The U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) is run by one full-time federal staff member (hi 👋, it's me, Anne) with support and occasional contributions from the GSA/TTS-based USWDS Internal Team, as well as USWDS Community Maintainers and Contributors (together also referred to as the USWDS Open Source Community).
These don't account for all the inputs to the system since there's also an even broader community of teams and individuals that have adopted or use USWDS but might not have access to GitHub, or might not choose to join the USWDS Open Source Community officially or otherwise participate here.
Together, the collective USWDS community has created a thriving product ecosystem, while the USWDS Open Source Community more directly helps ensure the design system's success, security, and alignment with government standards and legal requirements, community and digital team needs, and product and agency goals.
Members of the USWDS Open Source Community are responsible for guiding its development, ensuring quality standards, and fostering a collaborative environment. They play a vital role in making decisions about code contributions, handling releases, communicating with and supporting the broader USWDS community, and ensuring the design system meets its legal responsibilities, principles, values, goals and objectives.
- @annepetersen, USWDS Lead and Product Owner (GSA / TTS / USWDS)
- @chandracarney, TTS Accessibility Lead (GSA / TTS)
- @msbtterswrth, Nava Senior Product Manger, Former VA, CMS Contractor
- @NSKbot, The Bridge Executive Director, Former CFPB/18F
- @mgifford, CivicActions Open Standards and Practices Lead, Drupal Core Accessibility Maintainer, W3C Invited Expert
- @acolter, The Bridge Chief Operating Officer, Former Executive Director at 18F
- @jeana-adhoc, Design Lead & Accessibility Specialist at Ad Hoc; Contractor on VA.gov Design System
(not a complete list)
- @thisisdano, former USWDS Product Owner and Maintainer
- (many more TBA)
(not a complete list)
Agency digital teams / team members from:
- 18F
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
- Department of Education
- Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
- Digital Experience (DX) Council (interagency)
- Federal Reserve Board System
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- General Services Administration (GSA)
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
- Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR)
- Social Security Administration (SSA)
- Technology Transformation Services (TTS)
- U.S. Air Force
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- U.S. Digital Service (USDS)
- U.S. Forest Service (USFS)
- U.S. Geological Service (USGS)
Below are the current defined roles and responsibilities of the USWDS Open Source Community. Expanding these teams is a current (June 2026) focus. If you care about USWDS and want to get involved, please consider joining to help shape and support these roles.
| Roles | Responsibilities | Requirements | Access privileges |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contributor | Active contributor to the USWDS community | Multiple contributions to the repository or broader community | • Assigned issues • Granted access to running CI/CD commands |
| Maintainer | Set direction and priorities for an area of USWDS | • Experience as a reviewer for 6 months • Demonstrated responsibility and excellent technical judgement for USWDS |
• Approves PRs to all areas of repository • Has a vote in decision-making meetings |
| Alumni | None: USWDS thanks them all for their contributions and service | Must have been an active Contributor or Maintainer, or supported earlier USWDS development at a similar level |
• Can be assigned issues • Can be added to subject matter-specific teams |
Description: a Contributor participates directly in the USWDS Open Source Community and adds value to it. These contributions can be code, peer support, Pull Request reviews, Issue creation or confirmation, community participation, or many other means of support.
- Following the repository CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
- Following the repository contributing guidelines: CONTRIBUTING.md
- Report, confirm, and resolve confirmed Issues
- Submit and review PRs
- Contribute relevant research
- Support creation or revision of USWDS documentation or official communications
- Participate in community discussions
- Propose or participate in a team proposing new USWDS components, patterns, or features
- Answer questions from other community members (in any venue, such as the USWDS public Slack channel, USWDS GitHub Discussions, or live meetings)
- Test releases and submit PR reviews
- Run or help run USWDS events
- Help maintain the repository and community infrastructure
- Consult with and provide feedback to the USWDS Internal Team
- Work on a USWDS-based design system
- Invitations to USWDS Open Source Community events
- Direct communication with the USWDS Internal Team
- A voice (but not a vote, that comes with Maintainer status) in USWDS directional decisions
- Access to USWDS Open Source Community communications and conversations
- Opportunity to advance in the repository's CONTRIBUTOR_LADDER.md
- Other privileges defined by the community in the future
- Any current participant in the USWDS community may become a new Contributor by meeting the requirements and opening a PR, following the instructions in the contributor ladder issue template, making sure to include supporting information about how they meet the requirements
- At least 1 current USWDS Maintainer must approve the PR, including their reasoning for that decision
Description: Maintainers are established Contributors, often responsible for entire subject matter-specific areas of USWDS. As such, they have the ability to approve PRs, and are expected to participate in reviewing and approving contributions specific to their subject matter.
