It was an amazing sight for me the other day.
The Scrum Alliance announced three candidates for their 2021 Board. What was amazing and perhaps overdue is that the slate was filled with three wonderfully diverse women. Two of which I know very well and one whom I have heard great things about.
What is that old expression—we have an embarrassment of riches.
I just want to say that I envision a world where all three of these wonderful women could and would be on the board at the same time. They’re ALL great candidates.
But, there can be only 1
I don’t often do this, but I want to highlight one of the candidates because I’m just enamored with her “essence” and I have a more personal connection to her. That candidate is Aanu Gopald.
I first met Aanu in 2017 when she attended one of my first Certified Agile Leadership classes in Dallas, TX. To be honest, she was a “force of nature”. Strong, skilled, passionate, bold, thoughtful, courageous, and experienced. She brought a level of engagement to the class that I greatly appreciated.
She then showed initiative by asking me to co-teach a couple of the CAL classes with me and to be one of her mentors for her CEC (which she has since earned). In both cases, I learned a lot about Aanu, her diversity and inclusion passions, and how sincere she is about bringing agility to others.
Aanu struck me then, and even more so now, as a “rising star” in our agile and Scrum communities. She fiercely and fearlessly walks her talk and brings her passion around agility to her Dallas community, her beloved African communities, and to everyone she touches. She seems to have limitless energy around developing herself and all those around her. She is, in a word, a role model for us all.
Annu often calls me Uncle Bob, which is a term of endearment and respect for her. I simply call her Annu but with equal respect for her journey and intentions.
In order to get to know her better, here’s a link to her personal statement on the Scrum Alliance website.
I’m going to cast my vote for Aanu. And I’d encourage you to consider doing the same. And if the universe answers and she’s elected to the board, I’m incredibly excited to see what sort of “disruption” she brings to things ;-)
Stay agile my friends,
Bob.