About Me

I have been participating in the Ubuntu Community for a few years now. I have been extremely fortunate to make some great friends and meet amazing people.

I am embarking on the adventure of self-employment, as an "Independent IT Consultant"...I fix computers and enjoy teaching people how to use them!

I have a lot of random things set up on my home computers, and I'm constantly learning new things and tweaking them so they do what I need.

I'm not a programmer, I use GUI (more than command-line), I'm generally able to explain things in non-technical terms, and I am proud of it!

Ubuntu Participation

I have run and co-run sessions for UbuntuOpenWeek and UserDays. I'm still getting the hang of doing sessions, but I'm getting there. (Open Week: Getting Started with Gnucash, User Days: Tips and Tricks for Multi-Booters, Open Week: Have you tried turning it off and on again?)

I am the ReLoCo lead and founder in Mansfield, Ohio, part of the OhioTeam, and recently elected to the Ohio LoCo's Council.

I was also recently elected to the UbuntuWomen leadership team.

I pretty much live on IRC whenever my computer is on, and I try to help anyone I can.

I attended UDS-O in Budapest, thanks to the amazing gift of sponsorship from Canonical, and the wonderful support of those who helped encourage me to apply, helped me with my application, and even helped me pay for my passport! I had an awesome time, met so many people, and learned a TON about all of the work that goes into creating Ubuntu and maintaining the community.

Delivered a presentation during Ubuntu Community week on behalf of Paul Tagliamonte http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/07/21/%23ubuntu-classroom.html

I have been the primary organizer of the Ubuntu-Women CareerDays (with amazing support from fellow team members).

Projects

• OhioTeam LoCo

  UbuntuWomen

  Accessibility Team

  Ubuntu NGO Team

Future Aim In Community

My primary goal for future cycles is raising visibility for each of the projects I'm involved in (as well as participating in other ways). I think that there are amazing people who would love to help and participate, and they have no idea some of these groups exist. I want to help new people find the teams that fit their passions, and I think that I will be able to offer insight into some of these things since I have come into the Ubuntu world from a slightly different angle than many others.

Testimonials

• I support and endorse Cheri's application for Ubuntu Membership. It's frankly overdue. She has proven more then an asset to Ubuntu Ohio, taking up leadership roles with pride. She contributed very positively at the last UDS, and I have nothing but the greatest of respect for her. Please consider her application favorably. -- paultag 2011-07-22 22:20:57

• I support Cheri's application for Ubuntu Membership, she has been a very positive member of the IRC channels I have seen her on, including #ubuntu-accessibility. I think her contribution has certainly been sustained and significant, both in terms of participation in the core community and her work to promote Ubuntu in the local community through her consultancy business. -- alanbell 2011-08-02 15:36:04

• Cheri has been helpful in Ubuntu Women and Ubuntu Accessibility. She and I are working together on more accessible names for widgets in Ubiquity. She's offered to host a few members of Ubuntu Women at her home in Ohio so more of the community can attend large FOSS community events such as Ohio LinuxFest. And that's not even touching what she's done to get the Ohio LoCo going. -- maco.m 2011-08-05 17:51:27

• When I was helping organize the Ubuntu Open Week in October, Cheri along with Jessica volunteered to lead a session. She has been involved with various activities of the classroom team and recently even stood-in for paultag when he was unavailable (with just a few hours of preparation). In the next few months, I've seen her help in Ubuntu Women and Ubuntu Accessibility and I know she's doing a great job! Her recent election to be one of Ubuntu Women's leaders will attest to that. In her own LoCo, Cheri helps organize Ubuntu Hours, which is not always an easy thing to do. In addition to all this, at UDS-O, she provided valuable insights during the various sessions that I saw her participate. I wholeheartedly recommend Cheri for Ubuntu membership! -- nigelbabu 2011-09-03 05:13:54

• I had the opportunity to meet and hang out with Cheri during UDS-O in Budapest, she's certainly very active in both the global community as well as promoting Ubuntu in her own local community. I would definitely recommend her for Ubuntu membership. -- mhall119 2011-09-06 02:57:43

• Cheri has helped with classroom sessions, organizes Ubuntu Hours, attended last UDS, was recently elected to Ubuntu Women Project leadership, and more. She is quite knowledgeable and helpful. She'd make a great Ubuntu member! -- jledbetter 2011-09-06 14:54:51

• I've worked with Cheri on both Ubuntu Women and the Accessibility Team over the past year. She does great work and is ready to volunteer when something needs to get done. She's also very good at working to help new users and in connecting with all sorts of members of the community. -- pendulum 2011-09-06 17:10:13