2026 DSF Board of Directors

Writing with Gratitude and a Sense of Responsibility,

I am excited to share that I have been elected to serve on the 2026 Board of Directors of the Django Software Foundation. I find myself feeling determined to contribute, truly honored for the trust extended to me, and deeply mindful of the responsibility that lies ahead.

About 2026 DSF Board Elections

The Django Software Foundation (DSF) is a community-centered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to supporting, promoting, protecting, and advancing the Django Web Framework.

The DSF Board is elected by Django Individual Members. This year, the nomination window spanned from October 11, 2025 to October 31, 2025, as outlined in the announcement: 2026 Board Nominations.

After a short while, candidate statements were published, including my own statement, where I shared my motivations and areas of focus.

My candidature is stated word-by-word as follows:

I’m Priya Pahwa (she/her), an Indian woman who found both community and confidence through Django. I work as a Software Engineer (Backend and DevOps) at a fintech startup and love volunteering in community spaces. From leading student communities as a GitHub Campus Expert to contributing as a GitHub Octern and supporting initiatives in the Django ecosystem, open-source is an integral part of my journey as a developer.

My belonging to the Django community has been shaped by serving as the Session Organizer of the global Djangonaut Space program, where I work closely with contributors and mentors from diverse geographies, cultures, age groups, and both coding and non-coding backgrounds. Being part of the organizing team for Sessions 3, 4, and ongoing 5, each experience has evolved my approach towards better intentional community stewardship and collaboration.

I also serve as Co-Chair of the DSF Fundraising Working Group since its formation in mid-2024. As we enter the execution phase, we are focused on establishing additional long-term funding streams for the DSF. I intend to continue this work by:

• Running sustained fundraising campaigns rather than one-off appeals
• Building corporate sponsorship relationships for major donations
• Focusing on the funding of the Executive Director for financial resilience

My commitment to a supportive ecosystem guides my work. I am a strong advocate of psychological safety in open-source, a topic I’ve publicly talked about (“Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast” at PyCon Greece and DjangoCongress Japan). This belief led me to join the DSF Code of Conduct Working Group because the health of a community is determined not only by who joins, but by who feels able to stay.

If elected to the board, I will focus on:

• Moving fundraising WG from “effort” to infrastructure (already moving in the direction by forming the DSF prospectus)
• Initiating conference travel grants to lower barriers and increase participation for active community members
• Strengthening cross-functional working groups’ collaboration to reduce organizational silos
• Designing inclusive contributor lifecycles to support pauses for caregiving or career breaks
• Highlighting diverse user stories and clearer “here’s how to get involved” community pathways
• Amplifying DSF’s public presence and impact through digital marketing strategies

Voting opened on November 6 and closed on November 26, 2025. Throughout the process, I was reminded that the Foundation’s work is shaped by many people working together; candidates who put themselves forward, members who took the time to vote, and volunteers who help keep everything moving. It highlighted how much there is to learn from the many perspectives involved.

When the Foundation published the 2026 DSF Board Election Results confirming the new Board, including my election, I saw this as an incredible opportunity to contribute in ways that welcome diversity, encourage inclusion, and make space for different voices to participate in shaping the community’s future. I hope to do justice to the role in a way that reflects that all.

Once the Board of Directors were elected by DSF Members, the Board unanimously elected officers for 2026. I’m beyond grateful to serve as Secretary. The responsibilities of the role are outlined in the Section 7.8. of the DSF bylaws.

Announcement Blog: Introducing the 2026 DSF Board

Looking Ahead

I’m stepping into the year aware that there is a lot to learn, and equally a lot to be accountable for. My intention is to show up consistently and contribute in ways that serve the Foundation and the broader Django community well.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the process, voted, and supported the work of the Foundation. Looking ahead to serving on the Board with care, steadiness, and commitment. 💚

Monthly Board meeting minutes will be found at dsf-minutes.