MEET THE CANDIDATE: Justin Van Buren Is Running For A Spot On The DAO's Discourse Facilitator Team

ApeCoin DAO Contributor and Discourse Facilitator nominee, Justin Van Buren wants to drive culture and push the ApeCoin DAO outwardly to more users as part of the DAO's Discourse Facilitator team.

Election 2023 is heating up around the swamp as 14 ApeCoin DAO contributors threw their hats in the ring and announced their candidacies for ApeCoin DAO's Discourse Facilitator team earlier this month.

As the Bored Ape Gazette previously reported, the DAO approved of the creation of a three-person, community led, Discourse moderation team last month when it passed Ape Improvement Proposal-240.

This team will be responsible for “overseeing the proposal process, moderating discussions, enforcing rules, and promoting positive community engagement based on DAO-approved guidelines,” according to the DAO. Each Discourse team member will serve a three-month term and will earn $8,000 USD per month.

One of the candidates running for a spot on the Discourse moderation team is ApeCoin DAO Contributor Justin Van Buren.

"My beloved, esteemed Apecoin DAO members: I am excited to announce my candidacy for Community Discourse Facilitator within the DAO, Justin Van Buren wrote on his candidate Discourse page. “My listed experience in community building, organizational management, and charitable oversight should set me apart and uniquely suit me for this role. The past 3 years of Web3-specific community management and project management have allowed me to further my keen understanding of how to foster engagement and drive success in online communities, building on almost a decade of prior experience managing communities that are inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible. In terms of regulation and compliance, I have experience on boards in public, private, and education sectors. As the elected President of the Graduate Student Body at George Mason University I helped solve policy issues related to the University’s corporate body and pushed forward policy changes in line with student interests. With the Community Foundation of Howard County, MD, I served on both the Scholarships and Grants committees. I am passionate about ApeCoin and would be honored to serve as a Community Discourse Facilitator. Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to answering any questions about how I may contribute to the success of the DAO.”

To find out more about how Justin Van Buren and his plans to expand the DAO and drive culture, the Bored Ape Gazette reached out to him for an interview. Check it out below:

1.In a sentence or two why should the $Ape community vote for you?

“The Ape Community should vote for me because I have a body of experience that should ensure success, and I am passionate about inclusive growth while adhering to ApeCoin’s mission statement and driving ApeCoin to the top of art, gaming, and entertainment culture. I feel we often take too myopic a view and forget that Web3 is a relatively small niche community that will require onboarding to grow.”

2.What made you want to run for Discourse Facilitator team?

“I feel we often take too myopic a view and forget that Web3 is a relatively small niche community that will require onboarding to grow. I want to help push outwardly. ApeCoin is supposed to “drive culture forward into the metaverse,” but up until now Yuga has been doing the driving while Apecoin has been riding shotgun. We should be going toe-to-toe with Yuga to pursue these ends.”

3. What sets you apart from the other nominees?

“Experience. Aside from me substantial community management and customer support experience (vital when helping others through the AIP process), I have 2 years of grants committee experience at the county level assisting both non-profits and scholarship seeking high school students, and I have board experience in higher education. On the private side, I have helped drive considerable growth, both financially and culturally, in the music industry.”

4.What do you hope to accomplish during your term?

"Bigger. Better. More culturally significant."

5. How did you get into Web3 and NFTs?

"Bitcoin – 2011. NFTs – Art and TopShot. BAYC – Mint."

6. Do you have anything else you’d like to add or say?

“Every time you vote for someone else, a kitten stumbles, falls over, and looks sad. Unless you’re voting for Cryptologically or Sasha. They’re great guys. Seriously though, I really hope Apecoin can start being more proactive with cultural expansion. We have the resources to make some real noise.”

ApeCoin DAO Contributors who would like to find out more about Justin Van Buren’s campaign can reach out to him via Twitter @theJVB

The window to vote in the ApeCoin DAO’s first ever Discourse Facilitator election is currently open and ApeCoin holders have until Wednesday to cast their coins.

The Bored Ape Gazette has reached out to all 14 candidates for an interview and will be publishing them as they reply. Stay tuned for updates!