Star Contributor of the Month for June – Keith Woodlock
For the month of June, we’re showcasing Keith Woodlock, who came on as one of our most productive volunteers this past summer and then joined the Mifos team as a contractor. He’s been an instrumental contributor helping to refactor the Mifos platform so it can be easier for other contributors to participate and build on top of Mifos.
Keith Woodlock – Ireland
Brief Bio (in the words of Keith): Having graduated at University of Limerick, Ireland, I have spent most of my professional life working on Java/Spring, web-based systems. So far my work has taken me from Ireland to UK and Australia working in application domains such as telecommunications, transportation, directory search and now microfinance.
Relevant Skills/OS Experience: Java, Spring, Hibernate, Web technologies, TDD/BDD, Agile/XP
Discovering Mifos: Having taken an interest in Software Craftsmanship and the agile approach of ‘..uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it.’, I was looking for an open source project to get involved in and Mifos and microfinance seemed like a good fit.
Keith’s Impact:
Contributions Made to Date: I started off by fixing some bugs and then moved onto tackling some core problems that existed around ‘Collection Sheet’ functionality, an important bulk data entry mechanism used by several of the MFIs on Mifos.
Current Projects: At present I am doing work that is part of the whole push to EvolveMifosCodeBase which involves moving to a spring based application with a defined set of SPI and APIs.
Keith’s Impact on the Poor:
“I like the idea of microfinance and giving those on or near poverty the opportunity to help themselves. Hopefully Mifos can help in removing barriers that MFIs may have when supplying these financial services.”
What’s Rewarding about Working on Mifos:
“It’s very satisfying to know that the software that you help to produce can be used to help impact peoples lives in a positive way.”
Advice for others in the Mifos Community:
“Even in the short time I have being involved with mifos, much is happening that is moving mifos forward. Keep up the good work.”
Fun Facts about Keith:
Favorite Food: Thai, Mexican
Favorite Open Source Project: After Mifos? Eclipse maybe.
If Keith could travel to one place in the world, it would be: South America would be nice to see sometime
Interesting fact about Keith: I break the build often in Mifos. Sorry!
