Hello,
I posted some comments and questions to the talk page.
<
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_Foundation_bylaws/December_2…
I would appreciate anyone else jumping in to comment, fill in information
gaps, or advance the conversation in any way.
Thanks -
On Fri, Dec 7, 2018 at 10:46 AM María Sefidari <msefidari(a)wikimedia.org
wrote:
> Dear all,
> The Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees
is considering amending the
> Wikimedia Foundation Bylaws. Nataliia Tymkiv, Chair of the Board Governance
> Committee, is leading this process. She has posted the proposed changes on
> Meta for discussion
> <
>
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_bylaws/December_2018_-…
>
> prior to our vote on them during the Board
meeting scheduled for January
> 23, 2019. We invite you to comment on the proposal's talk page. As usual in
> these cases, two weeks are provided for community comment, from December 7
> to December 21.
> By making the proposed changes to the
Bylaws, the Board intends to achieve
> three goals:
> *1. Include User Groups in the trustee
selection process*
> Though User Groups have existed as a model
of affiliation within the
> Wikimedia movement for a number of years, they have not been included
> together with Chapters and Thematic Organizations as participants in
> selecting Wikimedia Foundation trustees. There are now over 100 recognized
> User Groups, many of which represent emerging communities within the
> Wikimedia movement. The Board believes that the perspectives of User Groups
> combined with those of Chapters and Thematic Organizations will lead to the
> selection of the best trustee candidates.
> The Board acknowledges that the ongoing
Wikimedia movement strategy process
> may result in changes to many aspects of the Wikimedia movement, including
> the structure of movement affiliates. As a result, any changes we make now
> to the Foundation Bylaws regarding the role of affiliates in the trustee
> selection process may need to be modified again in the future, in turn
> requiring additional amendments to the Bylaws. However, the Board did not
> want to delay providing User Groups with a voice in the upcoming 2019
> trustee selection process.
> *2. Raise term limits for trustees from two
to three consecutive terms*
> Term limits for trustees were added to the
Bylaws in 2015. At the time,
> there was a desire on the Board to bring in new voices and specific
> skill-sets needed for the growth and development of Wikimedia projects. The
> changes made at that time have resulted in some notable successes in that
> regard. The Board remains committed to seeking out new voices, and
> providing the community with ample opportunities to promote such voices as
> candidates for the Board.
> As the Wikimedia movement and the Wikimedia
Foundation think forward
> further to the future, the Board will need to oversee the Foundation in
> setting, following through on, and achieving longer-term goals. The Board
> believes it will be better able to fulfill its role if it allows for the
> potential of a longer time on the Board for individual trustees who bring
> essential expertise and insight to the Board. The possibility of serving
> one additional term on the Board also reduces the amount of time the Board
> and Foundation staff spend on trustee recruitment and onboarding. Raising
> the maximum number of consecutive terms a trustee may serve from two to
> three terms achieves these goals, and is also consistent with the practice
> of many other boards. Raising the maximum number of terms that can be
> served consecutively does not change the fact that the community, including
> affiliates, will continue to be able to determine every three years whether
> or not to re-elect currently serving trustees or whether to elect new
> candidates - just as is the case now.
> *3. Reaffirm the Board’s commitment to
diversity*
> The Wikimedia movement is global, built on
a vision of reaching every
> single human being and working toward a strategic goal of knowledge equity
> for all. The Board believes that it can best serve the Wikimedia Foundation
> and the movement by reflecting a wide range of human experiences. We want
> to underscore and codify this belief in the Bylaws by adding express
> language affirming our commitment to diversity and inclusion of all voices,
> throughout our communities - new, older and emerging.
> Kind regards,
> María Sefidari
> Chair, Wikimedia Foundation Board
> _______________________________________________
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--
Lane Rasberry
user:bluerasberry on Wikipedia
206.801.0814
lane(a)bluerasberry.com