Wes,

Thank you for everything. We are going to certainly miss you!

For those who have been here a shorter length of time, or don’t know Wes as well, I want to take a moment to recognize his contributions.

Wes joined us in April 2015 as the leader of the newly-created Discovery team, entering into a department that had gone through a difficult reorganization. This team was tasked with the knowledge engine project, which was not well understood through the organization. Wes worked tirelessly to unpack the confusion, putting ideas into wikis and slides, providing roadmaps, milestones and timelines. He and the team communicated clearly and consistently about how their work would benefit our readers and communities, building trust and confidence. He encouraged a focus on user needs in his team, and throughout the product organization. Wes looked after his team throughout - I know I wished I could have joined them on their off-site at NASA’s launch center Cape Canaveral, where they went to witness what human discovery looks like at its outer limits.

In October 2015, Wes took on leadership of the broader product organization, stepping into the role of VP of Product. He joined us at the c-team, offering steady perspective and strong advocacy for the needs of the department. In November of 2015, his responsibilities grew even greater, taking on the role of interim CTO and leadership for the entire Technology department. Wes took this all in with grace and equanimity, working long hours to ensure that he could be available to those who needed him across these two large and essential teams.

Throughout, Wes was entirely clear about his goals and aspirations: he believed in the mission, he would do anything he could to ensure that his team and colleagues had the support they needed to succeed, and he would work with anyone he needed to in order to make that happen. He played a critical role in ensuring our directors in Technology were empowered to lead the search for Victoria, our fantastic new CTO, and he was the lead person in our partnership with Wikimedia Deutschland in making a long-term commitment to Wikidata.

Wes, I am so grateful for your generosity, perseverance, and leadership. You came into the organization at a challenging time, you took on one difficult role after another, and you did it all with good faith and great kindness. You’ve earned the friendship of many across the organization, and we will certainly feel your absence.

*Next Steps*

When Wes let me know he was going to be leaving us, he also let me know that he felt his departure was an opportunity to consider how we evolve the Product organization for the future. We’ll be having a conversation in the Foundation about how we might do this. At the end, we’ll hope to have a perspective on what is going well and should stay the same, what capacity we need and don’t have, and where things should move around to make more sense (the recent creation of the WMCS team is a great example of how this could work.) In practical terms, we’re not rushing this. Teams are busy with annual planning, and there’s no need for haste. I’m just mentioning it here so it doesn’t surprise anyone.

As Wes mentioned, Toby Negrin has generously agreed to take over as interim head of the Product organization beginning on February 28. In this acting role, Toby will oversee the Product department as we work to develop the 2017-2018 annual plan, and bring the efforts of our 2016-17 plan to a close. He will also continue, for the time being, to oversee the Reading and Community Tech teams. He’ll work closely with Anna, Victoria, and myself in consulting with the organization about our future needs.

Toby joined the Foundation three and a half years ago as head of the Analytics team. In 2015, he assumed the role of head of Reading and Community Tech and has since led his department with a commitment to the needs our readers and the community. Please join me in thanking Toby for taking on this additional responsibility and important role.

Wes, thank you again. We will miss you, so please remember that the wikis are always open, and you are always welcome back!

Yours, Katherine

On Mon, Feb 13, 2017 at 9:19 AM, Wes Moran wmoran@wikimedia.org wrote:

Hello everyone,

After a great deal of consideration, I have decided that I need to take a different path for my life and I am moving on from the Wikimedia Foundation. I have struggled with this decision as I have great admiration for the mission and the people here. I have great appreciation for how we worked together over the past two years, and great pride in what we have accomplished. The wide range of experiences have been amazing, and it feels like many more years than just two.

I am looking at a departure date of Feb 28th. Until that time, I will be supporting the Product teams through the first draft of Annual Planning. Katherine Maher, Victoria Coleman and I will work together with people across the Product and Technology departments, to develop a transition plan that is in the best interest of the teams I support, the Foundation, and our movement.

