PDF Champion for 2024
The PDF Association is now recognizing, on an annual basis, a single volunteer who has made major contributions to the development of PDF technology. In 2024, that person is William Kilian, of TargetStream Technologies.
Working on specifications and best-practice documents, not to mention ISO standards-development work is… not exactly glamorous. It is, however, necessary to the task of maintaining and improving the world’s chosen digital document format for final-form documents.
The tradition of interoperability is one of the few truly key ingredients in PDF’s success. Although PDF was invented by Adobe, since 2008, the PDF specification today is maintained, enhanced and extended by volunteers from around the world. It’s time for us to start celebrating those who make unusual contributions to the core of PDF's ecosystem.
So, the PDF Association is beginning a new tradition. We’ll now recognize, on an annual basis, a single volunteer who has made major contributions to the development of PDF technology.
For 2024, that volunteer is William Kilian, of TargetStream Technologies, extensive contributor in every community pertaining to Tagged PDF, and more besides.
Will really stepped up as part of the “project leader’s brain trust” that was so crucial to completing Well-Tagged PDF (WTPDF) and ISO 14289-2 (PDF/UA-2) over 2023 and 2024. Again, in 2024, Will led the team that moved the PDF Accessibility LWG’s soon-to-be-announced PDF Techniques project from Jira to GitHub.
In all of his contributions, Will has provided wise counsel and a software architect's perspective.
On this basis, and as approved by the Board of Directors of the PDF Association, we send our congratulations, and a cube of engraved aluminum, to William Kilian, PDF Champion for 2024!