This is probably of interest to this list.
https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Delegation_of_policy-making_authority
--- Delegation of policy-making authority
This was approved on December 13, 2016 by the Board of Trustees.
Whereas, the Board of Trustees has traditionally approved certain global Wikimedia Foundation policies (such as the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use) as requested during the July 4, 2004 Board meeting https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Meetings/July_4,_2004;
Whereas, the Wikimedia Foundation Executive Director has authority to conduct the affairs of the Wikimedia Foundation, which includes adopting and implementing policies;
Resolved, the Board hereby delegates the authority to adopt, alter, and revoke policies to the Executive Director, who may further delegate such authority to Wikimedia Foundation staff as they deem appropriate;
Resolved, the Board may continue to review and approve policies for the Wikimedia Foundation upon request to the Executive Director or as required by law.
Approve
Christophe Henner (Chair), Maria Sefidari (Vice Chair), Dariusz Jemielniak, Kelly Battles, Guy Kawasaki, Jimmy Wales, Nataliia Tymkiv, and Alice Wiegand ---
I wonder how much of this resolution is formalizing what was already happening and how much of this is moving the Wikimedia Foundation in a new direction. After a very tumultuous year at the Wikimedia Foundation, this is certainly a notable development.
I also wonder in what ways this abrupt change will alter the relationship between the editing communities and the Board of Trustees. The Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees seems to be committing itself to downsizing its role and responsibilities. The concern is that a change like this will reduce accountability when policies are set, unset, and changed by someone overseeing a large staff that regularly comes in conflict with an even larger set of editing communities. The Executive Director, of course, is unelected and has been a central point of repeated controversies recently. It's been less than a year since the previous Executive Director resigned after being forced out by her staff. In the context of the recent history, this resolution is all the more puzzling.
MZMcBride