wealthiest markets. That's going to take more than good intentions. It's going to take intentional action. Join the Federation Working Group discussions. Advocate for regional representation. Help turn good intentions into systematic change.

Subject of Beyond Makers and Takers: Being a Faker in Open Source Running for the Drupal Association Board Again Because the Work Isn't Finished About Community First, Business Second, Build Everything with Drupal IXP Graduates from Initiative to Program: Companies Can Start Using It Now! Rebuilding Drupal's Ecosystem Pyramid: A Path to Sustainable Growth The Future of Drupal: Overcoming Challenges with Community Initiatives Author Carlos Ospina Abstract Community enthusiasm without systematic support fails to enable authentic global participation. The Federation initiative represents a historic opportunity to move beyond good intentions toward structures that actually enable regional representation and sustainable development in Drupal's global ecosystem. Tags drupal Drupal Planet community drupalcon global-representation international-federation drupal-association-board community-development drupal-leadership latin-america-drupal ixp-initiative federation-initiative regional-conferences Rating Select ratingGive Why Drupal's Global Community Needs More Than Good Intentions 1/5Give Why Drupal's Global Community Needs More Than Good Intentions 2/5Give Why Drupal's Global Community Needs More Than Good Intentions 3/5Give Why Drupal's Global Community Needs More Than Good Intentions 4/5Give Why Drupal's Global Community Needs More Than Good Intentions 5/5Cancel rating No votes yet Leave this field blank

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Who are you? (biography/background)

My name is Vladimir Roudakov. I'm from Brisbane, Australia, which has been home for over two decades. I'm a teacher, business owner, and software engineer.

I've been a strong advocate for open source for more than a decade, and I'm a co-organiser for local industry events like the WordPress meetup, Drupal code sprints, and DrupalSouth conferences. I'm an active contributor to Drupal's code, documentation, and community-building initiatives. You can see a list of my contributions on my  profile: https://www.drupal.org/u/vladimiraus.

I've also been working with local colleges to introduce the new generation to Drupal development and open source, leveraging the latest trends such as generative intelligence. I have a few insights on how we can better support open source newcomers.

I'm actively involved in other open source communities including Linux Australia, Gitlab, and WordPress, and I'm keen to share their ideas and approaches with the Drupal community.

Why are you running for a board seat at the Drupal Association? (mission/motivation)

My main motivation for running is to improve Drupal's educational impact and documentation. I'd love to have more resources at my disposal to bridge the gap between Drupal and academia, and I believe a board seat would provide the necessary access to those resources. This means building stronger awareness of the Drupal platform and its potential applications in educational settings, and of course, continuously improving Drupal's help resources.

Specifically, I'm passionate about:

• Promoting Drupal as the technology of choice in academia: I've seen firsthand, as a teacher, the challenges and opportunities of bringing Drupal into colleges and universities. I want to make it easier for students and educators to get started and continue with Drupal.

• Improving Drupal help and learning material: New students and teachers often struggle to find up-to-date Drupal tutorials, which is a major hurdle. I'm keen to tackle this head-on.

• Researching how to improve documentation for generative intelligence tools: With  AI tools becoming more prevalent, we need to ensure Drupal documentation is not only compatible but also leveraged effectively to stay current and helpful.

Why should members vote for you? (qualifications)

I'm actively working on the above initiatives. Here's why I reckon members should vote for me:

• Hands-on experience with documentation and education: I'm co-organising regular documentation and help sprints where teams are actively working to improve user guides, developer tutorials, and API documentation. I'm also working closely with local colleges to identify and address challenges in Drupal adoption within the academic environment.

• Cross-community insights: Being an active contributor to other open-source communities like Gitlab and WordPress has given me a fresh perspective on different approaches to community building and contributor recognition. As a Gitlab Hero, I've seen various initiatives to recognise contributors, including special events and MVP announcements. I'm eager to explore how we can apply similar successful strategies to the Drupal community.

• Understanding Drupal user needs: As an IT teacher, I get direct feedback from both teachers and students on what works and what doesn't when using Drupal and other CMS platforms. I use this insight to identify gaps in documentation and training materials, which I then work to improve.

• Commitment to the community: I've been contributing to Drupal.org for many years as both developer, teacher and organiser, curating regular training sessions, local meetups, and code sprints.

