Open Source Summit North America 2025

Maintainers are responsible for technical oversight and key decisions in open source projects. Contributor ladders, found in projects like OpenTelemetry and Apache, define the journey from contributorship to maintainership. Divya Mohan and Natali Vlatko exemplify this path, having "accidentally" risen to leadership as co-chairs of the Kubernetes Documentation Special Interest Group (SIG).
But how does one stumble into leadership, and how can we make this process intentional? In their talk, Divya and Natali will share their experiences alongside insights from other leaders in the CNCF ecosystem. They will discuss how contributions—like decision-making, completing essential tasks, and sharing knowledge—cultivate a community that fosters leadership. Discover how elevated permissions can be perceived as leadership roles, how contributors who answer questions become mentors, and recognize if you’re already demonstrating these leadership qualities.
Join along to learn about the leadership tasks Divya and Natali perform as SIG co-chairs and how you can leverage your skills to lead in your project.