[Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Israel elected new external board members

[Itzik Edri]

Hi everyone,

Earlier today Wikimedia Israel held its General Assembly. The Assembly
elected 3 new board members and one member for the audit committee.

In July 2013, the General Assembly authorized the board to extend the board
with two board members from outside the community. These two members aimed
to strengthen the board’s professional capabilities, bringing a new and
fresh take on processes and activities, and contributing from their
extensive connections and experience.

I’m proud to introduce our new board members and audit committee:
Prof. Karine Nahon <http://ekarine.org/about/>: an associate professor at
the Information School (University of Washington), faculty adjunct at the
department of Communication, affiliated faculty at the Center for
Communication and Civic Engagement and former director of the Center for
Information & Society in University of Washington. Currently, she co-chairs
the Digital and Social Media track at HICSS. She as an expert in
decision-making forums (nationally and internationally) and is publicly
active on topics of open government. She acts as a member of the Israeli
CIO (Chief Information Officer) Cabinet, member of the board of the Freedom
of Information Movement, and board of the Workshop for Open Knowledge. She
represents Israel in the UN in the committee for science and technology.

Prof. [[Sheizaf Rafaeli <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheizaf_Rafaeli>]]
is Professor and Dean at the School of Management (Graduate School of
Business Administration) Haifa GSB, University of Haifa Israel and
additionally Founder and Director of the Sagy Center for Internet Research
and the Games for Managers Project. He has been writing in the popular
press for the Globes and Calcalist financial and business newspapers, and
for YNet, a leading news portal, where he has published hundreds of weekly
columns. Over the past twenty five years he has taught courses on computers
as media, and the social implications of new communication technologies, as
well as numerous Information Systems' courses. Wikimania 2011 attendees
were perhaps remembering him as the host of the opening event :).

Shani Evenstein decided shorten her term as a board member, and the GA
appointed Ido Ivri, who was a member of the audit committee, to replace her
in the board till the next board election.
Shani joined Wikimedia Israel after Wikimania 2011 in Haifa. She is a live
proof of the contribution of Wikimania to a local chapter. She immediately
began to develop the GLAM awareness in Israel, and successful created the
connections and lead all of WMIL's GLAM collaborations, among them our
successful cooperation with the Israeli Museum and the National Library.
Her dedications to the movement and to the chapter were not limited to the
GLAM projects and her touch was in many of Wikimedia Israel activities over
the last few years. The Assembly and the board are thanking her for her
dedication, energy, thoughts, ideas and her special contribution to WMIL.

Ido Ivri, who will replace her on the board, is the Manager of Business
Development and Innovation at the National Library of Israel, in the office
of the Library's Executive Director. Ido is an open source/open content
enthusiast, and has been a volunteer in Wikimedia-IL since 2011. He holds a
B.Sc in computer science from the Hebrew University, and currently studying
for an MBA in the Recanati Executive program in Tel Aviv University.

Also, the Assembly decided to accept the board recommendation and to select
external member of the community, Adi Zamir, as a member of the Audit
committee - a step that will increase the ability of the committee to
monitor and make external and independent review of the organization
activities, as part of the professionalism steps of Wikimedia Israel.
Adi Zamir has education and experience in various fields. She is a Senior
Project manager, Training and organizational consultant for CEO's and
lecturer at the academic college of Tel aviv–Yafo. Adi's brings to the
audit committee her varied experience.

We please that Prof. Rafaeli, Prof. Nahon and Ms Zamir agreed to join our
community and support our vision. We have no doubt they will be a major
force in the organizational development of WMIL and a great contribution to
the movement in general.


Regards,
Itzik Edri
Chairperson