Dear community and friends,
I thought it might be a good idea for us all to gather our thoughts, memories and stories of Dan and what he meant to us in one place.
I first met Dan as I was bootstrapping CNCF and we were entering our crazy growth phase and needed to expand the team. While Dan and I didn't always agree on everything, I had the pleasure of working with Dan on a daily basis the last few years cultivating CNCF and other LF projects. Dan was committed to building a global and diverse community, he always took the time to chat with community members all over the world and ensured that CNCF was using its resources to uplift the community. We spent many hours on the road together away from family which can be tough for a father with young children. However, Dan always ensured that he would bring something back for the kids, or better yet, find a way to bring them along to involve them in the community like handing our swag at our event in India earlier this year. After CNCF, Dan's next project was establishing LF Public Health as a shared resource not just to fight COVID-19 but to combat future health crises. LFPH has already seen success and is bringing the spirit of open source to global health authorities.
I will miss our fun conversations and plans... while I have lost a close friend, we have also lost a tireless champion for open source across the world.
My last message to Dan, which he didn't see:
Dan, I heard the news from Jim and I’m devastated. Thank you for everything you’ve done for the open source community and for me personally. You’ve changed the world in ways that very few people have, and that impact will live on. You’ve certainly changed the trajectory of my career and thousands others, and we’ll take good care of everything you’ve worked so hard for. Thank you again and all my love to you and your family.
I met Dan while he was working at Spreemo, then followed him to the CNCF. He was the best boss I have ever had in my life. For the first time, I had a boss, a mentor, and a loyal friend at the same time. It was thanks to Dan that I had my first opportunity to visit the world. We met many times, practically at every KubeCon conference. We often discussed things not related to work, such as traveling. We have worked together for over five years. Dan was a wonderful man, and the news of his sudden and premature death saddened and surprised me. Rest in peace, dear friend—sincere condolences to the whole family.
I saw Dan for the first time at the keynote stage in Seattle during KubeCon'2016. These were the early days of the Kubernetes community and CNCF in general, but I was definitely impressed by the presentation made by this tall and loud gentleman.
A bit less than year later I've joined CNCF as a full-time staff member, and ability to work closely with Dan was one of the primary reasons why I made this decision. Despite the fact that I haven't reported to Dan directly, I felt his impact on the whole organization, on all of us, on an every single person within CNCF. He also was a kind and polite person who has helped me to steer in the woods of uncertainty at some points of my career.
Dan was a truly extraordinary person, and his impact on the whole open source industry is significant. I have a strong feeling that most of us (including myself) would not be there where we are now and would not do what we are doing now if we'd not met Dan.
Thank you, Dan.
Dan had a massive positive influence on my life and career. He believed and fought for me when others would not. He is an amazing mentor to me and his advice and guidance is something I use every day. I am in an amazing career at an amazing company because of Dan and I can’t thank him enough.
Dan, as I, am an introvert in an extrovert field. I will never forget our almost-dinner at MWC in Barcelona. People were dropping out of going to the conference, but Dan and I were still going to go if the conference was held! I suggested we have dinner together. Dan told me that he doesn't really like people, so we would go to dinner together, sit at different tables in the same restaurant, and just read out books (or whatever). With us both being introverts - it was going to be the best dinner ever! :)
I will forever hear his laugh. And I leave one word: Grammerly. :)
Dan was not only a tremendous leader in the open source community, but a kind person who made all feel welcome. I still remember meeting him at my first KubeCon event, at the Tivoli in Copenhagen. He will be missed--but not forgotten. His work is now being carried on by a 100,000+ committers, building a better community for all. RIP!
The last several years of my life have been intimately entangled with Kubernetes and the CNCF. And Dan was a fundamental part of making the CNCF what it is. I didn't always agree with him, but it was always above board. He always worked hard to balance all of the various forces to create win-win situations and success for everyone involved. Whenever we met at a conference or event he was always easy to talk to and clearly cared about fostering a community.
The big thing I'll remember Dan for is his work and dedication for including, diversity and equity. In multiple instances Dan would go beyond what was easy to really try and move the our community (and, by small increments, the larger industry) forward. He really worked to make sure that KubeCon (and the CNCF as a whole) were at the forefront of things like diversity scholorships. I know that this had an impact on many in our community. Beyond just KubeCon, he took feedback around diversity in the governing structure of the CNCF (TOC, GB) very seriously. He put himself out on a limb multiple times to do the right thing to lead in this space. I was and am impressed with his commitment.
Goodbye Dan. You will be missed.