After eight months in the position of interim Executive Director, Brad Patrick will be resuming his other role as General Counsel exclusively. Due to the volume of work and need to move forward with a permanent solution for the ED role, the Board is focusing on retaining an executive search firm to conduct the search for a new ED. In the coming weeks, the Board will be working directly with staff on priority issues (see next announcement on the matter). Brad has done a great deal to help the Foundation move forward in such areas as governance, technology and contracting, audit, hiring, and many other things. With the conclusion of the fundraiser and the immediate financial future of the Foundation secure, now is the time to look ahead to the selection of a new Executive Director to manage the operations of the Foundation. This will enable Brad to focus on developing the role of General Counsel, and addressing a backlog of complex legal questions the Foundation faces moving forward. Florence Devouard Wikimedia Foundation Chair Links * http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/foundation-l/2007-February/027477.html Announcement concerning the selected firm * http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/foundation-l/2007-January/027269.html (explanation of the differences between CEO, COO and Board)