Ian Cole has been at the helm of Maker Faire Orlando, and its parent organization The Maker Effect Foundation, since its inception. While this spectacular, volunteer run event did not take place in November as usual, Ian has been no less busy manifesting maker experiences for others (and acting as a board member and advocate for makers across the U.S. through Nation of Makers).
Florida has more Maker Faires than nearly any other U.S. state (New York wins that prize) and Ian has been deeply involved in building that community, both within Orlando itself and by supporting other Maker Faires across the state. This ethic and the spirit of collegiality behind it shows in the choice the MFO team made this year: Rather than pushing the event virtual, as many Maker Faires have done, Maker Faire Orlando decided to step back and keep things small and local under the logic that it is the community and the experiences it generates that make the event special, regardless of scale. And, also, t