Thank you, Ryan. Thank you for your dedication and service to this organization, the Wikimedia movement, and the broader Big Open.
Since meeting you at Wikimania London in 2014 I've known you as an unflagging advocate for the power of community, and the importance of working hand-in-hand with our movement to confront our thorniest challenges. In 2017, you came to Wikimedia Summit in Berlin, while still CEO of Creative Commons, and gave the movement strategy equivalent of former US President John F. Kennedy's moonshot speech [1] -- something to the effect of, "we do strategy as a radically open process, not because it is easy, but because it is hard -- and it is by going through what is hard that we get to what is great." (Also, that the process of making choices in strategy can make us sad, which we’ve all certainly experienced!)
I knew then that you would have a role to play inside the Wikimedia movement, and was thrilled in 2019 when you joined us as Chief of Staff. In that role, I asked you to take on leading the movement strategy recommendation process through to completion and working with the movement to build an implementation plan; and getting developing a response to the challenge of disinformation to our projects, putting together a team and a plan for how we would tackle this work as a united movement. You did both, and I couldn't be more grateful.
Along the way, you ensured that the Movement Strategy work was defined by a culture of inclusion, creativity, and exploration. You created space for participants and organizers alike to experiment, with empathy for the occasional inevitable setbacks. We had moments of joy and celebration, and moments of frustration, but no matter what, people continued to come to the table with shared commitment, respect, and understanding that participation in this process matters in a meaningful way to the future of the movement. I am hopeful that this successful approach you pioneered continues to inform Foundation and community alike as the movement begins the work of implementation.
Most of all, I'm grateful for your commitment to our values. You are leaving unflagging in your belief that our movement can live into its ideals of inclusivity and shared power, that our movement governance can be more representative and effective, and that the Foundation can continue to put our stakeholders at the center of all of our work in ways that cultivate trust and care. You were an excellent advisor on the strategic ecosystem issues faced by our open movement and the broader commons, a champion of patient, kind, and inclusive community building, and a friend to many around the movement.
You've led Creative Commons, been COO at Mozilla, and Chief of Staff at Wikimedia, which must be the triple crown of the Big Open. (And perhaps a legitimate reason to retire!) But I know a movement person when I see one, and like so many of us, I know you're not going far. You're interwoven into our work and the Big Open, which will continue to benefit from your insight and support. I'm grateful for the great work we got to do, especially on movement strategy, which still offers so much richness and potential.
I'm so glad you took the gamble and joined us these past two years. I'm so excited for your next move, and I hope others will join me in thanking Ryan for his commitment to what movement leadership can be. I look forward to a future Wikimania when we can reminisce while searching for that elusive decent coffee!