Dennis Ploetner receives the Yoast Care fund for his contribution to the WordPress community

Meet Dennis Ploetner, a valued member of the WordPress Community Team! Stefano Cassone nominated him for the Yoast Care fund because of his commitment and valuable contributions to the community. Let’s learn more about this passionate WordPress enthusiast.

Nominator Stefano Cassone: “I am very pleased to nominate my friend Dennis Ploetner for his contributions to the WordPress community, both in Italy and internationally. Simply listing everything he has done—and continues to do—for WordPress is amazing. Dennis has been a lead organizer for WordCamp Milan in 2018 and 2019, as well as an organizer of several other WordCamps and WordPress events, the most recent of which was Core Days, where he did a fantastic job organizing the speaker program. Additionally, he organizes the Milan WordPress Meetup and has spoken at several WordCamps. Last but not least, he is an active WordCamp mentor and a program supporter for the Community team.”

Let’s get to know Dennis Ploetner

Those are some lovely words by Stefano. Let’s get to know Dennis a bit better and ask him some questions about his work and passion for WordPress:

Hi, Dennis! First of all, what do you do?

I’m a developer and a German living in Italy. I contribute to open-source projects and am a big fan of WordPress. I work at Syde, where I help development teams build and maintain high-quality WordPress solutions. I also enjoy maintaining several WordPress plugins, contributing to the WordPress ecosystem, and mentoring at community events like WordCamps.

How do you know about WordPress? 

I first learned about WordPress many years ago when I was looking for a flexible content management system (CMS) for multilingual websites. Over time, I became more and more involved—first as a user, then as a plugin developer, and eventually as a contributor to the open-source project and an active member of the community.

Why do you think you got nominated?

I believe my community work played a role in this nomination. Over the past year, I’ve been particularly involved in the preparation and organization of Core Days in Rome. It seems my efforts haven’t gone unnoticed, which makes me quite proud.

Why WordPress?

WordPress is open-source, flexible, and supported by an incredible community. Unlike closed systems, it allows developers to build, extend, and innovate freely. The idea that anyone can contribute and help shape the platform’s future aligns with my values.

Why did you start contributing? Could you share your first contribution with us?

I started contributing because I needed functionality that existed but wasn’t freely available. In 2011, WordPress 3 introduced multisite to the core, which led me to release the Multisite Language Switcher. This plugin simplifies managing multilingual content in WordPress multisite environments. Since then, I’ve continued improving the plugin while also contributing in other ways.

What does WordPress look like in your perfect world?

A truly multilingual core, better support for complex multisite setups, and a streamlined developer experience—these are key goals for WordPress. It should remain as open and community-driven as possible, with continuous improvements in performance, accessibility, and collaboration.

What contribution or moment are you most proud of?

Maintaining the Multisite Language Switcher for over a decade has been a significant achievement. I’m also proud of organizing and mentoring at WordCamps and Meetups. One challenge that constantly pushes me out of my comfort zone is public speaking—sharing my knowledge and passion at events has been both rewarding and transformative.

What would you love to do in the future?

I want to continue advocating for multilingual improvements in WordPress core, mentoring more contributors, and developing innovative solutions for complex WordPress environments. I also enjoy sharing my knowledge at events and helping others navigate the open-source ecosystem.

Where may people find you? Online, WordCamps, other meetups?

You can find me online at ploetner.io and on GitHub (lloc). I also attend WordCamps across Europe, local meetups, and occasionally speak at events. If you see me at a WordCamp, feel free to say hi!

Thank you for this interview, Dennis, and for all of your contributions to the WordPress community! Do you know someone like Dennis Ploetner who also deserves to be in the spotlight? Go to our Yoast Care page and nominate them right away.