Hi everyone,
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation my intention to step down as CEO later this spring. April 15th will be my last day, marking my seven-year anniversary with the Foundation and the movement. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one. For now, I want to share with you why I’m moving on, and what comes next. I’ll save the customary email with deeper reflections, memories, and thanks for later this spring!
In some ways, this was the easiest hard decision I’ve ever made. It’s never exactly a good time to step away -- transitions always have some rough edges -- but it’s always best to do so when the organization is strong, and before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The movement is in a good, strong place. Our communities are growing, our readership is too. Our 20th birthday, the launch of our Universal Code of Conduct, and the movement strategy recommendations are all milestone moments of solidity and strength. I have great hopes and confidence in the upcoming plans for strategy implementation, particularly the work on the movement charter and interim global council. We are healthy and thriving.
While we will always have more work to do to become the Wikimedia that we want to be, our movement and our organization is in a phase of renewal and regeneration. We have deepened our practices of consultation, collaboration, and inclusion that will be the foundation of the next decade of our work. We have a deep and stable financial position that will help us grow and protect us from any storm, and the trust in our projects has never been higher. Our communities are poised to take on deeper responsibilities of governance, accountability, and leadership, populating a rich, representative, and leaderful movement for free knowledge.
The Foundation is also strong, and filled with passionate, values-aligned leaders at every level of the organization, deeply committed to the work of our movement and mission. Although we don’t always all perfectly agree on absolutely everything, we are working more openly and cooperatively with our movement than ever before. Collaborative strategic planning, sustainable programs to support technical communities and tooling, co-development and consultation on transformative new experiences welcoming newcomers, cooperative partnerships on public health data, bibliographic data, and human rights data -- all of these are signals of much great work to come. Even difficult topics, such as brand and movement governance, continue to bring people together in nothing less than feisty commitment.
Together, we have rich resources of brilliant people, deep passion, and compassion. We are making progress on some of our greatest challenges, from editor and readership growth, technical debt, representation and participation, safety and knowledge equity. I am proud of what we’ve done together and grateful for all the ways in which this movement has made my life immeasurably richer: friendships that will last a lifetime, intellectual curiosity and kinship, and so many memories of *so much dancing*, from Accra to Berlin to Chandigarh.
As for me, I’m going to take a break, and a research fellowship, as a place to think about what’s next. It’s hard to think about your future when you’re fully in your present, and for the past seven years, I’ve been fully present for this movement. But as I look around, I see global challenges such as polarization, inequality, and climate change, as well as opportunities for generational renewal and optimism. As a Wikimedian, I lean toward optimism, and plan to apply myself in that direction!
*What’s next*
- We announced this planned transition publicly on our communications channels during a Foundation all-staff meeting today. - A Board Transition Committee composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, who is chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit Committee, Raju Narisetti, and María Sefidari as Board Chair, will launch the search for a new CEO. They’ll work closely with the executive Transition Team on organizational operations, and with the broader board on an open candidate call. The Board is working with the goal of onboarding a new CEO by Q2 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year. - We’ve been working on succession planning for the CEO role since 2019 as a matter of best practice, and the organization is well-prepared for a thoughtful search for the next phase of our mission. The Board has decided to work with Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest Advisors[1] for the executive search: I’ve worked closely with Kathleen on a number of occasions, and she is a true Wikimedian at heart. - I’ll be drawing back from day-to-day operational work to transition interim responsibilities starting February 8th. A C-level Transition Team of Jaime Villagomez, Amanda Keton, and Robyn Arville, our two board officers and chief people leader, will take up key responsibilities and decision making around planning, community, and people, and work closely with the broader C-team and VP leadership cohort. - I’ll spend the next three months supporting the Foundation in readying itself for a transition. I’ll spend February preparing with this group and other organizational and community leaders on movement strategy and institutional knowledge transfer, sharing lessons learned, and supporting the organization in developing the next year’s strategic plan. - I look forward to celebrating with you in March and April!
I'll be around for a bit, so feel free to reach out, and after that, I'll see you on the wikis!
Cheers, Katherine
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/
Hi everyone,
As you can see, Katherine just said she will be stepping down from her role. I am happy for Katherine, but it is impossible not to have some mixed emotions given we have been working together for seven years, and quite closely for almost five of them since she became the interim ED and I became an officer of the Board. Almost half a decade of very intense challenges and changes, of thinking about the future of the Movement and how to best achieve our Mission. I am proud of our successes and yet we have a ways to go. The work is never done, but we do strive to walk the talk when we say we want to make the sum of human knowledge accessible to everyone everywhere. As a Board, we thank Katherine for her leadership over the last five years as CEO and ED, two years as CCO, and wish her the greatest success in future endeavors. I have no doubt she will be brilliant wherever she finally decides to go after her much deserved time to rest and reflect, starting with her fellowship.
