Dear Wikimedia friends,
Wikimedia Deutschland held its General Assembly on Saturday, 29 November 2014. It is with great pleasure that I present to you our new board, for the first time for a two-year term:
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Tim Moritz Hector (Chair): Long-time Wikipedian and Wikimedian (re-elected)
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Kurt Jansson (Vice Chair): WMDE founder and former president 2004-2009
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Lukas Mezger (Vice Chair): Former WMF legal intern, long time member of the DE community, lawyer
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Sebastian Moleski (Treasurer): Former president 2009-2012, highly involved in the international movement, background in economics and IT
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Jürgen Friedrich (At-large): Professor of computer science and digital media, very well connected to the academic and institutional world (re-elected)
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Harald Krichel (At-large): Long-time Wikipedian
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Nikolas Becker (At-large): Former president, highly involved in EU advocacy
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Sabria David (At-large): Wikipedia researcher and slow media advocate
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Catrin Schoneville (At-large): Former WMDE spokeswoman (2008-2013), well known to the national and international communities and organisations.
Anja Ebersbach got re-elected as Vice Chair but decided to step down immediately on the following day. The board has elected Lukas Mezger as her successor.
I am very much looking forward to working with these outstanding board members in the coming two years. The diversity in Wikimedia backgrounds and professional experience in our board will provide the foundation for reflection, determination, and the look ahead. I am looking forward to a fruitful exchange with our colleagues from the Wikimedia Foundation and the other Wikimedia Affiliates.
The new board would like to extend its thanks to the outgoing board members, Jens Best, Ralf Bösch, Anja Ebersbach, Markus Glaser, Steffen Prößdorf, and Sebastian Wallroth for their dedicated service to the organisation.
The General Assembly also discussed our annual plan and the FDC recommendations. They wisely decided to postpone the final decision about the plan and have called for an extraordinary general assembly in Q1 2015. That gives our Executive Director Jan Engelmann and our staff time to reflect on the feedback from the FDC and WMF and to work out an improved annual plan in cooperation with the new board.
I am looking forward to leading Wikimedia Deutschland through the next two years that will undoubtedly provide new challenges to the organisation. As we reconsider our strategic focus and our financial underpinnings, I am confident that we will emerge as a stronger partner within the Wikimedia movement.
Best regards,
Tim Moritz Hector