Abstract
I have been working in the Internet operations community for several decades, and actively involved in the RIPE community for most of that. While I'm aware that makes me very much part of the "old guard" that has long influenced and skewed our demographics, affairs, policies and culture, it's also been a journey of personal evolution and discovery as I bring some other perspectives. This presentation is a tale of that journey, with hopefully some experiences and insights that may be of value to others.
Participation in the RIPE community has been an ongoing source of personal and professional development for me, and given me a safe place for self-discovery and -expression, enriched and supported by our uniquely welcoming community.
Beyond being a member of the "old guard", I identify as "Bi-Gendered" and a feminist, and bring some perspectives of representing and realizing that whole self in a professional environment.
I also have some (hopefully constructive) insights on participation in our community as a hearing impaired person, an immigrant, and on attitudes towards aging in the wider tech industry.
Recording
Video will be added soon.Speaker
Keith Mitchell
Keith, who also sometimes shows up as Keira, is currently "mostly retired" but still seeking to make a useful contribution to our community, including as DNS-OARC's Company Secretary and on the RIPE NCC Arbiters' panel. From 2008 until 2012 keith served as Vice President of Systems Engineering at the Internet Systems Consortium, where he had responsibility for ISC's infrastructure and open-source software development. This included operation of ISC's F-root, DNS and public benefit hosting network infrastructure. Prior to this at ISC he managed the OARC programme for DNS operators, returning in 2012 to serve as President of the now-autonomous nonprofit OARC Inc until 2023. Before moving to the US, Keith conceived the UK Network Operators' Forum UKNOF in 2005, and led this for 58 successful meetings over two decades. He has previously been involved in Internet engineering and governance for some 35 years, founding the London Internet Exchange (LINX) in 1994 where he was Executive Chairman until starting up XchangePoint in 2000. He has served as a non-executive Director of Nominet UK, Chairman of the RIPE NCC Executive Board and co-founded the UK's first Internet startup, PIPEX in 1992.
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