HI Maryana,
Welcome to the movement in your new role! While we have to be patient a bit longer I look
forward to seeing you learn about and improve upon the role of the Foundation within
movement so that together we can tackle the complex challenges ahead of us.
Thank you to all the board members and staff members involved in completing what is the
incredibly challenging proces of finding us a new CEO!
Warm greetings
Jan-Bart de Vreede
Wikimedia Nederland
On 14 Sep 2021, at 17:35, Maryana Iskander
<miskander(a)wikimedia.org> wrote:
Dear All,
Thank you for this opportunity to introduce myself to you.
When I read the job position [1] for the next leader of Wikimedia Foundation, I noticed
that it opened with a seemingly simple statement: “Knowledge belongs to all of us.” Does
it, really? It’s a striking statement. In an increasingly unequal and polarizing world,
one in which almost nothing belongs to all of us, the idea that knowledge must belong to
all is enough to capture anyone’s attention and imagination – certainly mine.
My story is shaped by a twin belief that knowledge can also set us free. Shortly after I
was born in Cairo, Egypt, my parents left for the United States. During my time at
university, graduate school, and law school, I was consistently pulled towards some of
society’s toughest issues – women’s rights, civil rights, and the rights of prisoners. I
was equally pulled by the need to be effective in making change – seeking out leadership
positions and raising my hand and voice to change the institutions of power, not just
protest against them. I learned that the opportunity to make meaningful impact often sits
‘in-between’ traditional spheres: in-between research and teaching at Rice University,
in-between healthcare delivery and advocacy at Planned Parenthood, and in-between
government and the private sector at Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator. My time at all
of these organisations required listening to and learning from many diverse stakeholders –
including volunteers – and using my position of leadership to champion often unheard
voices.
In 2012, I followed my heart to South Africa and its very complicated society – a legacy
of apartheid perpetuating deep inequality despite the resilience of communities full of
potential and hope, and a country with one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the
world. A new organisation had just been formed with a big vision to close this opportunity
gap. I signed up, first as an unpaid volunteer, and then for many years as the CEO. My job
has been to cultivate a common space of trust for the collective assets of the society –
from government, the private sector, civil society, and millions of young people – to work
in a coalition to tackle one of the most daunting challenges of our time. To do this, we
relied on an inclusive, multi-channel platform that leverages all forms of technology as a
way to serve communities still riddled by a basic lack of access. Our successes came from
the power of connection, partnership, and a collective belief that young people are the
solution, not the problem. As I began my tenth year, I felt it was time to make space for
new leaders.
Why am I joining the Wikimedia Foundation at this moment? There are many reasons: (1)
this collective of projects is growing what is perhaps the most important commons
infrastructure of our modern world. I am excited to add my time and talents to this
vision. What will it take to create – not just imagine – a world in which every single
human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge? (2) I have experienced
first-hand that distributed leadership models can usually achieve more than any group of
people can do on their own. I am eager to support processes that will make this even more
true for our movement; and (3) I am drawn to working with people of integrity and
commitment, who also appreciate humor and joy. I can already see that I will meet new
colleagues like this from all over the world.
My former colleagues will say that I believe progress is enabled by culture: one that is
founded on accountability, diversity and inclusion in all its forms, and a way of working
led by values. It has informed an organisational humility in working with others and a
relentless focus on getting things done the right way – while doing the right thing.
During the recruitment process, I met with a leading academic in the United States named
Rebecca. She told me a story of her primary school teacher asking the students to raise
their hands if they did not have an encyclopedia at home. She was one of those students,
and it made her feel, for the first time, that maybe she didn’t have equal access to the
resources needed for her education. The work of this collective community, should we
achieve our vision, will make it unnecessary for a teacher to ever ask that question
again. I then returned to South Africa and spoke to another Rebecca. This young woman grew
up in a rural area where it was a struggle to afford text messaging, never mind any
meaningful access to the digital world. She, too, did not have equal access to the
resources she needed. Despite their starkly different circumstances, I believe that each
Rebecca can find her own point of entry into our vision and impact as we look ahead to
2030.
What have been my prior experiences with the wikiverse?
I have had two past interactions with the people behind Wikipedia, in addition to being a
reader and admirer.
First, I attended a conference in 2019 where I met a volunteer editor on English
Wikipedia. The next year, he reached out to me to say that Wikipedia was looking to
increase its articles about notable women, and he would write an article about me [2] in
line with Wikipedia’s editing values. He eventually did this with the help of another
editor from “Women in Red.”
Second, on World Teachers Day in October 2019, my current organisation, Harambee Youth
Employment Accelerator, participated in an AfroCuration event hosted by WikiAfrica
Education. It was aimed at generating new historical content on Wikipedia related to the
themes of democracy, freedom, and constitution-making. The goal was to support students
and teachers to create articles in indigenous languages about individuals who contributed
to South Africa’s remarkable Constitution.
I look forward to beginning my own editing and volunteer journey as well as my
professional path in the movement.
What are three things I want to learn from you?
My first job is to listen and seek to understand.
