Hi folks, I'm sorry to tell you that as of September 18, Jennifer Riggs will be leaving the Wikimedia Foundation. Since joining us last April, Jennifer has helped the Wikimedia Foundation to improve in some important ways. She has helped Frank, Cary and Jay better structure their work, and she supported the staging of the NIH Wikipedia Academy in Bethesda, managed the chapters grants process, and represented Wikimedia at the GLAM-Wiki conference in Australia. That was all good work, and I thank her for it. However, Jennifer and I have agreed that despite those contributions, she ultimately will not be a good fit for the Chief Program Officer role. That doesn't mean her path will never cross ours again, and it's not a decision intended to reflect badly on her skills or abilities. Obviously we both wish things had played out differently. As you know, the Wikimedia Foundation has never had a Chief Program Officer - it's a completely new position and there's no obvious career path to prepare someone for it. It's sad this first attempt to fill the role hasn't worked out, but it is perhaps, in retrospect, not that surprising. Over the next month or so, we'll be revisiting the role and its responsibilities to ensure the conditions are in place to enable a new Chief Program Officer to succeed: I am looking forward to beginning that process. I expect it will take at least three months, and possibly more, to place a new person in the role: I'll keep you aware of our progress. You can expect that at some point the position will be posted on the Wikimedia Foundation website, and we'll announce that here when it happens. I recognize that Jennifer's departure may leave you with questions about what happened, or what will happen next. I know you'll understand that some information will be confidential, but I'll be happy to tell you whatever I can. I want to thank Jennifer for her contributions to Wikimedia during her time with us, and for her professionalism. Please join me in wishing her all the best in future. Thanks, Sue -- Sue Gardner Executive Director Wikimedia Foundation 415 839 6885 office 415 816 9967 cell Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. Help us make it a reality! http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Donate