I would like to announce my candidacy for a position on the Technical Committee. I work for Dell EMC with over a decade in storage and software development. I have been involved in OpenStack since the Icehouse cycle and have served as the Cinder PTL since the Mitaka release. I think it's important to have active PTLs on the TC. TC decisions need to be grounded in the reality of day to day project development. I think it will also be good for me as a PTL to be forced to take a wider view of things across the whole ecosystem. I think outreach and education is important to spread interest in OpenStack and provide awareness to reach new people. I've spoken at several Summits, as well as OpenStack Days events and (more pertinent to Cinder) at Storage Network Industry Association (SNIA) events. I think it's important to get feedback from actual operators and end users. I have tried to reach out to these users as well as attend the Ops Midcycle in order to close that feedback loop. I would continue to work towards these things and bring that feedback to the TC - making sure the decisions we make have the end user in mind. Another goal for me is simplicity. With the Big Tent, more interacting, projects, and lot's of competing interests, things have gotten much more complicated over the last several releases. I say this while acknowledging within Cinder - while I have been PTL - a lot of complexity has been added. In most cases there are very valid reasons for these changes. So even with a desire to make things as simple as possible, I consider myself a pragmatist and recognize that complexity is sometimes unavoidable in order to move forward. But one thing I would try to focus on as a TC member would be to reduce complexity anywhere it's possible and where it makes sense. It would be an honor to serve as a member of the TC and help do whatever I can to help the community continue to succeed and grow. Thank you for your consideration. Sean McGinnis (smcginnis)