I would like to thank Katherine for an extraordinary job. As a leader, she set a new standard for transparent, open engagement with our global communities. She worked side by side with movement leaders with empathy and collaborative participation in the wiki way. Thanks to her leadership we created our Movement Strategy together. She walked the talk with resolve and determination, and the Foundation and the Movement are in a better place now than they’ve ever been.
Katherine and the Board have long had a plan in place in the case of a succession. According to that plan, a Transition Committee of Wikimedia Trustees has been selected to recommend to the Board Katherineʼs successor and includes Trustees Dariusz Jemielniak, who is chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit Committee, and Raju Narisetti, along with me as Board Chair. The Wikimedia Foundation has retained Viewcrest Advisors,[1] a leading search firm for nonprofit executives, to assist the Board Transition Committee.
Until a new CEO is hired, the Board Transition Committee will work closely with the Wikimedia Foundation executive Transition Team of General Counsel Amanda Keton, Chief of Talent and Culture Robyn Arville, and Chief Financial Officer Jaime Villagomez, ensuring the important work of the Wikimedia Foundation in supporting Wikipedia and other Wikimedia communities continues without any disruptions.
Kind regards,
María Sefidari
Chair of the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees, on behalf of the Transition Committee.
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/
El jue, 4 feb 2021 a las 18:48, Katherine Maher (kmaher@wikimedia.org) escribió:
Hi everyone,
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation my intention to step down as CEO later this spring. April 15th will be my last day, marking my seven-year anniversary with the Foundation and the movement. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one. For now, I want to share with you why I’m moving on, and what comes next. I’ll save the customary email with deeper reflections, memories, and thanks for later this spring!
In some ways, this was the easiest hard decision I’ve ever made. It’s never exactly a good time to step away -- transitions always have some rough edges -- but it’s always best to do so when the organization is strong, and before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The movement is in a good, strong place. Our communities are growing, our readership is too. Our 20th birthday, the launch of our Universal Code of Conduct, and the movement strategy recommendations are all milestone moments of solidity and strength. I have great hopes and confidence in the upcoming plans for strategy implementation, particularly the work on the movement charter and interim global council. We are healthy and thriving.
While we will always have more work to do to become the Wikimedia that we want to be, our movement and our organization is in a phase of renewal and regeneration. We have deepened our practices of consultation, collaboration, and inclusion that will be the foundation of the next decade of our work. We have a deep and stable financial position that will help us grow and protect us from any storm, and the trust in our projects has never been higher. Our communities are poised to take on deeper responsibilities of governance, accountability, and leadership, populating a rich, representative, and leaderful movement for free knowledge.
The Foundation is also strong, and filled with passionate, values-aligned leaders at every level of the organization, deeply committed to the work of our movement and mission. Although we don’t always all perfectly agree on absolutely everything, we are working more openly and cooperatively with our movement than ever before. Collaborative strategic planning, sustainable programs to support technical communities and tooling, co-development and consultation on transformative new experiences welcoming newcomers, cooperative partnerships on public health data, bibliographic data, and human rights data -- all of these are signals of much great work to come. Even difficult topics, such as brand and movement governance, continue to bring people together in nothing less than feisty commitment.
Together, we have rich resources of brilliant people, deep passion, and compassion. We are making progress on some of our greatest challenges, from editor and readership growth, technical debt, representation and participation, safety and knowledge equity. I am proud of what we’ve done together and grateful for all the ways in which this movement has made my life immeasurably richer: friendships that will last a lifetime, intellectual curiosity and kinship, and so many memories of *so much dancing*, from Accra to Berlin to Chandigarh.
As for me, I’m going to take a break, and a research fellowship, as a place to think about what’s next. It’s hard to think about your future when you’re fully in your present, and for the past seven years, I’ve been fully present for this movement. But as I look around, I see global challenges such as polarization, inequality, and climate change, as well as opportunities for generational renewal and optimism. As a Wikimedian, I lean toward optimism, and plan to apply myself in that direction!
*What’s next*
- We announced this planned transition publicly on our communications
channels during a Foundation all-staff meeting today.