Toby Negrin, currently the Head of Reading, will take over as acting leadership for Product on 2/28. He has been working closely with me on many of the key programs and initiatives our department has been planning. He and the rest of Product leadership will continue with our Annual Planning efforts and conclude the 2016-17 goals and programs.

It has been such a deep honor to work with the folks in Technology and Product. I started here with Discovery, and have a special respect for what that team has accomplished as it evolved. The opportunity to lead Product, work with chapters like Wikimedia Deutschland, engage with the communities, and collaborate at the C-level was exciting and humbling. I was happy to work with the Product teams as they evolved into audiences and ultimately a Product organization focused on users and their needs. A testament to their excellent work is summarized in our 2016 Product summary https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Product/2016_Product_Summary [1]. Working with the folks in Technology to find our CTO was exciting, challenging, and illuminating. It was a wonderful and unexpected path that would not have been possible without the great support of that team. There are so many partnerships both with teams and individuals across this organization and other organizations that I had the chance to engage and work together with.

I have a great deal of respect and confidence in all of you to propel us through the Movement, Foundation and team strategies and goals in the next two years. Similarly I am proud of the stands we take and voices we lend as we all work to protect and project freedom, and the public availability of the sum of all knowledge. I hope to help support that as a volunteer in whatever way I can.

Thank you,

Wes

Vice President of Product, Wikimedia Foundation

[1] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Product/2016_Product_Summary _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/ wiki/Wikimedia-l New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe

Hi Wes, I want to thank you for persevering through thick and thin, and your courtesy and receptivity. I am more grateful to you than you know, and I hope to keep in touch with you after you depart WMF.

Toby, thank you for stepping up. I think you're a good choice for this role.

Regards,

Pine

On Mon, Feb 13, 2017 at 9:19 AM, Wes Moran wmoran@wikimedia.org wrote:

Hello everyone,

After a great deal of consideration, I have decided that I need to take a different path for my life and I am moving on from the Wikimedia Foundation. I have struggled with this decision as I have great admiration for the mission and the people here. I have great appreciation for how we worked together over the past two years, and great pride in what we have accomplished. The wide range of experiences have been amazing, and it feels like many more years than just two.

I am looking at a departure date of Feb 28th. Until that time, I will be supporting the Product teams through the first draft of Annual Planning. Katherine Maher, Victoria Coleman and I will work together with people across the Product and Technology departments, to develop a transition plan that is in the best interest of the teams I support, the Foundation, and our movement.

Toby Negrin, currently the Head of Reading, will take over as acting leadership for Product on 2/28. He has been working closely with me on many of the key programs and initiatives our department has been planning. He and the rest of Product leadership will continue with our Annual Planning efforts and conclude the 2016-17 goals and programs.

It has been such a deep honor to work with the folks in Technology and Product. I started here with Discovery, and have a special respect for what that team has accomplished as it evolved. The opportunity to lead Product, work with chapters like Wikimedia Deutschland, engage with the communities, and collaborate at the C-level was exciting and humbling. I was happy to work with the Product teams as they evolved into audiences and ultimately a Product organization focused on users and their needs. A testament to their excellent work is summarized in our 2016 Product summary https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Product/2016_Product_Summary [1]. Working with the folks in Technology to find our CTO was exciting, challenging, and illuminating. It was a wonderful and unexpected path that would not have been possible without the great support of that team. There are so many partnerships both with teams and individuals across this organization and other organizations that I had the chance to engage and work together with.

I have a great deal of respect and confidence in all of you to propel us through the Movement, Foundation and team strategies and goals in the next two years. Similarly I am proud of the stands we take and voices we lend as we all work to protect and project freedom, and the public availability of the sum of all knowledge. I hope to help support that as a volunteer in whatever way I can.

Thank you,

Wes

Vice President of Product, Wikimedia Foundation

[1] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Product/2016_Product_Summary _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/ wiki/Wikimedia-l New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe