Hi, all-
This is a bittersweet email to send. I still, and will always, love this
place and this movement, but it was also time for me to go.
Working with so many awesome Wikimedians (including WMF's staff) has been
an honor and a privilege, and has given me many great experiences,
memories, and a long watchlist ;) that I'll treasure for a long time. The
list of people who I'd like to thank is long, so I won't bore everyone with
it. However, I do want to particularly thank Kat, who introduced me to
Geoff during his first week with WMF. That was ultimately the opportunity
that led me to this incredible ride - so I quite literally owe it all to
her. Many, many other people have been welcoming and friendly along the
way, and I can't ask formore than that.
I'm not going too far! I'll continue to be around the movement, both as a
contributor, and to support Maggie and the rest of the department during
the transition. I look forward to seeing where Community Engagement goes
next - I believe the department will continue to support contributors in a
healthy way, and I'm sure Maggie and my long-term successor will continue
to build exciting things on the foundation we laid over the past year.
Professionally, I have no firm plans yet. I plan to to take a few deep
breaths and then explore some new opportunities in the legal, community,
and tech spaces, as well as becoming a parent in May.
If you want to be in touch (to talk about interesting opportunities, flame
me for old time's sake, or just chat) I'm pretty easy to find: lu.is,
@tieguy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and of course on my enwiki talk page.
See you on the wikis-
Luis
On Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 12:16 PM, Lila Tretikov <lila(a)wikimedia.org> wrote:
Dear all,
I am sad to let you know that Luis Villa, our lead for the Community
Engagement department, will be leaving the Wikimedia Foundation. A year
ago, Luis took on a big challenge, transitioning from the Legal Department
to lead the newly created Community Engagement organization. In that role,
Luis and our teams were tasked with many recent community initiatives, such
as the creation of the Community Tech team, gender-related and
anti-harassment programs, and improved alignment of WMF annual planning
with the Funds Dissemination Committee. Prior to that, as Deputy General
Counsel he was responsible for a number of legal initiatives, including
licensing, contracts, and product counseling. I’m grateful for his counsel,
and his leadership in the WMF movement throughout these years.
Later this month, Luis will transition out of his current position with the
Wikimedia Foundation to pursue other opportunities. He will remain in a
consulting role with the Foundation over the next few months, continuing to
support our ongoing strategy and annual planning processes.
I want to thank Luis for his commitment to the WMF mission, and for the
inspired energy and contributions he has brought to our movement. I’m
looking forward to his future accomplishments and staying in close touch as
he grows in his career.
Maggie Dennis will step in as the interim director for the CE team
effective immediately. Her deep community background, passion for our
mission, and outstanding teamwork are great assets in this transition. She
will also continue to serve as Director of Support and Safety. Maggie is a
respected leader, colleague, and community member. I am confident she will
bring critical insights, especially now as we plan for our next year.
The work of of the CE department will continue as planned, and the overall
structure of the department (including the Community Tech team, which will
continue to report into the Product organization) will stay on-course. Our
goal is to ensure a smooth transition as we continue our progress to
improve the WMF support for our communities.
It is my priority that the WMF continues to build upon the initiatives we
started in 2015 in support for the global Wikimedia community. Continued
leadership of the Community Engagement department at executive level in the
WMF is a part of delivering on those commitments. We will be looking to
fill the Community Engagement leadership role with someone with a strong
background in community programs, and an understanding of the Wikimedia
movement. We will also look to engage with you to find the right person for
this role. We will send an update on the next steps and the job description
shortly, which will include a further discussion of the role on-wiki.
Lila
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--
Luis Villa
Sr. Director of Community Engagement
Wikimedia Foundation
*Working towards a world in which every single human being can freely share
in the sum of all knowledge.*