“What You Permit, You Promote” - Fei Lauren on Drupal Inclusion

Before Geocities and Angelfire page builders, Fei Lauren was already sneaking HTML into form fields, turning limited tools into playgrounds for her first experiments with code. That spark of “figuring things out” carried her through self-taught adventures in CSS, JavaScript, and Arduinos in university, and today you’ll find her at Renesas Electronics, juggling front-end development, process improvements as a Scrum Master, Slackbots, and maker-culture projects that blend hardware and software. 

Her journey led naturally into Drupal, where an e-commerce client’s needs turned into nearly a decade of community leadership. From local meetups to the Drupal Association board, she’s been a human megaphone for diverse voices, championing everything from green sunflower lanyards for hidden disabilities to independent channels for neurodivergent and family-friendly gatherings. With Pride Month underway, her work with the Drupal Rainbow community is a timely reminder of why visibility and support matter now more than ever.

In this laid-back chat with Alka Elizabeth of The DropTimes, Fei opens up about overcoming impostor syndrome in a heated board election, why authenticity always beats polish and how ‘what you permit, you promote’ guides her inclusivity efforts. Stick around for her big ideas on distributed leadership in DDI, plans to bring DrupalCon to Latin America and Africa and even her dream of studying Interactive Art at SFU because for Fei, community and creativity are never more than one hack away.

TDT [1]: You started your web design journey back in the Geocities and Angelfire days. What first sparked your interest in coding and technology, and how has that passion evolved over the years?

Fei Lauren: Before social media sites like MySpace emerged, it was pretty common for kids to just create their own websites using free tools like Angelfire’s form-based page builder. Of course, the WYSIWYG options were very limited, but I quickly figured out that you could put HTML with inline styling in the text fields and start creating completely unique layouts. I think I was 11 or maybe 12 at the time, so to my little brain, it almost felt like I had hacked their page-building tool. The feeling of nearly endless possibility left such an impression on me, and I knew right away that I wanted to be a web developer. My whole career has been fuelled by that feeling of discovery. I felt the same excitement about the endless possibilities when I learned about Arduinos in university and started experimenting with electronics. And now that feeling often comes when I am working with people in the community all over the world. It feels so inspiring knowing that together we can drive so much transformative change.

TDT [2]: Your career has taken you from frontend development and design to now serving as a Scrum Master at Renesas Electronics. What inspired this shift, and how does your current role align with your past experiences?

Fei Lauren: It’s sad but agency life burned me out so badly, I couldn’t learn or focus. It killed my passion for writing code. When the opportunity at Renesas Electronics came up, they needed someone who understood the needs of the engineering team and could facilitate process improvement. To me, it meant taking a decade of experience with broken systems that burned me out and making sure none of it happens there. I’m a Scrum Master/Delivery Manager on paper mostly, but I really love process improvement. I still get to write some code, too - and I am learning all the time. These days it’s tinkering with Slackbots and automation scripts, some AI experiments, integrating different tools, and coming up with creative ways to help reduce overhead and cognitive load for my team. I also really love electronics and maker culture, so I feel incredibly lucky to have found such a perfect niche for where I am in my career and life.  

TDT [3]: You’ve been active in the Drupal community for nearly a decade. What initially drew you to Drupal, and what has kept you engaged all these years?

Fei Lauren: Originally I discovered Drupal because I was looking for a CMS to use for a client’s e-commerce site. Drupal wasn’t the easiest to learn, but I never hit a wall where it felt like the functionality I wanted was not possible. 
It was a while after deciding that the technology was something I liked before I started to really understand what the community was about, though. There are so many brilliant, passionate, value-driven people but I’ve never known any tech community to embrace play and joy quite like we do. Or any that shows up to support each other with such compassion and care when times are tough. It took a while before I moved beyond my local community and learned that there is actually an incredibly vibrant global community, but when I did, I immediately felt like I found my people. I’ve made a lot of friends from all over the world for life, I am sure.

TDT [4]: Your tenure on the Drupal Association Board is coming to an end this year. Looking back, what are some of the key accomplishments or initiatives you’re most proud of? And what impact do you hope your contributions will have on the Drupal community moving forward?

Fei Lauren: I think what I am most proud of is not actually myself or the work that I personally do. It’s incredibly meaningful for me when I am able to clear paths for others. So as a board member and community leader, I am always looking for ways to get diverse voices in positions of leadership or influence, ways to improve visibility or engage people who might otherwise be left behind. Often, it just means proactively reaching out in sub-communities, really thinking about who isn’t being represented properly, and finding ways to reach those people. And then following through, taking the time to talk to people and share knowledge, and offer encouragement if that is appropriate. I am on the board because someone did this for me, and I feel so much pride when I am able to do this for others, and I get to see them thrive. I know they will inspire others and continue to help level the playing field as we grow as a community.

