Hey all! I’m Jem, the DEV Community Program Coordinator

Hey all! I’m Jem, the DEV Community Program Coordinator

Jem steps up as part-time coordinator

It feels good to finally be writing this.

I’ve been working part-time behind the scenes at DEV for almost two years managing social accounts, handling support, and helping with moderation. Earlier this year I stepped into a more curatorial role as the Community Program Coordinator where I work alongside @jess, helping with editorial stuff and DEV Challenges. The past few months we’ve been interviewing for a full-time Community Program Manager, and I’m super excited to have someone new on the team to grow our community programs. Moving forward, I’ll be taking on the weekly Top 7 and Challenge Announcement posts, so expect to be hearing from me more frequently 🙂

When I’m not working for DEV, I’m pursuing a graduate degree, learning how to build interactive experiences at the intersection of music, video games, media theory, and poetry. I also teach design principles and introductory HTML/CSS to undergraduates at CUNY Hunter, which means I spend a lot of time thinking about how people encounter new ideas for the first time.

The reason I find DEV such an exciting place to be is summed up well by @kernelpryanic in a post from April:

I don’t think all hand-written code is art, just as not every handmade object is. But I do think the category is emerging.

Code has always been both tool and art form, and this community feels like a place where both can grow and thrive. I’ve always thought the overlap of technical expertise and creative curiosity is where the real exciting stuff happens, and I feel lucky to be in a position to help elevate the voices that live in that space.