Education in the WordPress ecosystem is evolving quickly — from informal, community-led learning to more structured, collaborative pathways that connect contributors, universities, and businesses. This track, amongst others, explores the exciting new ground of the signature programmes: WordPress Credits and Campus Connect.
Why this matters now
The way we learn and work in tech is being reshaped in real time. AI is accelerating change, and the skills that matter are shifting towards adaptability, problem-solving, and collaboration. Education can’t just chase tools — it needs to build durable capabilities.
Universities want practical models, businesses want proven skills, and individuals need clearer pathways. This track looks at how open-source programmes and partnerships are responding to that shift.
What you’ll take away from this track:
- How WordPress is rethinking contributor onboarding and learning pathways
- Why open source can act as a practical training ground, not just a philosophy
- What students, universities, and businesses each gain from programmes like WP Credits
- How to build skills that remain relevant in an AI-driven industry
- Real examples of integrating WordPress into academic and educational environments
- How institutions can retain control over AI tools using open technologies
- Ways to get involved — whether you’re a learner, educator, or employer
The Talks
Panel: rethinking learning in WordPress
Speaker: Mary Hubbard, Rade Jekic, Klaus Harris, Natalia Basiura, Benjamin Zekavica
Where: Track 2
When: Saturday 11:15 AM CEST
Session page: Panel: rethinking learning in WordPress
WordPress is currently preparing several changes around learning and contributor onboarding. In this conversation, Mary Hubbard (Executive Director of WordPress), Benjamin Zekavica (Core Team Rep), Rade Jekic (Training Team Rep), Natalia Basiura, and Klaus Harris discuss the programs currently in progress. This includes new contributor pathways, simpler onboarding steps, and the first university partnerships to connect WordPress with academic learning.
The session looks at how new contributors can get started more easily, how people who stepped away can find a way back, and which skills will be important for working with WordPress in the coming years. It also gives a look into the internal work aimed at making learning and contribution more structured and accessible across the project.
Mary Hubbard is the Executive Director of WordPress, the open-source software platform maintained and supported by thousands of independent contributors worldwide. With 20 years of industry experience, Mary specializes in product development, program management, and organizational efficiency. Prior to joining WordPress, she held senior leadership roles at global tech companies including TikTok, eBay, Walmart, Assurant, and TruRating. A published author featured on platforms like Entrepreneur.com, Mary writes extensively about leadership, transparency, and team empowerment. She is deeply committed to open source, advocating for its sustainability and integrity for future generations of creators.
Follow her work on WordPress.org as @4thhubbard
A WordPress enthusiast for almost 14 years, he is always ready to guide others through the challenges of their WordPress journey. He leads the Front-End Development team at SpotHopper and heads an internal team focused on innovative WordPress-driven concepts. In July 2025, he became one of the representatives of the WordPress Training Team. Known for his passion for teaching and speaking, he strives to make knowledge accessible while continuously learning himself.
Follow his work on WordPress.org as @rjekic
Klaus is the program lead of Automattic’s credentialing program. He has more than 25 years of industry experience, mostly in software development, spanning consulting, technical account and program management.
Follow his work on WordPress.org as @klausharris
Natalia Basiura is an operations leader and startup builder working at the intersection of technology, community, and communication. She currently serves as Operations Director at Kraków Miastem Startupów Foundation, where she turns ideas into structured processes and helps teams deliver impactful projects.
She is the founder of FastMic, a platform that transforms event communication by enabling real-time audience interaction and turning passive attendees into active participants. She also leads Corpatriot, a project focused on building a community around civil defense and women’s safety, combining education, technology, and real-world needs.
Natalia has experience across both startup and NGO sectors, from cultural initiatives to tech-driven social projects. She actively co-creates communities, including LinkedIn Local Kraków, and serves on the board of Ubi Es? Foundation.
Her approach blends strategy with execution – she builds, tests, and improves, always staying close to people and their needs.
