enh(blog): post on EC rotation and update contribs (#708)

* enh(blog): post on EC rotation and update contribs

* fix: image

Author: lwasser

_data/contributors.yml

@@ -44,13 +44,11 @@
   packages_reviewed:
   location: United States
   email: [email protected]
-- name: Tracy Teal
-  github_username: tracykteal
-  github_image_id: 889238
-  title:
-    - Board chair
-    - Executive Council
-  sort: 2
+- name: Karen Cranston
+  github_username: kcranston
+  github_image_id: 312034
+  title: Executive Council
+  sort: 3
   bio:
   organization:
   date_added: '2022-11-09'
@@ -59,24 +57,24 @@
   emeritus_editor: false
   advisory: false
   emeritus_advisory: false
-  twitter:
+  twitter: kcranstn
   mastodon:
   orcidid:
   partners:
-  website:
+  website: https://karencranston.ca/
   board: true
   contributor_type:
     - leadership
-    - web-contrib
+    - package-guide
   packages_eic:
   packages_editor:
   packages_submitted:
   packages_reviewed:
-  location:
-  email: tkteal@gmail.com
-- name: Karen Cranston
-  github_username: kcranston
-  github_image_id: 312034
+  location: Ottawa, ON
+  email: karen.cranston@gmail.com
+- name: April Johnson
+  github_username: aprilmj
+  github_image_id: 147750733
   title: Executive Council
   sort: 3
   bio:
@@ -87,21 +85,50 @@
   emeritus_editor: false
   advisory: false
   emeritus_advisory: false
-  twitter: kcranstn
+  twitter:
   mastodon:
   orcidid:
   partners:
-  website: https://karencranston.ca/
+  website: https://www.apriljohnson.io/
   board: true
   contributor_type:
     - leadership
-    - package-guide
   packages_eic:
   packages_editor:
   packages_submitted:
   packages_reviewed:
-  location: Ottawa, ON
-  email: [email protected]
+  location:
+  email:
+- name: Tracy Teal
+  github_username: tracykteal
+  github_image_id: 889238
+  title:
+    - Emeritus Board chair
+    - Emeritus Executive Council
+  sort:
+  bio:
+  organization:
+  date_added: '2022-11-09'
+  deia_advisory: false
+  editorial_board: false
+  emeritus_editor: false
+  advisory: false
+  emeritus_advisory: true
+  twitter:
+  mastodon:
+  orcidid:
+  partners:
+  website:
+  board: false
+  contributor_type:
+    - leadership
+    - web-contrib
+  packages_eic:
+  packages_editor:
+  packages_submitted:
+  packages_reviewed:
+  location:
+  email: [email protected]
 - name: Carol Willing
   github_username: willingc
   github_image_id: 2680980
@@ -9986,10 +10013,10 @@
 - name: Mandy Moore
   github_username: therubyrep
   github_image_id: 2262962
-  title:
-  sort:
+  title: Communications Lead
+  sort: 4
   bio: Independent social media marketer and audio and video production expert
-  organization:
+  organization: pyOpenSci
   date_added: '2025-07-25'
   deia_advisory: false
   editorial_board: false

_pages/contributors.md

@@ -30,7 +30,8 @@ by an expert team of volunteer advisory members who help steer the direction of
 
 {: .clearall }
 
-## PyOpenSci advisory council
+
+## pyOpenSci advisory council
 
 {: .clearall }
 
@@ -49,29 +50,46 @@ the organization.
 {% endfor %}
 </div>
 
-{: .clearall }
 {: .clearall }
 
-## Emeritus advisory council
+## Emeritus advisory and executive  council
 
 {: .clearall }
 
 We are grateful for the time that these community members spent on our
-advisory council.
+leadership councils.
 
 {% assign emeritus_advisory = site.data.contributors | where:"emeritus_advisory", true %}
 
-<div class="grid" style="width:50%">
+<div class="grid">
 {% for aperson in emeritus_advisory %}
   {{ aperson.person_name }}
     {% include people-grid.html  %}
 {% endfor %}
 </div>
 
 {: .clearall }
+
+
+
+## pyOpenSci editorial board
+
+{: .clearall }
+{: .clearall }
+
+{% assign editorial = site.data.contributors | where:"editorial_board", true %}
+
+<div class="grid">
+{% for aperson in editorial %}
+  {{ aperson.person_name }}
+    {% include people-grid.html  %}
+{% endfor %}
+</div>
+
+{: .clearall }
 {: .clearall }
 
