Rust Foundation Board Updates | October 2025

The Rust Foundation is pleased to announce the arrival of three new Project Directors to our Board of Directors! Please join us in welcoming:

Niko Matsakis, David Wood, & Jack Huey!

Niko, David, and Jack are joining Carol Nichols and Ryan Levick as Project Directors at the Rust Foundation and replacing Scott McMurray, Jakob Degen, and Santiago Pastorino, whose two-year terms recently concluded.

The Rust Foundation is deeply grateful to Scott, Jakob, and Santiago for their many contributions, insights, and advocacy on behalf of the Rust Project during their time as Project Directors. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with them as valued members of the Rust community.

Meet the Rust Foundation’s New Project Directors:

Niko Matsakis

Nicholas Matsakis (Niko) is a Senior Principal Engineer at AWS and co-lead of the open source Rust language design team. He has worked on Rust since 2011 and led the design of its “secret sauce,” the borrow checker. Over the years, Niko has served in numerous leadership roles within the Rust Project, including as a member of the Core Team, the lead of the Compiler Team, and as a founding contributor to the Rust Foundation. Prior to working on Rust, he earned his PhD at ETH Zurich and completed his undergraduate studies at MIT.

About the Project Director role, Niko said:

“I am honored to be elected. I see the Rust Foundation and the open-source community as two sides of the same coin and so I look forward to doing my part in helping each to support the other. Hack without fear, everyone!”

David Wood

David has been contributing to the Rust compiler since 2017 and currently co-leads the Compiler Team. Professionally, he leads Arm’s Rust team, working to improve support for Arm platforms in the Rust toolchain and ecosystem.

About the Project Director role, David said:

“I’m incredibly excited to represent the Rust Project as a Project Director. Since I started contributing, Rust has seen growth beyond what I could have predicted and become used in critical infrastructure around the world. The Rust Foundation is essential in enabling Rust’s continued growth and in supporting the maintainers who make Rust possible. I look forward to working with my fellow Project Directors, the Rust Leadership Council, and the other members of the Rust Foundation’s Board in advancing the Foundation’s support for Rust maintainers.”

Jack Huey

Jack has been contributing to the Rust Project since 2019, working primarily on the type system. He currently serves as a Compiler Team Maintainer, co-leads the Types Team and the Vision Doc effort, and previously served on the Leadership Council. Jack completed his PhD in Biomedical Sciences in July 2025 and continues to contribute to the Rust Project with support from Futurewei Technologies.

About the Project Director role, Jack said:

“I am honored to be selected as a Project Director and to be given the opportunity to represent the Rust Project to the Foundation. The Project and Foundation maintain a unique relationship, and I’m excited to continue the previous and current Project Directors’ work to help best define and strengthen this relationship. I’m hopeful that we can work to bring Rust to more people around the globe, and simultaneously achieve a sustainable model of language development and maintenance — something that can only happen with close coordination between the Project and Foundation.”

What is a Rust Foundation Project Director?

Project Directors are elected leaders who represent the Rust Project on the Rust Foundation’s Board of Directors. Like our other board members, they vote on key matters before the Board and contribute their expertise to strategic discussions that shape the Foundation’s direction and priorities.

To learn more about how Project Directors are elected, please read this post on the Rust Project Blog. We extend our gratitude to everyone in the Rust Project who participated in this year’s election process.

Beyond formal board meetings, Rust Foundation staff stay in close and consistent communication with Project Directors. Together, we discuss ongoing developments across both the Project and the Foundation and regularly seek their insights to help ensure alignment, transparency, and mutual support.

Learn more about the duties of our Board Directors here.

Once again, welcome to Niko, David, and Jack, and our sincerest thanks to Scott, Jakob, and Santiago for their years of dedication and leadership.

Welcoming Rohan Patil: Member Director for Meta

We would also like to thank Eric Garcia for his years of service on the Rust Foundation Board of Directors on behalf of Platinum Member, Meta. Please join us in welcoming Rohan Patil as the new Platinum Member Representative for Meta!