Connotations of "evangelist"
Geertjan Wielenga: There's some debate over whether the word "evangelist" is too political to use. Is it all one and the same to you?
Heather VanCura: The word "evangelist" condenses down to the same thing as the word "advocate." But I think that both can be seen as being politically charged in some way.
"Evangelical" has a religious aspect for some people and "advocacy" can relate to politics. I don't really have a preference. Obviously, both titles are related to being passionate and speaking on behalf of a constituency. I'm passionate about the Java developer community and I definitely see my role as bringing the community in and ensuring that it's heard within the JCP. Both terms would apply to me.
Geertjan Wielenga: Do you see yourself as having been a spin doctor at Sun Microsystems and now at Oracle?
Heather VanCura: No, I don't see it that way....
