2021 Tableau Ambassador nominations and applications now open

Drumroll, please: Nominations and applications for the 2021 Tableau Ambassador Program are now open! We’ve curated all you need to know about the program, including what ambassadors do, community feedback and program changes, and how to nominate or apply. We can’t wait to empower the incoming ambassadors to continue supporting the world’s greatest data community.

But before we look ahead to selecting this year’s data analytics leaders, let’s reflect on the impact of the 2020 ambassador cohort. In a year when the world endured relentless challenges, our ambassadors gave back more than we ever could have anticipated. Thank you to our outgoing community leaders—we couldn’t have done it without you. 

The incalculable impact of the 2020 Tableau Ambassadors

No data analysis could ever fully quantify the difficulty of the previous year, nor how the 2020 ambassadors rallied to the occasion. The group supported a virtual Tableau Conference that shined with character, scrambled to help virtual user groups with training and content, and embraced projects illuminating society’s greatest challenges.

Along the way, ambassadors posted more than 30,000 comments on Tableau Community Forums, authored more than 1,100 data vizzes on Tableau Public totaling millions of views, hosted 150+ student events, and published hundreds of blog posts and videos on best practices and how-to and community resources. Tableau Ambassadors were everywhere, even when many were at home in quarantine.

Their enthusiasm was contagious. Gartner describes this customer enthusiasm as one of the key Tableau differentiators. We agree, but put it a bit differently: Our community won’t let you fail. And our 2020 ambassadors made that a reality for our users every day.

What we heard from the community

Before we opened this nomination cycle, we asked the community for input on how to improve the ambassador programs. We gathered feedback through our survey and individual interviews with Community members and Tableau employees who work directly with our ambassadors. Here are some of the themes we heard:

• Commitment to diversity: Tableau is responsible for continually improving the diversity and inclusivity of all our community programs, including ambassador opportunities. While we have made progress in some areas, we know we can do better.
• Giving back: Our ambassadors want more opportunities to give back. They shared how others had shaped their passion for data, increased their participation in the community, influenced their career paths—and inspired them to become ambassadors themselves. 
• Connection and collaboration: Tableau Ambassadors enjoy networking with other members of the Data Fam, our internal teams, and our customers. In an increasingly virtual world, creating more of these opportunities is a priority.
• Fairness: Tableau must do everything within its capabilities to create as fair an application, nomination, and selection process as possible. Community members want to ensure that everyone is given an equal opportunity to share their contributions in an inclusive environment. Also, when we’re reviewing applications this year, we’ll take into account that the prior year created unforeseen challenges for people who otherwise would have contributed more.

What’s different this year?

Thanks to that feedback, we’re making some changes to the Tableau Ambassador application, nomination, and selection process. We’re also focused on improving the ambassador experience for those selected.

• For returning ambassadors: Given the challenges of 2020 and the pandemic’s ongoing impact, we know many ambassadors had a hard time contributing at the level they would have liked. We encourage everyone interested in returning to reapply for the 2021 cohort. We will take the obstacles of the previous year into account when reviewing submissions.
• For anyone applying or nominated to be an ambassador: This year’s application and nomination process will have two phases. 
  • The first phase, starting today, will allow anyone to nominate someone they know to be an ambassador or apply themselves. 
  • The second—and optional—phase will allow those who have been nominated to advocate for themselves by sharing more on their contributions with Tableau. This phase will occur a few days after the first phase ends; nominees will be notified via email.
• For incoming ambassadors: We are increasing opportunities to engage, from more virtual networking and pre-product release “sneak peeks” to collaborations on content and community projects. We will also make it easier for ambassadors to share their work with Tableau on an ongoing basis, so nothing falls through the digital cracks.

We need your help: Nominate or apply today!

We depend on the world’s greatest data community to help us succeed. That means we need you to nominate who you want to lead the community as an ambassador. Think of someone who has: 

• led and evangelized with kindness and respect
• nurtured creative and technical growth
• made themselves accessible
• amplified connections within the community

Consider people who might contribute in non-traditional ways, bring unique perspectives to the conversation, and enrich our community by supporting an inclusive environment. We know that we can help create better outcomes for all by amplifying diverse leaders in our community. We continue to focus on proactively bringing diversity into this community, and leadership nominations are a critical part of the process.

Make your voice heard: Nominate or apply for your 2021 Tableau Ambassadors. 
 

What are Tableau Ambassadors and what do they do?

Tableau Ambassadors embody the spirit of the Tableau Community. They teach, share, lead, innovate, and inspire. Once selected, ambassadors are invited to serve a one-year term in one of six branches:

• Social Ambassadors are inclusive social leaders who not only create and share engaging content on social media—they go above and beyond to drive thought-provoking conversations about data, champion others, welcome people to the community, support community members, and amplify key messages across all social channels.
• Tableau User Group Leader Ambassadors are dedicated to helping user group leaders worldwide and educating our user group community. Our ambassadors provide content to set up our leaders for success while leading their own local, virtual, or industry user group. They share best practices and tips and tricks or mentor new leaders. They’re also given opportunities to provide feedback on new product releases and speak at events for the global user group community.
• Tableau Forum Ambassadors are the stewards of the forums. They maintain a healthy and engaging community forum by assisting users with quality responses, flagging inappropriate content for moderation or removal, and approving new user content.
• Tableau Public Ambassadors showcase the creative power of Tableau. They drive a feedback loop and healthy space for connection, welcome newcomers, and model engagement. They are given opportunities for collaboration with the Tableau Public Dev team and for contribution on community programs like Viz Of The Day and Tableau Public Featured Authors.
• Student Ambassadors are Tableau champions in higher education who empower and inspire others to acquire fundamental skills to improve their employability. Student Ambassadors support Tableau Academic Programs through on-campus events and social media campaigns to prepare students for success in today’s data-driven world.
• DataDev Ambassadors are curious, innovative, and goal- and community-driven, and want to share their technical knowledge with others. They use Tableau APIs and like to tinker with new tools and apply them to fresh ideas.
• Tableau CRM Ambassadors are power users of the native analytics and AI solution for Salesforce. They love to share their expertise in this specialized platform, and provide a bridge between the Salesforce Trailblazer community and the Tableau Community. Note: Because this group joined the Tableau Ambassador Program in May 2021, we are not reopening this branch during the 2021 nomination and application cycle. 

The fine print

Requirements vary by program branch, but you can only nominate someone or apply to one specific group. We do not select Tableau Ambassadors based on the number of nominations received. While we do read and track all submissions, we also use internal metrics, employee recommendations, and the needs of our global community to determine the new group.

Nominations will be open from June 30, 2021, through July 21, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. PDT.

Following the nomination and application period, the Tableau team will notify all candidates and review all submissions, and ask those nominated to provide optional additional information. This process may take up to three weeks. Personal invitations to join will be shared and must be accepted before the public announcement. All ambassadors are required to sign an NDA with Tableau. The 2021 Tableau Ambassadors will be announced in early September 2021.

We encourage you to learn more about all the ambassadors on our website and follow them on Twitter.