- A Board Transition Committee composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, who is
chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit Committee, Raju Narisetti, and María Sefidari as Board Chair, will launch the search for a new CEO. They’ll work closely with the executive Transition Team on organizational operations, and with the broader board on an open candidate call. The Board is working with the goal of onboarding a new CEO by Q2 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
- We’ve been working on succession planning for the CEO role since
2019 as a matter of best practice, and the organization is well-prepared for a thoughtful search for the next phase of our mission. The Board has decided to work with Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest Advisors[1] for the executive search: I’ve worked closely with Kathleen on a number of occasions, and she is a true Wikimedian at heart.
- I’ll be drawing back from day-to-day operational work to transition
interim responsibilities starting February 8th. A C-level Transition Team of Jaime Villagomez, Amanda Keton, and Robyn Arville, our two board officers and chief people leader, will take up key responsibilities and decision making around planning, community, and people, and work closely with the broader C-team and VP leadership cohort.
- I’ll spend the next three months supporting the Foundation in
readying itself for a transition. I’ll spend February preparing with this group and other organizational and community leaders on movement strategy and institutional knowledge transfer, sharing lessons learned, and supporting the organization in developing the next year’s strategic plan.
- I look forward to celebrating with you in March and April!
I'll be around for a bit, so feel free to reach out, and after that, I'll see you on the wikis!
Cheers, Katherine
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/
--
Katherine Maher (she/her)
CEO
Wikimedia Foundation https://wikimediafoundation.org/
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
Hello, That's a piece of sudden big news to me, and possibly to others also. Over the last few years, I was reading your emails and posts on this mailing list, and at other places. Thanks for your service to the movement.
ইতি, User:Titodutta টিটো দত্ত (মাতৃভাষা থাক জীবন জুড়ে)
বৃহস্পতি, ৪ ফেব, ২০২১ তারিখে ১১:১৮ PM টায় এ Katherine Maher < kmaher@wikimedia.org> লিখেছেন:
Hi everyone,
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation my intention to step down as CEO later this spring. April 15th will be my last day, marking my seven-year anniversary with the Foundation and the movement. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one. For now, I want to share with you why I’m moving on, and what comes next. I’ll save the customary email with deeper reflections, memories, and thanks for later this spring!
In some ways, this was the easiest hard decision I’ve ever made. It’s never exactly a good time to step away -- transitions always have some rough edges -- but it’s always best to do so when the organization is strong, and before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The movement is in a good, strong place. Our communities are growing, our readership is too. Our 20th birthday, the launch of our Universal Code of Conduct, and the movement strategy recommendations are all milestone moments of solidity and strength. I have great hopes and confidence in the upcoming plans for strategy implementation, particularly the work on the movement charter and interim global council. We are healthy and thriving.
While we will always have more work to do to become the Wikimedia that we want to be, our movement and our organization is in a phase of renewal and regeneration. We have deepened our practices of consultation, collaboration, and inclusion that will be the foundation of the next decade of our work. We have a deep and stable financial position that will help us grow and protect us from any storm, and the trust in our projects has never been higher. Our communities are poised to take on deeper responsibilities of governance, accountability, and leadership, populating a rich, representative, and leaderful movement for free knowledge.
The Foundation is also strong, and filled with passionate, values-aligned leaders at every level of the organization, deeply committed to the work of our movement and mission. Although we don’t always all perfectly agree on absolutely everything, we are working more openly and cooperatively with our movement than ever before. Collaborative strategic planning, sustainable programs to support technical communities and tooling, co-development and consultation on transformative new experiences welcoming newcomers, cooperative partnerships on public health data, bibliographic data, and human rights data -- all of these are signals of much great work to come. Even difficult topics, such as brand and movement governance, continue to bring people together in nothing less than feisty commitment.
Together, we have rich resources of brilliant people, deep passion, and compassion. We are making progress on some of our greatest challenges, from editor and readership growth, technical debt, representation and participation, safety and knowledge equity. I am proud of what we’ve done together and grateful for all the ways in which this movement has made my life immeasurably richer: friendships that will last a lifetime, intellectual curiosity and kinship, and so many memories of *so much dancing*, from Accra to Berlin to Chandigarh.
As for me, I’m going to take a break, and a research fellowship, as a place to think about what’s next. It’s hard to think about your future when you’re fully in your present, and for the past seven years, I’ve been fully present for this movement. But as I look around, I see global challenges such as polarization, inequality, and climate change, as well as opportunities for generational renewal and optimism. As a Wikimedian, I lean toward optimism, and plan to apply myself in that direction!