I have really enjoyed being part of the DrupalCon Working Group as part of my time on the board. We have worked to understand the who, what and why of DrupalCons and begin to develop scalable, global organizational structures. We also developed a sort of template for community leaders who want to organize new regional events. I am now connected with community leaders in Latin America and Africa, talking to them about how to bring DrupalCon to their respective regions. Getting to be a person who can say, “No really, you can make this happen! What else do you need? Let’s figure it out.” is so powerful. I often refer to myself as a “human megaphone”. I love amplifying voices and helping people see that they can achieve big things. Being on the board has really helped me understand how to move things forward. Now I get to continue my work in the community with a much stronger understanding of all the variables required in order to impact change and move ideas forward. Honestly, this was my biggest motivator the whole time.

TDT [5]: Winning a community-elected seat in the 2023 At-Large Board Election was a significant milestone, especially in a competitive race with ten candidates. What did that victory mean to you personally and professionally? How did it shape your perspective on leadership within the Drupal community, and what were some of the most valuable lessons you learned from serving on the Board?

Fei Lauren: As a community leader, my primary motivator for joining the board was so I could learn about how things worked so that I could more effectively advocate for change. I feel like I have learned so much, and I am excited to put it into practice. 

But personally, I am always looking for opportunities to push myself not just outside my comfort zone, but beyond my own mental model of who I am or who I could be. One of the moments that will stay with me for life is during the election when we did the Open Forum. People are invited to ask questions, and the candidates share their views and experiences. As I sat through this call, I experienced by far the worst impostor syndrome I have ever felt in my life. All of the other candidates were older men who seemed to have polished answers prepared for everything. I did my best but I thought it was a disaster. 

Two years later, I understand that this role is not about having professional insights on philanthropic strategy or deep insight into governance. This is a community-elected seat. It’s about embodying diverse, community-focused perspectives among board members and in turn, broader advocacy for all of the people who are in the Drupal ecosystem. I showed up as myself, not trying to portray myself as someone who I thought would excel in this role. I answered honestly and authentically, and that is what I have been told made me stand out. 

Both personally and professionally, the experience has deepened my appreciation for authenticity. I don’t think impostor syndrome will ever affect me in the same way again. We don’t need perfect leaders who seem to have all the answers; we need genuine ones who aren’t ashamed of asking questions.  

TDT [6]: Your work with Drupal Diversity & Inclusion (DDI) has been a major part of your contributions. Can you share what this initiative means to you and what progress you’ve seen in fostering inclusivity within the community?

Fei Lauren: The Drupal Diversity & Inclusion community is a major part of the reason I am here today. During COVID when DrupalCon ended up going virtual, I joined a DDI BoF. I hadn’t realized how much isolation had impacted me until I was in that group, sharing pronouns and talking tech. That was the moment I realised how important the community is. Just seeing people like me and feeling seen felt so transformative in that moment. In losing social connection, I had lost some of the connection I had with my own identity. In that moment, I felt like I found my people, but also myself in a way. 

So while we are always trying to improve things, I think the single most important contribution I have made to DDI is just keeping things alive. I keep monthly meetings going, promote the space, and help people get into Slack. It’s developed into a fantastic hub for sharing resources and offering support or asking the community for their insights on DEI-related challenges.

When a community member proposed we adopt green sunflower lanyards to represent hidden disabilities at DrupalCon, I was really grateful to have the community feedback on how to roll the change out effectively. I was able to take the feedback and share it with the Director of Events, who is the unsung hero who made it happen and the volunteers at registration who explained what the lanyards were about to attendees. Changes like this affect a lot of people, especially marginalized people who really deserve to be supported. It means a lot to me to have a space where we can ask questions, share our perspectives, and implement changes that really make a difference.

Having the Drupal Diversity & Inclusion space as a hub for connection is also really powerful when it comes to building sub-communities. Enough of us gather there and recognize each other, and eventually we branch off and start a separate channel, and potentially grow from there. Some recent examples are Drupal Family and Neuroinclusivity. I noticed a need to talk to people about how to organize events with the unique needs of kids and families in mind, but I don’t have kids. So I just started a channel, and a handful of community members took it from there. Similarly, with the Neuroinclusivity space, I noticed it came up a lot in the main #diversity-inclusion channel, and so I just created a dedicated space. I didn’t realise at the time how good it would feel to have a Slack channel where we can unmask. It’s all memes, music, great resources, and it’s a safe space to vent frustrations or ask for help when we are not getting the support we need. I have ADHD, so this one is personally important to me. When I step down from DDI to make space for fresh leadership, I am planning to focus more on building the Neuroinclusivity community and focusing more on advocacy again. 

