It is with great sadness that we must inform you that our Executive Director, Dr. Shuli Goodman, has passed away following a long battle with cancer. Shuli founded LF Energy with the goal of prolonging the life of our planet, and gave her all in making that goal come to fruition. Shuli was our captain, our inspiration, and our friend. Her vision and leadership not only built LF Energy to be what it is today, but laid the foundation for what it will be in the future. All the successes we will achieve in the years ahead are thanks to her relentless efforts and unmatched passion. She will not only be remembered, but sorely missed by all in our community, especially by her wife Karen, her son Dakota, her soul-sister Lucy, and the many young people whom she helped nurture and grow. Our hearts go out to them.
We do feel it is important to emphasize that the Linux Foundation remains fully committed to the success of LF Energy as a community, recognizing its critical role for the future of our planet. With the enthusiastic backing of Linux Foundation Executive Director Jim Zemlin, General Manager of Projects Mike Dolan, and our dedicated LF Energy team, the Foundation will continue to support the community’s efforts to ensure a healthy and prosperous future.
When Shuli was unwell several months ago, she drafted a statement to prepare the community for what has now come to pass. This was never issued as she experienced a remarkable rebound and we were confident that she was on the road to recovery. However as every one of us knows, cancer can take unexpected turns. In Shuli’s own words at that time, “If you are wondering what you can do to help me now, the answer is simple – redouble your efforts to grow our community by recruiting more developers and member companies, contributing new projects, improving existing ones, and spreading the word that technology is a major part of the solution to global climate change. I look forward to the day when we can all be together to celebrate our victories, and I appreciate your continued support in making those victories come to fruition.”
The best way we can honor her memory is to make this come to pass.
We have set up a repository in the LF Energy GitHub organization where you can leave thoughts, notes, and stories to share about Shuli and what he meant to us in all. Please add them at https://github.com/lf-energy/memorials/blob/main/shuli-goodman.md.
We also feel it is now appropriate to share a poem she selected at that time with you, in her remembrance.
-The LF Energy Team
I Will Not Die an Unlived Life
by Dawna Markova
I will not die an unlived life,
I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible;
to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance,
to live so that which came to me as seed
goes to the next as blossom,
and that which came to me as blossom,
goes on as fruit.