*What’s next*
- We announced this planned transition publicly on our communications
channels during a Foundation all-staff meeting today.
- A Board Transition Committee composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, who is
chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit Committee, Raju Narisetti, and María Sefidari as Board Chair, will launch the search for a new CEO. They’ll work closely with the executive Transition Team on organizational operations, and with the broader board on an open candidate call. The Board is working with the goal of onboarding a new CEO by Q2 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
- We’ve been working on succession planning for the CEO role since
2019 as a matter of best practice, and the organization is well-prepared for a thoughtful search for the next phase of our mission. The Board has decided to work with Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest Advisors[1] for the executive search: I’ve worked closely with Kathleen on a number of occasions, and she is a true Wikimedian at heart.
- I’ll be drawing back from day-to-day operational work to transition
interim responsibilities starting February 8th. A C-level Transition Team of Jaime Villagomez, Amanda Keton, and Robyn Arville, our two board officers and chief people leader, will take up key responsibilities and decision making around planning, community, and people, and work closely with the broader C-team and VP leadership cohort.
- I’ll spend the next three months supporting the Foundation in
readying itself for a transition. I’ll spend February preparing with this group and other organizational and community leaders on movement strategy and institutional knowledge transfer, sharing lessons learned, and supporting the organization in developing the next year’s strategic plan.
- I look forward to celebrating with you in March and April!
I'll be around for a bit, so feel free to reach out, and after that, I'll see you on the wikis!
Cheers, Katherine
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/
--
Katherine Maher (she/her)
CEO
Wikimedia Foundation https://wikimediafoundation.org/
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
Congratulations on a remarkable run! Good luck with the transition and we’ll be watching what happens next!
All the best,
Brad Patrick
From: Wikimedia-l wikimedia-l-bounces@lists.wikimedia.org on behalf of Katherine Maher kmaher@wikimedia.org Reply-To: Wikimedia Mailing List wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Date: Thursday, February 4, 2021 at 12:48 PM To: Wikimedia Mailing List wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Subject: [Wikimedia-l] Thanks for all the fish! / Stepping down April 15
Hi everyone,
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation my intention to step down as CEO later this spring. April 15th will be my last day, marking my seven-year anniversary with the Foundation and the movement. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one. For now, I want to share with you why I’m moving on, and what comes next. I’ll save the customary email with deeper reflections, memories, and thanks for later this spring!
In some ways, this was the easiest hard decision I’ve ever made. It’s never exactly a good time to step away -- transitions always have some rough edges -- but it’s always best to do so when the organization is strong, and before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The movement is in a good, strong place. Our communities are growing, our readership is too. Our 20th birthday, the launch of our Universal Code of Conduct, and the movement strategy recommendations are all milestone moments of solidity and strength. I have great hopes and confidence in the upcoming plans for strategy implementation, particularly the work on the movement charter and interim global council. We are healthy and thriving.
While we will always have more work to do to become the Wikimedia that we want to be, our movement and our organization is in a phase of renewal and regeneration. We have deepened our practices of consultation, collaboration, and inclusion that will be the foundation of the next decade of our work. We have a deep and stable financial position that will help us grow and protect us from any storm, and the trust in our projects has never been higher. Our communities are poised to take on deeper responsibilities of governance, accountability, and leadership, populating a rich, representative, and leaderful movement for free knowledge. The Foundation is also strong, and filled with passionate, values-aligned leaders at every level of the organization, deeply committed to the work of our movement and mission. Although we don’t always all perfectly agree on absolutely everything, we are working more openly and cooperatively with our movement than ever before. Collaborative strategic planning, sustainable programs to support technical communities and tooling, co-development and consultation on transformative new experiences welcoming newcomers, cooperative partnerships on public health data, bibliographic data, and human rights data -- all of these are signals of much great work to come. Even difficult topics, such as brand and movement governance, continue to bring people together in nothing less than feisty commitment.