TDT [7]: Looking back on your journey, you’ve said that if you could travel a decade back in time, one of the key pieces of advice you’d give yourself would be to ‘lean into community.’ How has that philosophy shaped your Drupal career, and what moments stand out as defining experiences where community involvement made the biggest difference for you?

Fei Lauren: I would actually say that my Drupal career has shaped my philosophy of leaning into community, not vice versa. The Drupal community taught me the importance of collaborating to achieve something bigger than what any of us can do on our own. We are communal beings; humans are not designed to do things alone. But this space demonstrates to me over and over the value of mentorship, the importance of asking for help, the beauty in building trust and safety through compassion.

TDT [8]: You’ve spoken about the importance of standing up for our values, emphasizing that ‘what you permit, you promote.’ In a world where online and real-world spaces are increasingly polarized, how do you see the Drupal community upholding inclusivity and rejecting hate? What role do you believe individual members and leaders should play in fostering a truly welcoming and safe space for everyone?

Fei Lauren: The Drupal Values & Principles resonate deeply with many of us, one important one being “we do not tolerate intolerance”. Within the community and in open source, it guides the way we collaborate with each other. But I think once you understand the paradox of intolerance, you start to see it happening in the world every day. 

Especially in the Drupal Diversity & Inclusion space, I see people approach topics with patience and curiosity as they make an effort to create space for others. I think if anything, many people are becoming even more dedicated to building an inclusive community. As we watch the world slip backwards, it’s really illustrating why the work is so important. 
Inclusivity isn’t something most of us are naturally good at. It’s a culture and a mindset, but there are also a lot of habits that need to be developed. It’s not easy to get to the point where asking good questions is a habit, and it’s difficult to find spaces to practice those skills, so I personally think it’s really important that we try to be patient with people who aren’t quite perfect. I once heard someone say “Don’t hold people accountable, hold them capable,” and this has stayed with me, especially in shaping how I show up as a leader. 

When it comes to fostering safe and inclusive spaces, individuals and leaders play equally important roles. Good leaders know they won’t always have all the answers, and they need individuals to voice concerns or share perspectives. Great leaders know they are not entitled to that insight, that they need to work to earn trust. But ultimately, we all need to contribute to the culture of continuous improvement that is the foundation for inclusivity.

TDT [9]: Looking ahead, what are some of your professional or community-driven goals for the next few years, whether in Drupal, tech leadership, or beyond?

Fei Lauren: I have so many ideas for where to put my energy, as my board tenure comes to an end, I am going to need to think about this. I think a lot about my role in the community, how to balance activism and leadership with my own goals and mental health. Regardless of what I do, I would really like to see fresh leadership come into the Diversity & Inclusion space. As a community-driven initiative, there is a lot of space to co-create the next chapter of DDI leadership. I need to spend more time fostering those connections and developing a succession strategy, though. I want people to feel really supported and like they can always center their own mental health needs. I have seen too many people burn out and I want to try to help improve the structure. In activism theory, we look at how migratory birds can fly long distances because they take turns doing the hardest work at the front or how choirs can hold notes for much longer than any single person - these are examples of distributed leadership. I would love to see this done really well in the DDI space.

When my board tenure ends and I step back from DDI leadership, I might use some of that time to focus on two of the sub-communities that are personally important: the Drupal Rainbow (LGBTQIA+) community and the Neuroinclusivity space. 

I also really hope to stay connected with those who are working to bring DrupalCon to Latin America and Africa. I learned a lot about how to move things forward, and I am excited to share that knowledge with the community and help clear some paths so they can accomplish big things. 

Outside the Drupal community, I am also really interested in going back to school to study Interactive Art at SFU in Vancouver, BC. I am not sure what that would mean for my career, if anything, but I am deeply in love with the intersection of art and tech.

TDT [10]: If you could give one piece of advice to someone looking to get involved in the Drupal community, whether as a developer, volunteer, or leader, what would it be?

Fei Lauren: My advice for a new community: Find your people! We have so many passionate people who have come together over an incredible variety of goals. Get on Slack and start exploring. If you can volunteer to help organize an event, either in person or online, that is a really good way to connect with people and learn about what is happening in different spaces. 

And if your people are nowhere to be found, consider starting something new. Chances are, there are others just like you who would be delighted to discover what you are building.