Re: Immersive Web Leadership changes

"...very well-earned roles..."

On Mon, Jul 30, 2018 at 11:51 AM Josh Carpenter <joshcarpenter@google.com>
wrote:

> Nice, thanks for the recap Brandon, and congratulations Ada, Chris,
> Trevor, Nell and Brandon on your very well roles and recognition! We're in
> good hands :)
>
> On Mon, Jul 30, 2018 at 11:43 AM Brandon Jones <bajones@google.com> wrote:
>
>> Hello Immersive Web folks!
>>
>> This past Tuesday (July 24th) the Immersive Web Community Group had a
>> face-to-face meeting in Seattle, during which we discussed some leadership
>> changes to the Community Group in preparation for the formation of an
>> Immersive Web Working Group (a more formal group within the W3C with the
>> ability to propose specs for "candidate recommendation" status.) The
>> intent is that the WebXR Device API will be managed by the Working Group
>> once formed, and the Immersive Web Community Group will continue to
>> function as an incubator for new features and specifications to support the
>> Immersive Web. As those features, APIs, and specs become similarly stable
>> and demonstrate wide support, they can be adopted by a WG. We expect many
>> proposals will be adopted as additions to the WebXR Device API and thus
>> managed by the Immersive Web WG, but that’s not a foregone conclusion for
>> every incubation and will be decided on a case-by-case basis. The Immersive
>> Web Community Group will still incubate features that are recommended to
>> other Working Groups like the CSS Working Group.
>>
>> As many of you know, I've been acting as a de facto group chair and spec
>> editor since the group's inception by virtue of being one of the earliest
>> developers working on the WebVR spec. It's been my honor and privilege to
>> work with you all in that capacity! We have an insanely talented group of
>> people developing the Immersive Web, and I could not be happier with the
>> results so far. However, as the WebXR Device API draws closer to readiness
>> and work the group does becomes more diverse, it's becoming necessary to
>> put more formal leadership roles in place. After some internal discussion
>> and announcement at the face-to-face, we wanted to ensure the rest of the
>> Immersive Web CG was also notified of the proposed changes:
>>
>> Ada Cannon (Samsung) and Chris Wilson (Google) are being recommended as
>> co-chairs of the upcoming Immersive Web Working Group. Ada's developer
>> relations experience at Samsung provides a valuable and much needed insight
>> into the needs of the developers who will be using the APIs the group
>> produces, and she brings some welcome geographic diversity to a group that
>> has been a bit too USA-west-coast-centric thus far. And Chris' prior
>> experience working with multiple W3C standards is already proving critical
>> as we navigate this transition.
>>
>> Trevor F. Smith (Mozilla) is being recommended to take on the role of
>> chair of the Immersive Web Community Group. As the WebXR Device API
>> transitions to being managed by the working group the Community Group will
>> continue to operate as an incubation ground for exposing to the web the
>> variety of new technologies we expect this fast-moving field to produce.
>> Trevor leads some of Mozilla's Mixed Reality efforts, and has already been
>> serving in a chair-like capacity leading our AR-centric calls on
>> alternating weeks. He'll provide a steady hand in the most volatile area of
>> the Immersive Web's ongoing development.
>>
>> Finally, we’re recommending that Nell Waliczek (Amazon) continue to work
>> with me (Brandon Jones, Google) as spec editor on the WebXR Device API.
>> Nell is a Principal Engineer on the Amazon Sumerian team, which is building
>> tools for creating cross-platform immersive content on the web. She also
>> brings with her a wealth of XR expertise from her previous role as a
>> Principal Engineering Lead for Microsoft's Windows Mixed Reality platform.
>> And I've been working on WebVR and now WebXR since their inception, pulling
>> on previous experience working on the WebGL API to make a high-performance,
>> developer friendly Immersive Web a reality.
>>
>> Spec editing isn't a new role for either of us, but up to this point it
>> has meant that we both informally took on a variety of chair-like
>> responsibilities as well. With the group chair roles officially filled it
>> frees us up to focus on the technical aspects of finishing the spec, which
>> should help us reach that all-important shipping point faster and more
>> confidently.
>>
>> I cannot express how thrilled I am with the talent and experience of the
>> team that's come together to guide the Immersive Web forward, and that of
>> all the CG members working alongside us! Thank you for your continued
>> support!
>>
>> --Brandon Jones
>>
> --
> Josh Carpenter
> UX Lead, WebVR/AR
> Google
>
-- 
Josh Carpenter
UX Lead, WebVR/AR
Google