2025-10-08 –, Track One
How Wagtail reduces dev dependency, speeds publishing, and preserves brand consistency at scale.
When Truth Initiative, the nonprofit behind one of the nation’s most recognizable anti-tobacco campaigns, launched a high-stakes health site, speed was critical. They needed to push timely, accurate content without flooding the dev team with tickets—or risking design drift.
The solution: A CMS configured to empower editors. By combining StreamFields, snippets, and custom page models, Wagtail gave editors creative freedom while ensuring the design system stayed intact.
This talk will explore:
- The most common editor pain points in rigid CMS setups—and how Wagtail fixes them.
- How reusable content blocks (like FAQs, authors, and CTAs) boosted SEO, efficiency, and credibility.
- The balance between editor freedom and design control, and why it matters in mission-critical campaigns.
Attendees will learn how to design CMS experiences that turn bottlenecks into autonomy—freeing developers to focus on complex work while editors confidently own publishing. For organizations under pressure to deliver, this approach transforms Wagtail into more than a CMS—it becomes a strategic advantage.
Eric is a self taught software engineer based in Chicago, with over 10 years of experience. They currently work as a Senior Software Engineer for the Innovations Center at Truth Initiative which builds and maintains EX Program, a science-based digital tobacco and nicotine cessation service.
They have a background as a consultant in Geographic Information Systems and Public Policy. Prior to working at Truth Initiative, their work has largely been for government and NFP agencies such as the Illinois Department of Transportation, The City of Austin, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at NASA, the Mozilla Foundation, Torchbox, and others.
They are also a founding board member of Chi Hack Night, one of the largest and longest running public interest technology meetups in the USA.
In their spare time they enjoy playing and recording music (his first career), cycling, video games, and enjoying the art, music, and culture of one of the greatest cities in the world!
Annette is a Senior Software Developer with over 12 years of experience in crafting elegant, user-friendly solutions tailored to client needs. Since starting her professional journey in 2013, Annette has honed her skills across various technologies, including Python, Django, React, Typescript, CSS, and full-stack Plone development. After joining Six Feet Up in 2020, she has worked as both a developer and a Tech Lead, while focused on creating effective software solutions.
What began as a hobby over 25 years ago has evolved into a deep passion for problem-solving and attention to detail, driving Annette to continuously expand her technical expertise. In her spare time, she has also explored other technologies including PHP and SQL, reflecting her commitment to lifelong learning and adaptability in a fast-changing industry. Annette holds a Bachelor’s degree in Premedicine and a Master of Biomedical Sciences, bringing a unique perspective to her development work.
While naturally reserved, Annette’s enthusiasm for hula hooping, sewing, and her pet birds often sparks engaging and unexpected conversations.