-## PyOpenSci community contributors
+## pyOpenSci community contributors
 
 {: .clearall }
 {: .clearall }

_posts/2025-08-14-pyopensci-executive-council-rototation.md

@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+---
+layout: single
+title: "Succession is Success: pyOpenSci's Executive Council Transition Marks Organizational Maturity"
+excerpt: "The Executive Council drives pyOpenSci's mission and vision. Learn more about how the council works, and about the current rotation that is happening as our board chair steps down and another member joins us marking a milestone of incredible growth for pyOpenSci."
+author: "pyopensci"
+permalink: /blog/pyopensci-bof-community-scipy-2025.html
+header:
+  overlay_image: images/headers/pyopensci-floral.png
+categories:
+  - blog-post
+  - community
+classes: wide
+toc: true
+comments: true
+last_modified: 2025-08-05
+---
+
+When an organization successfully navigates its first leadership transition, it's a milestone worth celebrating. It demonstrates that the structures, processes, and culture you've built are strong enough to endure beyond any single individual. We've seen these transitions happening in our [Editorial Board](https://www.pyopensci.org/handbook/governance/structure.html#peer-review-editorial-board) over the past 3 years. Today, we're proud to announce pyOpenSci's first [Executive Council](https://www.pyopensci.org/handbook/governance/executive-council.html#pyopensci-executive-council) transition—a sign of our organization's growth and maturity.
+
+<figure>
+  <picture>
+  <source srcset="{{ site.baseurl }}/images/blog/2025/executive-council-rotation-tracy.webp" type="image/webp">
+  <img src="{{ site.baseurl }}/images/blog/2025/executive-council-rotation-tracy.png" alt="A graphic that says --Tracy Teal has completed a 3 year term as Executive Council Chair. We are grateful for the expertise, time and effort Tracy has put into the strategic vision for pyOpenSci.We also are grateful to Karen Cranston for stepping into the Executive Council chair position. And we welcome April Johnson as our newest Executive Council member!A timeline showing the growth of pyOpenSci from 2019 to 2024. It also has images of 3 women, Tracy, Karen and April on it on the right." style="width: 80%;">
+  </picture>
+</figure>
+
+As founding Executive Council Chair **Tracy Teal** transitions from her leadership role after three transformative years, we're excited to welcome **Karen Cranston** as our new Executive Council Chair and **April Johnson** as a new Executive Council member. This transition represents not just changing leadership, but the successful maturation of pyOpenSci as an organization.
+
+## <i class="fa-solid fa-seedling"></i> From grassroots vision to established organization
+
+pyOpenSci began in 2018 as a passion project born from engagement in the Python, open source community. As a volunteer who deeply cared about scientific open source software, I saw numerous pain points in how the Python scientific community approached software quality and sustainability. We brought together a small group of [like-minded open source leaders](https://www.pyopensci.org/handbook/reference/index.html) to pilot what [peer review of scientific Python software](https://www.pyopensci.org/about-peer-review/index.html) could look like—creating something that didn't exist but was clearly needed.
+
+Five years later, our grassroots effort had evolved into something much larger. In 2022, with Sloan Foundation funding secured, we transitioned to fiscal sponsorship under the 501(c)(3) fiscal host, Community Initiatives, establishing pyOpenSci as an independent, fiscally-sponsored project. This transition marked our transformation from a purely volunteer-driven initiative to a structured organization with [formal governance](https://www.pyopensci.org/handbook/governance/structure.html), funding, and accountability structures.
+
+## <i class="fa-solid fa-sitemap"></i> Building strong governance: The Executive Council's role
+
+The [pyOpenSci Executive Council](https://www.pyopensci.org/handbook/governance/executive-council.html) was founded in 2022 as the cornerstone of our governance structure. The Council provides strategic oversight, organizational guidance, and accountability while serving as ambassadors for our mission and as a support system for our [Executive Director](https://www.pyopensci.org/handbook/governance/structure.html#executive-director). Working alongside our [Advisory Council](https://www.pyopensci.org/handbook/governance/structure.html#advisory-council), which offers domain-specific expertise, this governance structure has been instrumental in our steady growth.
+
+## <i class="fa-solid fa-star"></i> Three years of shared accomplishments
+
+Under Tracy's leadership as our founding Executive Council (EC) Chair, the EC has achieved remarkable milestones over the past three years. Together, we:
+
+* **Established our foundational identity:** Crafted a [powerful mission](https://www.pyopensci.org/handbook/governance/mission-values.html#mission-vision-and-values) while directing the vision and values of our organization that guide our work together.