File attachments:  VladimirRoudakov.jpg

Who are you? (biography/background)

In 2009, I co-founded Zoocha, which has grown to become a global digital agency specialising in Drupal and working with clients including United Nations, University of Cambridge, Alzheimer’s Society and British Tourist Authority. With a team of over 90 incredible people, Zoocha is headquartered in the UK and has offices in Spain and Brazil.

Prior to Zoocha, I worked in digital product management and digital marketing, specialising in e-commerce.

I have been involved in the Drupal community for about 15 years and have been a regular speaker at Drupal events internationally. I have been a session reviewer for DrupalCons in Europe and North America for the last 5 years, more recently leading the Agency & Business track for DrupalCon Europe. I also lead the Drupal Swag Shop Working Group, am a director of Drupal England & Wales and DrupalCamp England and am active in the Network of European Drupal Agencies (NEDA), an initiative that is now collaborating with the DA on the plans for a ‘Drupal International Federation’.

I live in Cambridge (UK) with my wife, Anabel and our dog, Daisy. In my spare time, I play tennis and bridge.

https://www.drupal.org/u/zoocha-will

Why are you running for a board seat at the Drupal Association? (mission/motivation)

Growing the ‘Maker’ Community:
A significant contributor to Drupal’s success is the symbiotic relationship it has with digital agencies, and the Drupal Certified Partner (DCP) framework is a powerful enabler for future growth and success. With the launch of Drupal CMS and the initiative to scope a ‘marketplace’ platform, the maker community poised to enter a new era of growth and diversity. I am motivated by the desire to help answer 2 important questions:

1. How can we extend the reach of the Drupal brand and proposition to drive growth for DCP’s and generate sustainable revenues for Drupal?
2. What needs to happen to ensure ‘commercialization’ of Drupal does not negatively affect the community or the quality of the product?

Improving Transparency:
I count myself among the most passionate Drupal evangelists and believe the Drupal community to be a healthy, diverse and inclusive one. As the community grows and the governance of Drupal evolves, there will be new challenges to overcome and I am motivated by helping to overcome them. The challenges include:

• How can we improve collaboration and transparency of decision making as responsibilities are increasingly split between paid team members at the DA and community volunteers?
• Sharing the workload fairly. This is from two perspective:
  • not over burdening a small group of highly committed community members
  • not concentrating decision making and control in the hands of a few

Why should members vote for you? (qualifications)

The qualifications I want to highlight are centred around my industry and community insights. My experience in both client side (end user) and agency side roles gives me a rounded perspective of the CMS market, how it is navigated by buyers and how it is sold by agencies. Furthermore, with the UK (and Europe more widely) a significant market for Drupal, with strong growth prospects, I feel that representation on the board is important.

I also bring a community perspective, not only as one of the leaders of the Drupal community in England, but also through my leadership of teams in Spain and Brazil who are increasingly participating in their local Drupal communities.

File attachments:  willhuggins.jpg

Who are you? (biography/background)

Maya Schaeffer

Why are you running for a board seat at the Drupal Association? (mission/motivation)

I’m running for a seat on the board because I believe the Drupal community is in a powerful moment of transition—and opportunity. My mission is to contribute to a more inclusive and outward-facing Drupal ecosystem, where marketing, design, communications, and non-technical contributors feel a stronger sense of belonging.

As lead organizer of EvolveDrupal, I’ve helped rebuild the in-person side of the community post-pandemic, connecting over 1,000 attendees (40% from outside the traditional Drupal space) across eight events in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Atlanta, NYC, and Boston (upcoming June 2025). These summits have demonstrated the demand for cross-functional community spaces that showcase Drupal’s relevance across sectors.

I also want to actively contribute to the Promote Drupal initiative and help shape a Drupal Association that prioritizes clear storytelling, accessible entry points, and a strong pipeline for the next generation of users and contributors.

Why should members vote for you? (qualifications)

While I am relatively new to the Drupal community, I believe that’s part of the strength I bring. I offer a fresh, user-focused perspective—one that reflects the experience of many organizations and individuals just beginning their Drupal journey. And in practice, I’ve worked closely with longtime community leaders to make this perspective actionable.

• I’ve collaborated with Suzanne Dergacheva, a former DA board member and co-founder of Evolving Web, as well as partnered on community initiatives with Lynne Capozzi, Mike Herschel, and Nikhil Deshpande, among others.

• I serve as the lead organizer of EvolveDrupal, a summit series supported by Pantheon, Acquia, and the Drupal Association, designed to grow Drupal’s visibility and invite new contributors into the fold.

