May 8 2024
CAMBRIDGE, MA, USA – May 8, 2024 – Sugar Labs today announced its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status as well as its pick for executive director, long-time contributor Devin Ulibarri.
In 2019, the Sugar Labs oversight board voted to incorporate as its own entity and apply for nonprofit status. After that vote, the members of the board began efforts to leave the Software Freedom Conservancy, incorporate as Sugar Labs Inc., and applied for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. In the spring of 2021, Sugar Labs Inc. was granted nonprofit status from the IRS.
In January 2024, the board agreed to hire long-time Sugar Labs contributor Devin Ulibarri as their first full-time executive director. Prior to stepping into this role, he worked as the outreach & communications coordinator for the Free Software Foundation (FSF).
Ulibarri has been a part of the Sugar Labs community for ten years, primarily working together with Walter Bender on Music Blocks development. Devin has been an advocate of the work and philosophy of Sugar Labs, giving talks and leading workshops internationally. As a former board member, he also played a major role in helping the organization achieve its current nonprofit status.
Of the hiring, Sugar Labs board member and founder Walter Bender said, “Devin is a dedicated colleague, with deep roots in both Free/Libre Software and the pedagogy of Constructionism. We’re thrilled to have Devin in this new role.” Ulibarri responded: “I’m excited to serve within this capacity, to help Sugar Labs grow to bring all of its good work to more teachers, parents, and students across the US and, ultimately, around the globe.”
The officers of Sugar Labs Inc. are currently: Devin Ulibarri, executive director; Claudia Urrea, treasurer; and Walter Bender, secretary. The current board is Samson Goddy, Lionel Laské, Claudia Urrea, Walter Bender, and Alex Perez.
Sugar Labs® is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a global mission to create educational opportunities in technology to youth around the world. Volunteer mentors and contributors work together to develop activity-focused software for children. All software is developed with learning as the primary goal, necessitating the need for source code to be published publicly for study, licensed under a Free/Libre license for explicit permission to share and remix, and openly worked upon within a community where students are invited to make contributions, under guidance of experienced mentors. Donations to support the work of Sugar Labs can be made at https://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Sugar_Labs/Donate.