# Michelle Noorali

GitHub: [@michelleN](https://github.com/michelleN)

Twitter: [@michellenoorali](https://twitter.com/michellenoorali)

LinkedIn: [Michelle Noorali](https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-noorali-a588b516)

## History & Roles Held

- Working with Kubernetes and have been part of the community since mid-2015
- Co-founded and Co-lead Kubernetes SIG Apps for focusing on defining and managing applications in Kubernetes
- Core Maintainer of the Kubernetes Helm project
- Co-chair CloudNativeCon & KubeCon 2017

## Why I'm here

The Kubernetes community has been a special place for me, and I'm glad to be part of it. I have found it exciting to work collaboratively with folks from different organizations, backgrounds, parts of the world, and industries on problems that matter to all of us sometimes even for different reasons, so I enjoy and place great value on communicating effectively and balancing different perspectives for technical solutions.

Because Kubernetes is such an empowering piece of technology, I am obsessed with helping make sure that it is usable across audiences. This is where the bulk of my work with [SIG-Apps](https://github.com/kubernetes/community/tree/master/sig-apps) comes in. We've been working for almost a year and a half on making the process of defining and managing applications in Kubernetes easier and the best experience possible. Throughout this process, we've repeatedly re-defined how our SIG functions and how it can best serve the community. We focused on creating a tight feedback loop with the folks who consume apps features in Kubernetes and those who help create and maintain those features. We share solutions to common sets of problems, and we ensure that the solutions presented are set up for success by helping our presenters set the right context for the audience. We even focus on the flow of our meetings to make sure that people are able to follow along making the SIG content digestable, empowering newcomers in the space, and helping funnel more opinions into feedback loops. I believe SIGs are a fundamental part of the Kubernetes community and one of the big reasons the community is so successful. I am particularly passionate about supporting SIGs and making them even stronger than they are today using my experience with SIG Apps.

Lastly, it has been rewarding for me to help people begin their journey in the Kubernetes community by guiding them to the right place to get what they need. I've enjoyed being part of the growth of this community and want to ensure that it remains an approachable one as well as an inclusive place to work.

## Key priorities

- Making sure people are heard
- Making sure opinions are respected
- Helping ensure the right context is set when discussing concerns and ideas
- Helping people be successful in whatever area they are in
- Empowering newcomers
- Empowering SIGs and SIG leads

## Where I work

Microsoft Azure, previously Engine Yard/Deis