Follow her work on WordPress.org as @nataliabasiura
Benjamin Zekavica shows how companies can use WordPress as a serious digital infrastructure instead of treating it as just another website. As the founder of Kreo Pulse and UnleashWP and a member of the WordPress Core Team, he combines strategic perspective with technical depth. Kreo Pulse helps companies use WordPress with greater clarity, reliability, and structure. With UnleashWP, he shares practical knowledge for professionals who want to do more than just use WordPress. They want to understand it more deeply and apply it more deliberately.
Follow his work on WordPress.org as @benjamin_zekavica
The new engineer: psychology, systems, and open source
Speaker: Daniel Grzonka
Where: Track 2
When: Saturday 9:00 AM CEST
Session page: The new engineer: psychology, systems, and open source
How do we educate students for an AI-disrupted IT market without endlessly chasing the next tool? This talk presents a practical model: combine durable soft skills with strong technical foundations, teach through real problems, and use open source – especially WordPress – as a “living lab” where students build, ship, and contribute through structured programs like Campus Connect, WordPress Credits, and Student Clubs.
Daniel Grzonka is an Assistant Professor at Cracow University of Technology and Vice-Dean for Education at the Faculty of Computer Science and Mathematics. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Polish Academy of Sciences and an Executive MBA, combining strong academic foundations with leadership experience.
A long-time enthusiast of open-source technologies and the WordPress ecosystem, Daniel explores the intersection of engineering, human behavior, and complex systems. His research spans multi-agent systems, cloud computing, machine learning, and high-performance computing.
In his talk, “The New Engineer: Psychology, Systems, and Open Source” he reflects on how modern engineers must go beyond code-integrating technical expertise with systems thinking and an understanding of human factors to build meaningful, scalable solutions.
Follow him on WordPress.org as @dannykrk
What it (really) means to be a part of the WP Credits program?
Speaker: Ivana Ćirković
Where: Track 2
When: Saturday 9:45 AM CEST
Session page: What it (really) means to be a part of the WP Credits program?
The WP Credits program is often described as a way for students to “learn WordPress while contributing to the community.” And, while this is all true – it’s not the whole story.
In this talk, Ivana (a long-time marketer and WordPress professional, accepted mentor and someone deeply involved in this industry), will share her looks at WP Credits from three perspectives: students, universities and businesses supporting the program. Is it only about WordPress or is there another, bigger picture and all-parties gain from participating in this and projects alike? Why you as a business should join? How does this initiative work and what comes as the benefit for all parties involved? These are some of the questions Ivana will answer, pinpointing it to the factual, practical value WP Credits creates beyond WordPress skills. You’ll leave with a clear understanding of how the program works in practice, what students actually gain, what universities get and why businesses should see WP Credits as a long-term investment.
Digital marketing strategist with 18 years of experience in organic growth, SEO copywriting, social media, and WordPress. International speaker and educator, specializing in translating complex business messages into compelling stories that help brands communicate clearly and grow organically.
Follow her on WordPress.org as @organvlasti
Sovereign university AI tutors powered by WordPress
Speaker: Jörg Pareigis
Where: Track 2
When: Saturday 10:30 AM CEST
Session page: Sovereign university AI tutors powered by WordPress
Can universities own their AI future? Discover how Karlstad University uses WordPress Multisite to create customized, pedagogically aligned AI tutors. By combining the power of WordPress with Open Educational Resources (OERs), this project avoids vendor lock-in and ensures institutional control over data and model behavior. Learn how the same open-source tools we use for blogging can serve as the “knowledge substrate” for the next generation of trustworthy, ethical AI assistants in higher education.
Jörg Pareigis is the Director of Library including the Centre for Teaching and Learning at Karlstad University, Sweden. As an open educator and innovator in Higher Education, he has vast experience in using and developing with WordPress. Jörg is currently part of the AI working group of the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions (SUHF) and also co-organizer of the open online course “Open Networked Learning”.
Follow him on WordPress.org as @joergelp