Following the recent Vulnerable Extensions List team search for new members, the Vel team have invited some new members to join and who are currently in training. Here are some short Bio's on the members.
 

Bernard Toplak from Croatia,  has been building personal and local community websites since 1996. He has been involved with Joomla since the beginning, and the Mambo CMS since 2004. As a web design lecturer at a local open college, web design, programming PHP/MySQL, and web server architectures are passions he loves to share with others.

Dealing with a large number of websites, many Joomla security related issues and escalations are encountered on a regular basis.

As an OWASP member he tries to educate users and developers about the importance of webapp security, building tools and extensions for securing PHP apps. His first public application for Joomla security is the JAMSS script.
As a VEL Team member he wants to contribute more to the goal of a more secure and reliable Joomla for all.

Fiona Coulter is mainly a self-taught programmer, and worked for many years at the University of Bath in Bath UK.

I wrote my own content management system, using PHP.  It took about 8 weeks and it did work, but was basically rubbish. Then I realised that it was stupid to reinvent the CMS wheel, as there were plenty of people who had already solved the problem with much better systems than I could write on my own. Taking a look at quite of few of the open source CMSs available, I came to the conclusion that Joomla was by far the best and easiest to use.

My interest in security and vulnerable extensions comes about mainly because I have a naturally suspicious nature. When I was teaching myself PHP I had already noticed that there was generally very little attention given to proper coding for application security in the various books available.
I have always believed in the importance of sharing knowledge and giving back to the Joomla community, and I am thrilled to be on the VEL Team.

When I am not working I amuse myself writing orchestral music, and play several instruments quite badly, although I am a reasonably good flute player.
 

 Phil DeGruy

My first CMS was Mambo, a few versions before the Joomla! fork. Having no formal php/mysql programming or training, I was looking for something that would be flexible for my needs at the time. I went with Joomla! after the fork because I think Joomla! was the better of the two. My Joomla volunteering came about after being active and answering many security questions in the Joomla 1.0 security forum and willingness to lend a hand where needed.

I moderate the Joomla! 1.5, Joomla! 2.5, Joomla! 3.0 security forums and I am the current maintainer of the FPA script.  I also have had a hand in writing, and assist in maintaining some of the very popular security documentation wiki articles and sticky posts that are referenced in security forum posts many times daily by others. I have been involved with the VEL project in one way or another since it’s inception. I think The VEL has a great future and I am glad to be a part of it.

Interests outside of Joomla! are professional animal action photography, and showing dogs which I have done for the last 20 years. An electrician by trade, my current day to day job involves maintaining and programming automated systems for an international automotive corporation at a local assembly plant.

Mandville

I currently deal with Community.joomla.org where I filter out all the reports on the feeds, add and remove feeds and other bits. I moderate: the Joomla! 1.0, Joomla! 1.5, Joomla! 2.5, Joomla! 3.0 security forums and try to pass on advice without to much use of copy and paste. I am also a moderator for the showcase forum.

My involvement, and probably the most important, is with the JSST and the VEL, joining the gap between the JED, third party developers, and the core and of course Head coordinator and design overview for the new VEL website.

Non Joomla! related things I deal with we train community groups on how to use the internet, email and Joomla! we provide resources, admin and training for some of the biggest physical security networks in the UK. I drive large 12 ton+ vehicles.

Also on the team are Matt Baylor and Gary Brooks

Related links
main vel web site