Why I stepped down as an ambassador

I wrote a little note about why I stepped down, but to save you the aggravation of trying to read my handwriting, I'll type it out for you. 

Dear friend(s),

Tableau announced the 2022 ambassador cohort and it feels a bit odd not to see my name and picture included. I've been an ambassador since the program started in 2015? and I joked that I saw the cool kids retire from Tableau and thought I should retire too. 

The reason why I "retired" is that I just don't have the energy and excitement that I had three, four, or even six years ago.   And I'm okay with it.  It was a hard decision to make but the beautiful thing is that I can contribute whenever and however I want. Here's what this means to me:

1. I created space for someone more diverse and excited. 

2. Instead of providing free marketing and community building for Tableau, I get to grow and nurture Pretty Strong Smart and advocate for accessible data experiences. Both of these are huge passions of mine. 

3. I have one less thing to stress/spend energy on, which is healthy for me. 

Some of you might be thinking, "What about TFF?" It's still here & happening. Like always, TFF takes a village and I love how it serves the Tableau community.  

I feel that this is growth for me and I love it.  I can now fill the role of the wacky Aunt to the datafam, whose vibe is somewhere between alpha female and crystal collector and seems to "always be off doing her own thing."

Here are the people who helped shape who I am and I'd be remiss if I didn't thank them for their leadership (in no particular order): Elissa Fink, Jackie Yeaney, Andy Kriebel, Anya A'Hearn, Chuck Hooper, Jonathan Drummey, Kelly Martin, Sarah Bartlett, Jordan Scott, and most of all, Matt Francis, who has been my A1 since day 1. I probably missed a ton of people, sorry. 

As I reflect on where the company was and how it has grown and evolved, it's crazy to see how big it's actually gotten.  My hope is that Tableau continues to be a tool that people want to create community of servant leaders around.  

Emily

PS: For the last couple of years, I've recommended that Tableau introduce a HOF for Ambassadors (modeled after the Visionary HOF and for the purpose of recognizing the contributions of long-standing ambassadors and making room for a new cohort of diverse ambassadors without diluting the ambassador population). It hasn't made the cut yet, but I hope one day they'll implement it!