+* **Built robust governance structures:** Created transparent decision-making processes and accountability mechanisms.
+* **Fostered a healthier and inclusive community:** Implemented a comprehensive [code of conduct](https://www.pyopensci.org/handbook/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.html) with clear procedures that support inclusive community engagement.
+* **Secured sustainable funding:** We have also secured [over $1,000,000 in funding](https://www.pyopensci.org/blog/czi-funds-pyOpenSci-2024.html) while building relationships for future support.
+
+These achievements reflect the successful synergy between Executive Council members who brought diverse expertise in nonprofit management, open source communities, and scientific software development to guide our strategic direction.
+
+## <i class="fa-solid fa-leaf"></i> Celebrating transition: a sign of success
+
+Three years into our journey as an independent organization, this Executive Council transition marks a milestone we're celebrating as a symbol of organizational maturity and success.
+
+Tracy's non profit leadership experience, strategic vision and steady guidance have been foundational to everything we've accomplished—from establishing our governance structures to guiding us through the critical early years of organizational development. As she transitions from her EC Chair role, we're deeply grateful for the strong foundation she's helped build.
+
+**Karen Cranston** will continue to serve on the pyOpenSci leadership team, moving into the role of EC Chair. Karen brings extensive experience in open science, having served in leadership roles at organizations such as [The Carpentries](https://carpentries.org/) and the [Open Bioinformatics Foundation](https://www.open-bio.org/) that bridge community, research and data science. Karen’s deep understanding of both the scientific community and organizational development makes her ideally suited to guide pyOpenSci through our next phase of growth.
+
+We're also thrilled to welcome **April Johnson** to our Executive Council. April brings invaluable expertise as a technology executive and consultant to humanities and civil rights nonprofits, most recently as [People Lead at 2i2c](https://2i2c.org/) and as Board Chair for [He She Ze & We](https://heshezewe.org/). Her experience in organizational development and people-centered leadership will be crucial as we continue to scale our community, work on sustainability, and impact.
+
+## <i class="fa-brands fa-pagelines"></i> What this maturity enables
+
+This successful transition demonstrates that pyOpenSci has evolved into a growing, sustainable organization. Succession is success as it demonstrates that we've built something larger than any individual contributor—with proven governance structures, institutional knowledge, and a thriving community that transcends leadership changes.
+
+As we move forward under Karen and April's guidance, we're excited about our next chapter. This includes a strategic focus on sustainability—thoughtfully considering how we generate revenue as an organization, and ways we can scale that also support long-term sustainability. We're also exploring deeper collaborations with aligned communities like [rOpenSci](https://ropensci.org/), [PREreview](https://prereview.org/), [The Carpentries](https://carpentries.org/), and [Open Life Science](https://openlifesci.org/).
+
+This transition positions us to take on bigger challenges, expand our impact on the scientific Python ecosystem, and continue building the future of open scientific software. We can't wait to see what comes next!
+
+
+<div class="notice" markdown="1">
+
+## Connect with us!
+
+There are lots of ways to get involved if you are interested\!
+
+* If you read through our lessons and want to suggest changes, open an issue in our [lessons repository here](https://github.com/pyOpenSci/lessons).
+* [Volunteer to be a reviewer for pyOpenSci’s software review process](https://docs.google.com/forms/u/6/d/e/1FAIpQLSeVf-L_1-jYeO84OvEE8UemEoCmIiD5ddP_aO8S90vb7srADQ/viewform?usp=send_form).
+* [Submit a scientific Python package to pyOpenSci for peer review.](https://www.pyopensci.org/software-peer-review/how-to/author-guide.html#submit-your-package-for-peer-review)
+* [Donate to pyOpenSci](https://give.communityin.org/pyopensci_2024?ref=ab_0sHhtifYvgR0sHhtifYvgR) to support scholarships for future training events and the development of new learning content.
+* Check out our [volunteer page](https://www.pyopensci.org/volunteer.html) for other ways to get involved.
+
+You can also:
+
+* Keep an eye on our [events page](https://www.pyopensci.org/events/index.html) for upcoming training events.
+
+Follow us on social platforms:
+
+* [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/yYyDFP2BcP)
+* [Mastodon](https://fosstodon.org/@pyopensci)
+* [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/pyopensci.org)
+* [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/pyopensci/)
+* [GitHub](https://github.com/pyOpenSci)
+
+If you are on LinkedIn, check out and [subscribe to our newsletter](https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7179551305344933888/?displayConfirmation=true), too.
+
+</div>