• At Evolving Web, a Drupal Certified Partner (Diamond Tier), I’ve represented the community at major industry events like Digital Collegium, while contributing to the broader mission of advancing multilingual, accessible, and open-source digital experiences.

If elected, I will bring community energy, strategic event leadership, and a deep commitment to building bridges—between disciplines, regions, and generations.

File attachments:  mayaheadshot.jpeg

Who are you? (biography/background)

Matt Glaman @mglaman

Mission/motivation 

My mission for joining the Drupal Association Board is to catalyze the growth and sustainability of the ecosystem by championing initiatives that empower open-source developers to build viable businesses, thereby ensuring Drupal's continued innovation and market relevance. A key, transformative driver for this is the successful implementation of a marketplace for Drupal site templates, as recently explored by Dries. This aligns perfectly with my long-held conviction that strong financial models for contributors are beneficial and essential for Drupal's future.

My motivation stems from a deep conviction that a robust financial model for contributors is critical for Drupal's future. This marketplace concept offers a powerful solution by:

• Generating sustainable revenue for open-source developers: This addresses the long-standing challenge of funding open-source work, providing a clear path for developers to be compensated for their valuable contributions.
• Attracting and retaining talent: When developers can build sustainable businesses around Drupal, the platform becomes a far more attractive choice for new and existing talent, fostering a vibrant and innovative community.

Qualifications/why

My 12 years of experience with Drupal, including six dedicated to Drupal Commerce and building a business directly funded by open-source development, gives me a unique perspective on the intersection of open source and commercial viability. I've personally experienced the challenges and opportunities in this space. Furthermore, my own exploration into solving open-source funding through gated releases, as documented on my blog, demonstrates my commitment to finding innovative solutions for the sustainability of our community.

I am eager to bring my practical experience and passionate advocacy for developer empowerment to the Drupal Association Board, working collaboratively to make the marketplace a reality and secure a prosperous future for Drupal.

Who are you? (biography/background)

I am Carlos Ospina,

I've been working with Drupal for over a decade, spending nearly ten years as a Technical Account Manager at Acquia where I helped organizations solve complex implementation challenges.

Drupal.org username: camoa

Why are you running for a board seat at the Drupal Association? (mission/motivation)

I'm running because I believe Drupal needs board leadership that understands how to build sustainable communities globally, especially in regions that haven't had representation before.

I've spent years working within the Drupal community in both Latin America and the United States. I helped organize DrupalCon Latin America back in 2015, and honestly, I want to bring more opportunities like that to LATAM and other regions that get overlooked.

The thing I'm most proud of is co-creating the IXP Initiative. We saw this fundamental problem - new developers couldn't get hired without experience, but couldn't get experience without being hired. So we built something to fix it. Working with other community members and the Drupal Association, we turned this idea into a real program. Now we have companies actually participating, offering structured pathways for new developers, and getting 250 contribution credits for each successful engagement.

What drives me is seeing how regional economic differences create both challenges and huge opportunities for Drupal. At the recent board meeting, I brought up how a $1,000 partnership fee that works in the US becomes impossible in countries where monthly minimum wage is $200-300. These aren't just numbers - they represent talented developers who want to contribute but need different pathways.

I also understand we need a sustainable Drupal Association that balances community needs with business realities. For example, when I proposed bringing back DrupalCon Latin America, I suggested adapting the fair-style event model common in our region - where organizations pay for exhibition spots and actively invite end users, creating genuine business opportunities alongside community building.

I've been writing about ways to help make contribution more economically sustainable. I have some ideas about how Drupal.org could better connect businesses with service providers and how we might adapt programs to work better across different economic regions.

Why should members vote for you? (qualifications)

I've learned through my TAM experience that sustainable growth happens when you understand these realities and build systems that work across different contexts. The IXP Initiative proves we can create programs that strengthen the entire ecosystem while addressing real problems people face.

My qualifications include:

- Nearly a decade as Technical Account Manager at Acquia

- Co-creator and leader of the IXP Initiative (now a functional DA program)

- Community organizer (DrupalCon Latin America 2015, ongoing LATAM community work)

- Active contributor across multiple community initiatives

My focus as a board member would be supporting community development globally, expanding talent pipeline programs like IXP, and ensuring board decisions balance community sustainability with business needs. I want to help build the infrastructure that lets communities everywhere contribute and grow while keeping the association financially sustainable.