My Vision for Drupal - Open, Innovative, and Radically Inclusive

matthew88236
Jun 9
2 min read

If you’ve known me in the Drupal community for any length of time, you know I don’t believe in sitting still. Drupal has always evolved — and if we want it to stay relevant, useful, and thriving, we need to guide that evolution with care and boldness.

My vision for Drupal is rooted in three things: innovation, inclusion, and interconnectedness.

Innovation, Done Responsibly

AI is changing how we work. Whether we like it or not, it’s here — and Drupal needs to have a seat at the table. Not just to keep up, but to lead in a way that aligns with open-source values: transparency, user control, sustainability, and ethics.

As AI Ambassador at amazee.io, I’ve been doing the hands-on work — from organizing community training and supporting an AI track at GovCon, to co-hosting webinars and creating demos that help people get started without needing to buy into hype or proprietary platforms. I’ve also contributed to the early momentum of the Drupal AI Initiative because I believe this work belongs to us, the community.

Inclusion That Goes Deeper

Inclusion can’t just be about having diverse faces on a slide. It needs to be about real, systemic participation. I’ve made neuroinclusion a core part of my leadership — not just by sharing my own story, but by creating space for others to show up as themselves.

I want a Drupal where autistic, ADHD, dyslexic, multiply-marginalized, and nontraditional contributors can thrive. That means universal design. That means valuing different kinds of communication and contribution. That means leadership that listens and adapts.

Strengthening Our Bridges

We’ve grown a lot as a community. But with that growth comes friction — between users and maintainers, between agencies and open-source contributors, between the community and the Association.

We need stronger bridges. The Board has a role in that — not to control the community, but to support the structures that connect us. I want to help reinforce those bridges and build a Drupal that moves as one ecosystem, not a collection of silos.

If you believe Drupal should keep evolving and stay grounded in our shared values, I’d love your support.