WordCamp Lancaster is just 43 days away, and we’re overdue to introduce ourselves! Please join me as I tell the story of how we all met, who we are, and what we’re working on for WordCamp Lancaster.
Here we are during a meeting, in which we discussed cupcake logistics, the feasibility of qubits and general quantum computing in contemporary consumer electronics within our lifetime, and various conference matters, such as the after-party, and some design elements we’re working on for the amazing, wonderful, groundbreaking attendee gift we have planned. We agreed to take one or two photos. As you can see, we work hard.
As you can see, we are very serious and dislike joking most of the time.
However, we also play hard – to a degree which is, at times, equal to – but does not exceed – the degree to which we work. Here we are having a large amount of fun and displaying gesticulations and/or facial expressions that are consistent with fun and/or fun-like experiences:
Left to right, top to bottom: Bri either laughing or consumed with regret for having become an organizer, Dustin indicating he has experienced all the fun he requires at that time, Lauren affirming fun-status with a pragmatic head-tilt-and-hands-on-hips, George singing various Japanese pop top-20 songs, Rami attempting to match Lauren’s pose (he can’t bend his neck due to JavaScript), Austin ponders the awesome scale of the cosmos.
Here’s a bit more details about us, in alphabetical order:
Austin Ginder
Austin is a three-time Go Fish card game world champion, and the founder of Anchor Host.
He works at the Candy Factory – where we’re having our contributor day on Sunday March 6th – and is heading up venue planning this year as the Viscount of Venues.
Bri Piccari
Bri is a four-time Go Fish card game world champion, and the President of AIGA Central Pennsylvania.
Bri is our Duchess of Design + Princess of Printing, and along with Rami, is one of our Party Popes.
Dustin Leer
Dustin is a five-time Go Fish card game world champion, and is a developer from Lancaster PA. He also made four custom Wapuu for WordCamp Lancaster this year, which are all wonderful (two of them are below).
Dustin is our venerable Viscount of Volunteers.
George Stephanis
George is a six-time Go Fish card game world champion, and is a squad lead for Jetpack at Automattic. George served as lead organizer for prior years of WordCamp Lancaster, and is our Taewang of Travel + Safety Sultan + Wifi Whisperer this year.
Lauren Pittenger
Lauren is a seven-time Go Fish card game world champion, and is a designer/developer at LBDesign.
Lauren is the Sultana of Sponsors + Viceroy of Swag.
Rami Abraham
Rami is the developer lead of Maintainn at WebDev Studios. Rami has never played Go Fish.
Rami is the Assistant to the Janitor, and I guess also the lead organizer if you want to be technical about it.
Organizer Emeritus: Mary Waldman
Mary was an amazing organizer; friendly, and talented, she was a member of our team in prior years, but has since needed to commit more time to other engagements.
We list Mary here in gratitude of her service.
Perhaps the most startling and magical coincidence about the 2016 organizing team is that, in a sense, we’ve all met before, through our parents.
When researching all six of us for this post, I found out that all of our parents – together – were the 1951 organizing team of WordCamp Lancaster! Wow – what are the chances? I dug around some more in George’s basement when no one was home and I found this photograph:
Archival official very official photograph of actual event: 1951 WordCamp Lancaster Organizing Committee. SOURCE: National Associated Association of Associates [official]
Close-up of 1951 WordCamp Lancaster Organizing Committee. (official)
Note: We’re still exploring how this is possible, since WordPress didn’t exist until 2003.
In closing – thanks for reading, and on behalf of us all –
Welcome to WordCamp Lancaster!
Rami Abraham
Organizer