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About

Chris Short

30 Years Turning Complex Systems Into Competitive Advantage

I’m Chris Short — a disabled veteran, open source practitioner, and seasoned technical leader with three decades of experience across systems engineering, security, DevOps, and cloud native technology.

I have led Open Source Program Offices, developer advocacy for multiple projects and products, including Ansible, Kubernetes, OpenShift, Finch, and Valkey; have led multiple events from DevOpsDays, KubeCon Day 0 events, and re:Invent; hosted and produced hundreds of hours of video content for organizations like Red Hat and Amazon Web Services.

What sets me apart:

  • Kubernetes depth — Active contributor and co-leader of the Kubernetes Contributor Communications team; five-year CNCF Ambassador; frequent KubeCon + CloudNativeCon speaker
  • Community at scale — Founded and grew DevOps’ish to 5,000+ subscribers; co-founded EKS.news while at AWS; curated KubeWeekly during my time as a CNCF Ambassador; onboarded multiple Kubernetes Contributors into the project
  • Critical eye — Discovered, reported, and remediated bugs in Cisco’s router and switch operating systems; facilitated responsible disclosure of a critical vulnerability at Red Hat; discovered user-impacting bugs in services like Amazon S3; plus systems and network security experience dating to the late 1990s
  • Proven ROI — Infrastructure optimization that has saved organizations millions; saved crucial government programs from being scrapped; and ensured license compliance with hundreds of dependencies across multiple projects

I work best with organizations that need someone who can define open source strategy, build or mature developer relations programs, cut through the cloud native noise, and create technical content and community programs that drive real adoption.

Based in Detroit. Available globally.

Services

Whether interim, fractional, or via retainer, I can help your company excel in these areas…

Open Source Strategy & Program Office Advisory

Open source software has an economic value of trillions of dollars. Most organizations are consuming open source without a strategy - creating legal exposure, missing contribution opportunities, and leaving community goodwill on the table.

I help you manage your investment in open source by building or maturing an Open Source Program Office that actually functions: license compliance, contribution policy, repository governance, and metrics that mean something to leadership.

Developer Relations & Advocacy

Hiring a DevRel team without a clear strategy is an expensive way to produce content nobody reads. A program that works requires structure, a real community feedback loop, collaboration with other teams, and someone who has run it at scale.

I help organizations design DevRel programs from the ground up or get stalled programs back on track: team structure, content strategy, newsletter programs, community health, and metrics tied to business outcomes.

I’ve built and led developer advocacy at Amazon Web Services and Red Hat, covering products like Ansible, Kubernetes, OpenShift, Finch, and Valkey — and I’ve seen firsthand what separates programs that build trust from ones that burn it.

Kubernetes & Cloud Native Advisory

The cloud native ecosystem moves fast, and the wrong tooling decisions are expensive to undo. Most teams don’t need another vendor pitch — they need an independent perspective grounded in how these systems actually work in production.

I help engineering and platform teams evaluate tooling, navigate the CNCF landscape, plan migrations, and build internal competency around Kubernetes and the surrounding ecosystem.

As an active Kubernetes contributor, former CNCF Ambassador, and frequent KubeCon speaker, I bring practitioner depth that most advisory engagements lack.

Technical Content & Media

Producing content at volume is easy. Producing content that builds genuine trust with a technical audience is not, and most marketing teams don’t have someone who has lived inside that audience.

I help organizations build content programs that practitioners actually want: newsletters, video series, live streams, written guides, and conference programming — created with the credibility that comes from being part of the community.

I’ve produced 700+ hours of video content at Red Hat, co-founded EKS.news at AWS, and grown the DevOps’ish newsletter to 5,000+ subscribers. I know how to create content that engineers share — not just content that fills a calendar.

Event & Community Programs

Showing up at a conference with a booth and a t-shirt launcher is not a community strategy. Organizations that earn lasting credibility do it by adding genuine value to the events their audience cares about.

I help you design and execute event programs that matter: conference track leadership, Day 0 or co-located event production, speaker programs, and community initiatives that extend beyond the conference floor.

I’ve led DevOpsDays events, produced KubeCon Day 0 events, and run the Kubernetes track at AWS re:Invent 2023 with 50+ speakers. I know how to build an event presence that people remember for the right reasons.

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