The Drupal Association recently welcomed Alejandro Moreno López to its team. With an impressive background in the Drupal Community and extensive experience in software engineering and artificial intelligence, Moreno’s addition brings a fresh perspective to the association.

Now this calls for an interview, and with that, Alethia Rose Braganza, Sub-editor at TheDropTimes (TDT), reached out to Alex Moreno to talk to him about starting this new chapter at the Drupal Association as a Drupal Innovation Coordinator.

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“I wanted to be close to Drupal and the community, where I could have an impact, help, and give back.”

says Alex in this interview. TDT had the opportunity to learn more about Moreno’s involvement with Drupal, his experience at DrupalCon Pittsburgh 23, and his role as a Drupal Innovation Coordinator. Let’s delve into the conversation and examine Moreno’s journey and contributions to the Drupal community.

TDT [1]: Kindly introduce yourself and your work with Drupal.

Alex Moreno: My name is Alex Moreno, and my background is technical, in computer science with specialisation in Artificial Intelligence. I’ve worked in roles such as Developer, Technical Architect, Solutions Architect, and even Developer Relations. I have been in Drupal for more than 15 years and involved in different communities, especially in the United Kingdom, where I’ve been living and working most of my professional life.

TDT [2]:  How did you enjoy DrupalCon? And What has been your fondest moment/experience at DC Pittsburgh 23?

Alex: For these many years, I have attended Drupal camps and Drupalcons in Europe. This was my first Drupalcon in North America and the first I attended as part of the Drupal Association (DA). Just that fact alone makes this Drupalcon special to me. But on top of that, the people, the city, the conversations inside and outside of the rooms, meeting old friends I couldn’t otherwise meet in person... in Europe. This Drupalcon, to me, has been magical.

TDT [3]:  Do tell us about your position at the Drupal Association. How are you settling in your role as a Drupal Innovation Coordinator?

Alex:  The DA is trying to expand and have a more active role in the Drupal project and the community, and this position became available at a moment when I was looking for a new role. One morning I received a call from Baddy, and if you know her, you know she has an enthusiasm and energy you can’t ignore. So I agreed to meet Tim Doyle, Tim Lehnen, and everyone else at the DA to see if there was a match and if I was the right fit for the team. And I guess I was. You could say I was in the right place at the right moment.

The Drupal Association is a great place to work. Everyone was so nice and welcoming; from the first minute, I felt I was in the right place. 

TDT [4]: What does being a Drupal Innovation Coordinator mean, and what roles does this position oversee? 

Alex: For the last 20 years, Drupal has not only survived but has also thrived as a technology and has reinvented itself several times by staying innovative and relevant for those many years. My role at the DA is to facilitate the next leap of innovation following Dries and the Board of Directors’ leadership.

In a nutshell, I’m here to identify what are going to be the next opportunities that will define the future of Drupal and ensure that we can support them in every manner available to the DA. Pitch-burgh has been the first example, but we are convinced and excited that this is just the beginning.

TDT [5]:  Alex, do elaborate on why you decided to join the Drupal Association ?

It was a difficult decision but a simple one at the same time.

At some point in the past few months, and for the first time in my professional life, I became available in the job market. We are fortunate to live in an industry with many opportunities and job offers. While from the very beginning, I started to receive a few attractive offers, and I decided to take a break to think about what I wanted to do next.

It became clear to me that if I could afford it, I didn’t want to start any job just for the sake of it. I decided that I wanted to do something meaningful. Something where I could not just stay close to Drupal and the community but could have an impact, where I could help and give back to both Drupal and the community, and maybe even help define what Drupal will look like for the next 20 years. A proposition like that is a huge responsibility, but it’s difficult to reject as well, isn’t it?