A Fond Farewell To Three Rust Foundation Colleagues

Organizations are always changing and the Rust Foundation is no exception. This month we have some big changes to share, as we say goodbye to three of our colleagues: Gracie Gregory, our Director of Communications and Marketing, Joel Marcey, our Director of Technology, and Ernest Kissiedu, our Global Rust Community Coordinator. Their departures come as part of broader structural changes at the Rust Foundation as we align our staffing and resources with the organization’s evolving needs and priorities. We are deeply grateful to these colleagues, and for the expertise, dedication, and contributions they have brought to the Foundation during their time with us.

Gracie and Joel have been with the Rust Foundation for over four years. They were amongst our first hires, and they played a pivotal role in building the Foundation from the ground up. Ernest has been a prominent figure in the Rust community for many years, and has grown our reach and understanding of global communities. We’d like to take a moment to celebrate their time with us.

Joel Marcey

Joel was involved in the Rust Foundation from the very beginning, joining the newly formed Board of Directors in 2021 as the representative for Meta, before agreeing to join the Foundation full time as the first Director of Technology in early 2022. Joel brought order, expertise, and vision to the Foundation’s engineering operations, building a small but expert team of engineers to support the core infrastructure that all Rust users rely on. Joel has spent the past four years identifying how to provide targeted engineering support and investment, while supporting the Rust Project and community.

About the news, Joel Marcey said:

“It has been an honor and a privilege to work at the Rust Foundation, especially in support of such a wonderful and talented group of people on its technology team. I would like to thank Bec for believing in me when I applied to join the Foundation as its first Director of Technology 4.5 years ago. I am proud of the roots the Foundation and the Rust Project have established together, and of what lies ahead for the success of both. I look forward to seeing Rust’s continued growth well into the future.”

Joel’s thoughtful leadership helped set the Foundation on firm engineering footing in its formative years. But beyond engineering, Joel brought warmth and wisdom to our team. His supportive approach to staff management, his dedication to improving Rust’s sustainability, his patience in working with non-technical folk, and his commitment to our mission have made a lasting difference.

Gracie Gregory

Gracie joined the Rust Foundation in 2022 as our first Director of Communications and Marketing, tasked with developing a communications regime for the Foundation that was both informative and authentic, and with developing our presence online and in-person at events.  

Gracie approached these complex tasks with determination and enthusiasm, putting an enormous amount of effort into working with our board and community, and constantly iterating and striving to ensure our varied stakeholders had the information that they needed, when they needed it. Gracie created our Rust Foundation Trusted Trainer program, a valuable asset to our corporate training community, and led on improving and diversifying our membership offer.  

Gracie also had the mammoth task of bringing RustConf back into the real world after the COVID-19 pandemic. Those of you that have attended RustConf online and in-person over the years will know just how much that event has grown, adding new tasks, sponsors, speakers and side events every year. We intend to continue her legacy in making RustConf better every year, starting in Vancouver in 2027.

About the news, Gracie said

“I am so grateful to the Rust Foundation for providing such a challenging and fascinating opportunity for professional growth. Contributing to this ecosystem over the past four years has been a source of pride, and I look forward to following the trajectory of this remarkable language for decades to come.”

Gracie leaves behind solid and efficient structures and processes for our communications going forward. Her thoughtful approach, collaborative spirit, kindness and support will be much missed by all in the team. 

Ernest Kissiedu

Ernest was already a London Rust legend when he joined the Rust Foundation part time as our Global Communities Coordinator. Having grown the Rust London meetup community into one of the biggest in the world, he had been working on his passion of joining up the global communities for some time. Supporting those communities to connect, to organize and to grow, he championed better integration and supported many individuals into more active roles in Rust events, communities and projects. 

Ernest has been transformative in growing Rust focused events, and has contributed actively to the success of RustConf over the past two years. 

We look forward to finding out where Ernest’s next adventure leads him. 

On behalf of the Rust Foundation:

We are deeply grateful to Joel, Gracie and Ernest for the integral roles that they played in creating an impactful Rust Foundation. Thank you, Joel, for ensuring the Rust ecosystem is thoughtfully and robustly supported. Thank you, Gracie, for leading our communications through all of the ups and downs that we have experienced over the years, and doing it with kindness, grace and empathy. Thank you, Ernest, for always championing our global community, and raising the profile of new voices. Our team wishes you every success in your new adventures 🦀