Bryant's deep appreciation of Open Source models and culture comes from 20+ years of leadership in open source organizations
DUBLIN, Sept. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- OPEN SOURCE SUMMIT—The role of US Policy Director for the Open Source Initiative (OSI) will be led by veteran open source policy expert Deb Bryant, effective immediately. Bryant's role will complement OSI policy and standards efforts led in Europe by long-time OSI board member Simon Phipps.
Having served a decade in state government as a civil servant and as a Deputy State CIO, Bryant was an early adopter of open standards and Open Source, and helped build one of the world's pioneering open-source labs at Oregon State University. She has conducted and published research and consulted with US and other governments as a trusted advisor on adoption of Open Source. Most recently, Bryant built and led one of the world's largest and most influential Open Source Program Offices (OSPO) at Red Hat for eight years.
Bryant's role at OSI will focus on working with the leadership team to form public advocacy and education programming to help policymakers and elected officials design and implement regulations and legislation that fully reflect and support the role Open Source plays in free and open economies.
In addition to eight years of prior service on the OSI board of directors, Bryant's advisory roles in Open Source include the Open Source Elections Technology (OSET) Foundation, OASIS Open Project, Brandeis University Open Technology Management program, Democracy Lab, and the Eclipse Foundation. Her published research includes The Use of Open Source in Cybersecurity in the Energy Industry and Collaborative Models for Creating Software in the Public Sector. In 2010 Bryant was honored with the O'Reilly Media Open Source Award in recognition of her contribution to open source communities and for her pioneering advocacy of open standards and the use of open-source software in the public sector.
"In hearing OSI's early stories by its original board members, I learned they'd been surprised by governments seeking their help in understanding Open Source," said Bryant. "These public-sector agencies consulted with the OSI on how and where Open Source software might play a role in their public mission. Governmental agencies rely upon non-profits—such as the OSI, that are neutral in their financial interests and chartered to serve the public good by their very definition—to assist in shaping public policy. Today, that need is more urgent than ever."
"Our mission at OSI is to educate about and encourage participation in Open Source software communities," said Stefano Maffulli, executive director of the OSI. "It can be tempting to conclude that, because Open Source is so widely adopted, that we've fulfilled that mission. But that growth and adoption means that the need for what we do is greater now than ever. To get there, OSI must be an asset that policy makers can rely upon for accurate information about the role of and case for Open Source. Deb's decades of experience make her the ideal choice to take on the challenge of leading that effort, and we could not be more excited about her joining the OSI leadership team."
About the Open Source Initiative
The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is the steward of the Open Source Definition, setting the foundation for the global open source ecosystem. Founded in 1998, OSI protects and promotes open source software, development and communities, championing software freedom in society through education, collaboration and infrastructure. The OSI is a public charity, and anyone interested in supporting the defense of Open Source Definitions can join today at https://join.opensource.org.
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