Together, we have rich resources of brilliant people, deep passion, and compassion. We are making progress on some of our greatest challenges, from editor and readership growth, technical debt, representation and participation, safety and knowledge equity. I am proud of what we’ve done together and grateful for all the ways in which this movement has made my life immeasurably richer: friendships that will last a lifetime, intellectual curiosity and kinship, and so many memories of so much dancing, from Accra to Berlin to Chandigarh. As for me, I’m going to take a break, and a research fellowship, as a place to think about what’s next. It’s hard to think about your future when you’re fully in your present, and for the past seven years, I’ve been fully present for this movement. But as I look around, I see global challenges such as polarization, inequality, and climate change, as well as opportunities for generational renewal and optimism. As a Wikimedian, I lean toward optimism, and plan to apply myself in that direction! What’s next
* We announced this planned transition publicly on our communications channels during a Foundation all-staff meeting today. * A Board Transition Committee composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, who is chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit Committee, Raju Narisetti, and María Sefidari as Board Chair, will launch the search for a new CEO. They’ll work closely with the executive Transition Team on organizational operations, and with the broader board on an open candidate call. The Board is working with the goal of onboarding a new CEO by Q2 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year. * We’ve been working on succession planning for the CEO role since 2019 as a matter of best practice, and the organization is well-prepared for a thoughtful search for the next phase of our mission. The Board has decided to work with Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest Advisors[1] for the executive search: I’ve worked closely with Kathleen on a number of occasions, and she is a true Wikimedian at heart. * I’ll be drawing back from day-to-day operational work to transition interim responsibilities starting February 8th. A C-level Transition Team of Jaime Villagomez, Amanda Keton, and Robyn Arville, our two board officers and chief people leader, will take up key responsibilities and decision making around planning, community, and people, and work closely with the broader C-team and VP leadership cohort. * I’ll spend the next three months supporting the Foundation in readying itself for a transition. I’ll spend February preparing with this group and other organizational and community leaders on movement strategy and institutional knowledge transfer, sharing lessons learned, and supporting the organization in developing the next year’s strategic plan. * I look forward to celebrating with you in March and April! I'll be around for a bit, so feel free to reach out, and after that, I'll see you on the wikis!
Cheers, Katherine
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/
--
[Image removed by sender.]
Katherine Maher (she/her)
CEO
Wikimedia Foundationhttps://wikimediafoundation.org/
Hi Katherine,
We greatly appreciate your work at the Foundation and we hope for the best in your future endeavors.
Your term as ED, later as CEO, made significant changes on how we look at the WMF. Your work made changes to many of us, on how we deal with issues and opportunities to how we support each other.
We hope your successor would effectively implement the strategic plan and maintain the openess of community conversations.
I hope that you consider visiting us here in Southeast Asia at your convenience (add Wikimania) once the pandemic is over.
Kind regards,
Butch Bustria
On Fri, Feb 5, 2021, 2:36 AM Brad Patrick bradp.wmf@gmail.com wrote:
Congratulations on a remarkable run! Good luck with the transition and we’ll be watching what happens next!
All the best,
Brad Patrick
*From: *Wikimedia-l wikimedia-l-bounces@lists.wikimedia.org on behalf of Katherine Maher kmaher@wikimedia.org *Reply-To: *Wikimedia Mailing List wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org *Date: *Thursday, February 4, 2021 at 12:48 PM *To: *Wikimedia Mailing List wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org *Subject: *[Wikimedia-l] Thanks for all the fish! / Stepping down April 15
Hi everyone,
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation my intention to step down as CEO later this spring. April 15th will be my last day, marking my seven-year anniversary with the Foundation and the movement. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one. For now, I want to share with you why I’m moving on, and what comes next. I’ll save the customary email with deeper reflections, memories, and thanks for later this spring!
In some ways, this was the easiest hard decision I’ve ever made. It’s never exactly a good time to step away -- transitions always have some rough edges -- but it’s always best to do so when the organization is strong, and before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The movement is in a good, strong place. Our communities are growing, our readership is too. Our 20th birthday, the launch of our Universal Code of Conduct, and the movement strategy recommendations are all milestone moments of solidity and strength. I have great hopes and confidence in the upcoming plans for strategy implementation, particularly the work on the movement charter and interim global council. We are healthy and thriving.
While we will always have more work to do to become the Wikimedia that we want to be, our movement and our organization is in a phase of renewal and regeneration. We have deepened our practices of consultation, collaboration, and inclusion that will be the foundation of the next decade of our work. We have a deep and stable financial position that will help us grow and protect us from any storm, and the trust in our projects has never been higher. Our communities are poised to take on deeper responsibilities of governance, accountability, and leadership, populating a rich, representative, and leaderful movement for free knowledge.
