Connecting Drupal with the Next Generation of Makers: Albert Hughes

Albert Hughes, a Product Owner at Stanford University, has been influential in the Drupal community since 2007. His career has spanned roles in higher education, government, and professional sports, where he has consistently leveraged Drupal to meet complex needs. From managing a Drupal-powered platform that supports over 130 University websites to working on projects for the Memphis Grizzlies and the University of Texas, Albert’s journey is a testament to his deep connection with the platform and his commitment to its growth. 

As he runs for a seat on the Drupal Association Board, Albert is eager to bring his diverse experiences to the table. His vision focuses on expanding Drupal’s reach, particularly by engaging underrepresented groups in technology and creating clear career pathways within the Drupal ecosystem. Albert hopes to drive innovation and adoption through his candidacy, using his network and expertise to connect the Drupal community with new opportunities and audiences.

As part of The DropTimes' "Meet the Candidate" campaign, Albert shares more about his motivations and ideas for the future of Drupal. With the election ongoing until 5 September, this campaign offers a closer look at the candidates vying for a board seat, helping the community make informed decisions. Albert’s story highlights his passion for Drupal and his vision for a more inclusive and forward-thinking community, making him a strong contender in this year’s election.

TDT [1]: The most generic question to a candidate at any election is why do you want to run? Similarly here, why do you want to run to a board seat at the Drupal Association?

Albert Hughes: I’m running for the at-large board seat to offer my knowledge, experience and network to serve, support, and represent the Drupal community and the association's mission to drive innovation and the adoption of Drupal around the world. Drupal and the Drupal community have made a tremendous positive impact on my life and career and I want to step up and play a role in continuing to help Drupal make positive impacts on the lives of others through continued growth, innovation, and adoption.

TDT [2]: What can the Drupal Community expect from your candidacy? What are the innovative ideas Drupal should look forward to if you are to win?

Albert Hughes: The Drupal community can expect someone diligent and dedicated to supporting the Drupal Association’s mission and advocating for groups that have been historically underserved and under-represented in tech and the Drupal community, as I see those as key areas of future growth. I want to use my network and connect the Drupal community with organizations that are currently working with individuals in those potential areas for growth, specifically black and brown youth in high school and college, as well as to create and support more career pathways and education programs within the Drupal ecosystem.

TDT [3]: If you could change one thing about the current structure or operations of the Drupal Association, what would it be and why?

Albert Hughes: I would like to see more investment and support for Drupal career pathway related programs for students. I think connecting students with jobs and promoting Drupal as a career pathway to the future “makers” and “developers” of the world will have a major impact on innovation and adoption.

TDT [4]: How do you envision the Drupal community evolving over the next five years, and what role do you see yourself playing in that transformation?

Albert Hughes: I believe the next five years will be pivotal for the Drupal community as technologies continue to shift externally around AI and internally around the Drupal Starshot Initiative. I envision a Drupal community that is reignited through growth by being attractive to new website and web application “makers”. I see myself being a representative and spokesperson for the Drupal community that will help attract new people and organizations to the Drupal community.

TDT [5]: Can you share a specific instance where you successfully led a community or organizational initiative? What were the challenges, and how did you overcome them?

Albert Hughes: I stepped in late in the process to lead an internal website redesign project with the goal of launching the new version of the website in time for a major industry conference. The challenge was that the original scope had swayed and the scope for the launch had not been agreed upon, the original key stakeholders in the marketing department were out of the loop, and there was limited time to accomplish everything on the list. To overcome this, I connected with the original stakeholders to bring them back up to speed on the project's current status and worked with them to create a narrowed-down and focused scope for the initial launch. We then developed a launch plan to successfully switch to the new site with minimal downtime and a post-launch plan to address non-critical redesign items after the initial launch. We also sent out internal communications on the process for internal team members to help submit issues and create pull requests to solve issues. We were able to have a successful website launch before the deadline and increased internal participation, which helped with completing post-launch tasks and providing ongoing maintenance and improvements.

TDT [6]: You are a self-taught Drupaler, how has your journey with Drupal shaped your understanding of the software's potential, and how will this perspective influence your contributions to the Drupal Association Board?

Albert Hughes: I started developing websites in 2000 and discovered Drupal in 2007. Since 2010, I’ve had the opportunity to see Drupal’s potential at the highest levels in higher education, government, professional sports, tech, non-profit organizations, and finance. I’ve worked with Drupal at web agencies, for internal marketing teams, and for internal IT teams, and as a freelance developer.  As a Technical Project Manager and now a Product Owner, I’ve heard, lived, and understand the needs, likes, and frustrations of the people designing, developing, administering, editing, and visiting Drupal websites. Along with individual websites I’ve had the opportunity to work extensively with large scale Drupal multisite/shared codebase platforms that are used by state governments, universities and professional sports teams. I believe Drupal’s ability to support this type of infrastructure is highly valuable to Drupal and my experience with them will help influence my contributions to the Drupal Association Board.