In this episode, host Nicole Huesman talks with Dr. Dawn Foster, director of data science at the CHAOSS Project, about her unexpected career journey from a farm in Ohio to becoming a leader in the tech industry. Despite initially pursuing teaching, Dawn changed course to computer science and found her passion in open source and data science.

She shares how her innate curiosity, grit, and willingness to step out of her comfort zone led her across roles like sysadmin, market researcher, and software developer at iconic companies like Intel, VMware, and Puppet Labs. Dawn's zigzagging path underscores that our background doesn't define our future, and makes a clarion call to boldly author our own story.

Through candid reflections, Dawn provides invaluable insights and hard-won wisdom about being visible about our accomplishments, asserting ourselves for opportunities, and most importantly, examining what makes us truly happy at work beyond just climbing corporate ladders. Her journey is a testament to the power of resilience, adaptability, and continuous learning, especially for women navigating careers.

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Show Notes:
00:00 Welcome to She Lights the Way
00:27 Meet Dr. Dawn Foster: From Farm to Data Science
00:55 The Unconventional Journey to Tech and Business
03:01 Dawn's Impactful Career in Open Source and Beyond
05:20 Embracing Opportunities and Learning Along the Way
15:45 The Power of Mentorship and Advocacy
17:45 Dawn's Proudest Moments and Key Learnings
25:08 She Lights the Way: Being a Beacon for Others
27:35 Wrapping Up: The Journey Continues

Guest Bio:
Dawn leads the data science initiative for the CHAOSS project where she is also a Governing Board member / maintainer. Dawn is an OpenUK board member and co-chair of the Contributor Strategy Technical Advisory Group for the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF).

Dawn has 20+ years of experience working in open source positions at companies like VMware, Intel and Puppet Labs with expertise in managing people, open source strategy, building new communities, and managing existing communities with a particular emphasis on developer and open source communities. She has held a wide range of roles over the years, including UNIX system administrator, researcher, consultant, strategist, director / manager, and more.

Dawn holds a PhD from the University of Greenwich, an MBA from Ashland University, and a BS in Computer Science from Kent State University. Dawn blogs about online communities as the author of the Fast Wonder Blog, and she's blogged for The New Stack, Linux.com, GigaOM’s WebWorkerDaily, and in various other places.

She has done over a hundred talks at industry events, including many Linux Foundation events, KubeCon, OSCON, SXSW, FOSDEM and more. In her spare time, she enjoys reading science fiction, running, traveling and finding the best vegan delicacies in the many places she visits.

Learn more about Dawn’s work and connect with her:
Website
GitHub
LinkedIn
Twitter/X
Mastodon