Even before I officially join the Wikimedia Foundation in January 2022, I would like to
hear from anyone who is interested in sharing directly with me. Later this month, I will
send more information about a focused ‘listening tour’ that will take place ahead of my
formal start date. It will consist of online and offline engagements across Wiki
communities, as well as with Foundation staff and other stakeholders.
I know that we are many communities with many different opinions. I will of course first
ask you what you think: about our vision, mission, impact, strategy, how we relate to the
rest of the world, as well as our current and future ways of working and achieving our
aspirations.
But I will also ask you to help me learn what you know from data, even if it differs from
what you think. I am curious about the spaces ‘in between’ opinion and evidence – as messy
or imperfect as they may be.
And finally, I want to learn what motivates you at a personal level to contribute to your
projects and participate in your communities.
Thank you for taking the time to read my message. I look forward to hearing from you.
Maryana
P.S. If you would like to read a translation of this email or can help to translate my
email into other languages, please visit Meta [3]
[1]
https://wikimediafoundation.org/about/jobs/our-2021-ceo-and-executive-direc…
<https://wikimediafoundation.org/about/jobs/our-2021-ceo-and-executive-director-search/#section-1>
[2]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryana_Iskander
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryana_Iskander>
[3]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/14_S…
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/14_September_2021_-_Welcoming_the_new_Wikimedia_Foundation_CEO>
On Tue, Sep 14, 2021 at 5:31 PM Nataliia Tymkiv <ntymkiv(a)wikimedia.org
<mailto:ntymkiv@wikimedia.org>> wrote:
Dear all,
I am pleased to announce that the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees has appointed
Maryana Iskander as the new CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation [1] [2].
Since 2013, Maryana has served as the CEO of Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator [3], a
South African non-profit social enterprise focused on building African solutions for the
global challenge of youth unemployment. Prior to this, she spent six years as Chief
Operating Officer of Planned Parenthood Federation of America [4], a volunteer-led social
movement focused on access to women’s healthcare. Maryana has also worked in academia as
the Advisor to the President of Rice University [5], an international research university
based in the United States.
Her professional career has been motivated by breaking down systemic barriers, creating
opportunities for collaborative solution-building, and community empowerment. She has a
proven track record for leading complex organisations shaped by shared decision-making.
In looking for the next CEO, we on the Board convened a Transition Committee [6],
primarily to guide us in finding the right person for this critical role and secondly to
oversee the executive Transition Team. The Transition Committee conducted a far-reaching
and competitive global search, receiving around 400 recommendations and speaking to about
50 potential candidates. Throughout this selection process, Maryana impressed us as
someone who is deeply inspired by the Wikimedia vision and who embodies the values of
equity and community that inform all Wikimedia work. She has extensive leadership
experience working with volunteer-led initiatives and building partnerships across public,
private and social sectors. Maryana also brings expertise in technology-led innovation to
accelerate meaningful social change. She does this with a global perspective: Maryana was
born in the Middle East, educated in the United States and the United Kingdom, and has
spent the last decade living and working on the African continent.
Maryana joins the Wikimedia Foundation at a crucial time. The movement is larger than
ever, and it has never been more relevant or more trusted. This is an inflection point, as
decisions need to be made to execute a shared vision for where the Movement wants to be in
2030. We believe that Maryana is the right person to help lead the Foundation at this
moment.
As Maryana begins, her priorities will include supporting movement efforts to implement
the Wikimedia 2030 recommendations, such as the development of a Movement Charter and the
finalization of a Universal Code of Conduct. She will continue the Foundation’s focus on
knowledge equity and exploring ways to address the gaps in content and the diversity of
contributors to Wikimedia projects. She will be supported by the Board in this journey.
Maryana will officially start at the Wikimedia Foundation on January 5, 2022, as she
transitions from her current job. Until then, the Foundation will continue to be led by
the Transition Team, with guidance from the Board. In my conversations with her, I have
seen that Maryana is a fan of direct communication and excited to learn from the movement.
In the coming weeks, she will share ways to connect. Please join me in welcoming Maryana
(CCed) to the Foundation!
PS. For translations of this message, or to help translate it into more languages, please
visit Meta-Wiki [7]
[1]
https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2021/09/14/wikimedia-foundation-appoin…
<https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2021/09/14/wikimedia-foundation-appoints-maryana-iskander-as-chief-executive-officer/>
[2]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryana_Iskander
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryana_Iskander>
[3]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harambee_Youth_Employment_Accelerator
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harambee_Youth_Employment_Accelerator>
[4]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_Parenthood
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_Parenthood>
[5]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_University
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_University>
[6]
https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Resolution:Creating_a_CEO_Transition_…
<https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Resolution:Creating_a_CEO_Transition_Committee_and_Transition_Team,_2021>
[7]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/14_S…
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/14_September_2021_-_Welcoming_the_new_Wikimedia_Foundation_CEO>
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/14_September_2021_-_Welcoming_the_new_Wikimedia_Foundation_CEO>
Best regards,
antanana / Nataliia Tymkiv
Acting Chair, Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees
NOTICE: You may have received this message outside of your normal working hours/days, as
I usually can work more as a volunteer during weekend. You should not feel obligated to
answer it during your days off. Thank you in advance!
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