We are thrilled to announce the 2024 recipient of MongoDB’s prestigious William Zola Award for Community Excellence: Mateus Leonardi!
Each year, the William Zola Award for Community Excellence recognizes an outstanding community contributor who embodies the legacy of William Zola, a lead technical services engineer at MongoDB who passed away in 2014. Zola had an unwavering commitment to user success, and believed deeply in understanding and catering to users’ emotions while resolving their technical problems. His philosophy is a guiding force for MongoDB’s community to this day. This award comes with a cash prize and travel sponsorship to attend a regional MongoDB.local event.
Mateus Leonardi embodies these leadership values within the MongoDB community.
In 2023, he led the launch and leadership of a new MongoDB User Group (MUG) in Florianópolis/Santa Catarina, Brazil. With his co-leaders, he has organized six successful MUG events, and has formed partnerships with local organizations and universities. He has also expanded his impact by becoming a MongoDB Community Creator, and has actively shared his MongoDB expertise outside of the user group.
For example, in 2024 Mateus volunteered as a subject matter expert for MongoDB certifications. This involved being a panelist on several critical exam development milestones—from defining the knowledge and skills needed to earn credentials, to developing exam blueprints, to writing exam questions and verifying the technical accuracy of MongoDB certifications.
Based on this record of support for our community, Mateus was also honored as a MongoDB Community Champion in 2024.
Mateus excels as a dynamic leader and community advocate, extending invitations to fellow Brazilian MongoDB community leaders to speak at MUGs and local events. He also organizes and delivers talks at numerous events, including those for local university students. Ultimately, Mateus goes above and beyond in everything he commits to, and has demonstrated a genuine commitment to enhancing both the local MongoDB community and the broader developer community in his area.
Here’s what Mateus Leonardi had to say about what the MongoDB community means to him:
Q: Could you tell our readers a little about your day-to-day work?
Mateus: As Head of Engineering at HeroSpark, my mission is to empower our team to innovate with quality and consistency. I work to create an environment where efficiency and constant evolution are natural in our day-to-day, always focusing on solutions that benefit both our team and our customers.
Q: How does MongoDB support you as a developer?
Mateus: MongoDB has been instrumental in our journey to enable adaptability without compromising quality. In work, MongoDB gives us that same flexibility in development, allowing us to quickly adapt to market changes while maintaining high performance and controlled costs. This combination gives us the confidence to innovate sustainably.
Q: Why is being a leader in the MongoDB community important to you?
Mateus: My sixteen-plus-year career has been marked by people who have helped me grow, and now it’s my turn to give back. I view my role in the community as a way to multiply knowledge and create a positive impact. Technology has transformed my life, and through the MongoDB community, I can help others transform their realities too.
Q: What has the community taught you?
Mateus: The community has taught me that true learning happens when we share experiences. The act of teaching makes us better learners. Each interaction in the community allows us to reflect on our limitations and grow collectively. I’ve learned that the most rewarding thing is not the destination, but a journey shared with other developers.
Congratulations to Mateus Leonardi, recipient of the 2024 William Zola Award for Community Excellence! To learn more about the MongoDB Community, please visit the MongoDB Community homepage.
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