Reminder: Opinions are my own.
There are four candidates running for three Board of Director positions this year (in alpha order):
- Ryan Adams
- Argenis Ferndandez
- Tim Ford
- Jen Stirrup
You can read more about each candidate through links on PASS’ Elections page here. I do know all four candidates personally – some a bit better than others – and I know that they are all great individuals who have all contributed in numerous ways to the SQL Server Community over the years.
But this post is specifically about Ryan Adams and why he’ll be getting my vote for a Board of Directors position. I support Ryan because I don’t just know him, I have worked with him. I had two opportunities to work closely with Ryan in the last three years on PASS-related teams.
I first got to know Ryan in late 2011 when I took over the PASS Performance Virtual Chapter. I put out a call for volunteers in November 2011 to help run the team. Ryan applied with the intention of managing the web site , but I recognized that he came to the group with a lot of experience already (at that time he was on the board for the North Texas User Group, he was a Regional Mentor, and he was helping to organize SQLRally), and I needed to leverage that. I convinced him to handle marketing for the group, and though we didn’t know each other well in the beginning, our small team came together through regular conference calls. We all had different responsibilities, and we were off and running. We created (in my opinion) a very solid VC over the course of the year. Ryan was an integral part of that success. He created his own goals and figured out how to meet them. He set up new avenues for marketing the VC meetings, and came up with some great ideas along the way, including the Performance Palooza. We held the first one in December of 2012, and the Palooza has continued to this day for the Performance VC (its attendance this year grew 175% compared to last year).
At the end of 2012 I stepped down from running the team, as I had only committed to a year, and I also felt it was good for someone to have another opportunity in a leadership position. Ryan stepped forward without hesitation; he was a natural fit. This was confirmed when we finally met in person at the 2012 PASS Summit for a dinner to celebrate our year, and Ryan was already thinking ahead to 2013 and making plans. Ryan has continued to run that group and it has continued to grow over the years, now averaging 200-300 attendees per session.
I again worked with Ryan in 2013 when we were both members of the PASS Nomination Committee. I was again impressed. The NomCom requires its members to review applications by a specific date, and also attend meetings and candidate interviews. Collectively, we all tried to meet deadlines and attend every meeting – I’m not sure that Ryan missed any. During our candidate interviews Ryan asked thoughtful questions, and provided great insight and evaluation during our follow up discussions. Post-nominations, he gave critical consideration to the process that we went through provided both big-picture and detailed analysis of it, contributing to the changes that occurred for our nominating committee and the next.
In the last three years I have watched Ryan continue to contribute to the community through his volunteer responsibilities and his speaking. He’s become a solid speaker, presenting at many SQL Saturdays and the PASS Summit. He is comfortable in front of large and small groups and has excellent written and verbal communication skills. He has in-depth knowledge about PASS and how it works, which he’s been accruing since he started helping out the North Texas User Group all those years ago. Ryan has the ability to take on projects and responsibilities, take action, and see them through the end. He gets thing done. He has a positive attitude and he’s a critical thinker. I know Ryan would be a solid member of the PASS Board of Directors, and it’s been a privilege to watch him grow as a leader within our community.
Best of luck to all the candidates in this year’s election, and I encourage every voting PASS member to take time to learn about each candidate so you can vote based on data. Read through each candidate’s page on the PASS site, and if you still have questions, visit the election forum and/or attend the Town Hall and Twitter chat events. The board makes a lot of decisions that affect the SQL Server community – it’s a good idea to know who’s representing you.