I’ve been the OpenStack Neutron for 3 releases in a row. I started in Juno, was re-elected for Kilo, and then again for Liberty. This time, I’m no longer running to be the Neutron PTL anymore. I am really proud of what the team has accomplished while I was the PTL. I’m proud of not only the technical achievements, but also the community building and societal changes Neutron has undergone. All of this was accomplished with the help of some amazing people who likely spent as much time ensuring Neutron was a healthy place for new developers as they did fixing bugs and adding features. (Note to those who were a part of this: It was all worth it, and everyone new to Neutron thanks you for your efforts over the past one and a half years).

One thing which has really crystallized for me during my time as PTL is how important it is to always treat people with respect and integrity. It’s easy to sit behind a computer and forget there are actual human beings behind the bug report you’re reading when it doesn’t have enough information or when the gerrit review you’re staring at lacks unit tests. But as Open Source developers and more importantly as human beings ourselves, we can’t forget the bug report was filed by someone who is trying to help, or the code review was maybe submitted by a first time contributor. At the end of the day, we’re all people who are engaging with other people. Respect and integrity are what keep the system moving smoothly. They allow the web of trust Open Source relies on to be effective.

While I may be gone from the PTL role in Neutron, I plan to remain engaged in the Neutron and OpenStack communities. I’m confident the next PTL will be someone amazing, because Neutron has a deep bench of leadership and a community which will welcome a new PTL and work together to make that person effective. I look forward to what amazing things are to come for OpenStack and Neutron.