A Maintainer must meet the responsibilities and requirements of a Contributor, plus:
- Reviewing at least 4 PRs every 3 months, focusing on PRs in their subject matter area of expertise
- Mentoring new Contributors
- Writing and refactoring submitted PRs
- Participating in USWDS Maintainer activities
- Proposing contributions to USWDS strategy and policy, including Architectural Decision Records
- Participating in, and leading, community discussions
- Mentoring other Maintainers
- Exercising judgment for the good of the USWDS product and repository, independent of any employer, friends, or team, in line with repository GOVERNANCE.md
- Management of a key part of USWDS
- Must be actively contributing for at least 6 months:
- Authored 2 merged PRs
- Reviewed 2 PRs
- Resolved 2 Issues
- Reviews a minimum of 4 PRs every 3 months
- Contributes at least 2 PRs every 3 months
- Approve PRs, especially in their area of expertise
- A vote in USWDS directional decisions
- Other privileges defined by the community in the future
- Any current Contributor may become a new Maintainer by meeting the requirements and opening a PR, following the instructions in the contributor ladder issue template, including supporting information about how they meet the requirements
- The USWDS Product Owner / Lead must then approve the PR, including their reasoning for that decision
Serves as the main point of contact for strategy, roadmapping, decision-making, community, communication, coordination of teams and areas, and development activity and decisions.
Members of the USWDS Internal Team are federal employees or contractors who contribute to USWDS repositories, products, or the program itself as part of their formal work duties. They have the same privileges and responsibilities as Maintainers.
Description: USWDS Alumni are former established USWDS Contributors or Maintainers who haven't contributed to USWDS for longer than 6 months. Contributors or Maintainers can also decide to become Alumni by voluntarily stepping down. Alumni have no further responsibilities here and we thank them for their contributions.
- None
- Must have had USWDS Contributor or Maintainer status, or supported earlier USWDS development at a similar level
- Will be added to the USWDS Alumni list in the COMMUNITY.md file
- Can choose to be included in USWDS Open Source Community communications, but will not be by default
- Any current Maintainer or Contributor can become Alumni by following the instructions in the contributor ladder issue template, and sending a PR to the COMMUNITY.md file changing their role to Alumni
- At least 1 current USWDS Maintainer or Internal Team Member must then approve and merge the PR
These guide USWDS product and process decisions, architecture, and approach.
- USWDS mission, vision, polestar
- USWDS product values
- USWDS design principles
- USWDS engineering values
- USWDS architectural decision records (ADRs)
All USWDS community members must follow our Code of Conduct.
You can learn more about contributing to this repository in CONTRIBUTING.md.
When participating in USWDS community conversations and spaces:
- respect your peers
- use plain language
- be patient
- practice constructive criticism
- stay organized
USWDS Contributors must stay active, to set a good example and demonstrate commitment. Inactivity may lead to unexpected delays, Contributor attrition, and a loss of trust in the product and work.
- Inactivity is measured by:
- Periods of no contributions for longer than 6 months
- Periods of no communication for longer than 6 months
- Consequences of being inactive include:
- Being moved to Alumni status
Involuntary removal/demotion happens when someone isn't meeting their responsibilities and role requirements. This can include repeated patterns of inactivity, extended periods of inactivity, a period of failing to meet the requirements of their role, and/or a violation of the Code of Conduct. This process protects the community and its work, while also opening up opportunities for others to step into new roles.
Involuntary removal or demotion is handled by Maintainers filing an issue using the contributor_ladder.md template, and sending a PR to the COMMUNITY.md file. At least 2 current USWDS Maintainers must approve, and then 1 must merge the PR.
If any USWDS Open Source Community member's commitment levels or other circumstances change, they can file an issue using the contributor_ladder.md template, and send a PR to the COMMUNITY.md file updating their role to Alumni or removing themselves from this page entirely.
The Community Guidelines section here was originally forked from the United States Digital Service Justice40 open source repository, and that and even more was forked from or contributed by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services Open Source Program Office and their Guide, and we'd like to acknowledge and thank everyone who contributed along the way.
Below is an automated list of contributors to this particular repository, which is USWDS's primary current codebase, but certainly not the only USWDS repository. This list doesn't reflect the many many many other incredibly key people who may never have touched this repo.
If anyone involved with USWDS in the past would like to be reflected on this page — whether or not you've ever touched GitHub — please make a request (further instructions here). Alumni status here doesn't involve further USWDS responsibilities. If you have any trouble, please drop a note to uswds@gsa.gov.
None of us can do this alone. We never have. We never will. We learn from each other, and share with each other, and continuing that will continue to make things better over time. Thanks for being here.
Total number of contributors to this particular repository: 182 (!)