The Foundation is also strong, and filled with passionate, values-aligned leaders at every level of the organization, deeply committed to the work of our movement and mission. Although we don’t always all perfectly agree on absolutely everything, we are working more openly and cooperatively with our movement than ever before. Collaborative strategic planning, sustainable programs to support technical communities and tooling, co-development and consultation on transformative new experiences welcoming newcomers, cooperative partnerships on public health data, bibliographic data, and human rights data -- all of these are signals of much great work to come. Even difficult topics, such as brand and movement governance, continue to bring people together in nothing less than feisty commitment.
Together, we have rich resources of brilliant people, deep passion, and compassion. We are making progress on some of our greatest challenges, from editor and readership growth, technical debt, representation and participation, safety and knowledge equity. I am proud of what we’ve done together and grateful for all the ways in which this movement has made my life immeasurably richer: friendships that will last a lifetime, intellectual curiosity and kinship, and so many memories of *so much dancing*, from Accra to Berlin to Chandigarh.
As for me, I’m going to take a break, and a research fellowship, as a place to think about what’s next. It’s hard to think about your future when you’re fully in your present, and for the past seven years, I’ve been fully present for this movement. But as I look around, I see global challenges such as polarization, inequality, and climate change, as well as opportunities for generational renewal and optimism. As a Wikimedian, I lean toward optimism, and plan to apply myself in that direction!
*What’s next*
- We announced this planned transition publicly on our communications
channels during a Foundation all-staff meeting today.
- A Board Transition Committee composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, who is
chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit Committee, Raju Narisetti, and María Sefidari as Board Chair, will launch the search for a new CEO. They’ll work closely with the executive Transition Team on organizational operations, and with the broader board on an open candidate call. The Board is working with the goal of onboarding a new CEO by Q2 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
- We’ve been working on succession planning for the CEO role since
2019 as a matter of best practice, and the organization is well-prepared for a thoughtful search for the next phase of our mission. The Board has decided to work with Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest Advisors[1] for the executive search: I’ve worked closely with Kathleen on a number of occasions, and she is a true Wikimedian at heart.
- I’ll be drawing back from day-to-day operational work to transition
interim responsibilities starting February 8th. A C-level Transition Team of Jaime Villagomez, Amanda Keton, and Robyn Arville, our two board officers and chief people leader, will take up key responsibilities and decision making around planning, community, and people, and work closely with the broader C-team and VP leadership cohort.
- I’ll spend the next three months supporting the Foundation in
readying itself for a transition. I’ll spend February preparing with this group and other organizational and community leaders on movement strategy and institutional knowledge transfer, sharing lessons learned, and supporting the organization in developing the next year’s strategic plan.
- I look forward to celebrating with you in March and April!
I'll be around for a bit, so feel free to reach out, and after that, I'll see you on the wikis!
Cheers, Katherine
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/
--
[image: Image removed by sender.]
*Katherine Maher *(she/her)
CEO
Wikimedia Foundation https://wikimediafoundation.org/
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
Katherine,
The WMF will be less without you in it. One of the things that made me comfortable with my own departure so many years ago was the certain knowledge that you would keep the wheels on and keep the WMF pointed in the right direction. But I know you must be exhausted, and drained, so it’s only right for you to now take some time to refocus and figure out where next to apply your formidable talents to make the world a better place.
I’m very proud to call you a friend.
Philippe
On Thu, Feb 4, 2021 at 12:37 PM Brad Patrick bradp.wmf@gmail.com wrote:
Congratulations on a remarkable run! Good luck with the transition and we’ll be watching what happens next!
All the best,
Brad Patrick
*From: *Wikimedia-l wikimedia-l-bounces@lists.wikimedia.org on behalf of Katherine Maher kmaher@wikimedia.org *Reply-To: *Wikimedia Mailing List wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org *Date: *Thursday, February 4, 2021 at 12:48 PM *To: *Wikimedia Mailing List wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org *Subject: *[Wikimedia-l] Thanks for all the fish! / Stepping down April 15
Hi everyone,
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation my intention to step down as CEO later this spring. April 15th will be my last day, marking my seven-year anniversary with the Foundation and the movement. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one. For now, I want to share with you why I’m moving on, and what comes next. I’ll save the customary email with deeper reflections, memories, and thanks for later this spring!
In some ways, this was the easiest hard decision I’ve ever made. It’s never exactly a good time to step away -- transitions always have some rough edges -- but it’s always best to do so when the organization is strong, and before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The movement is in a good, strong place. Our communities are growing, our readership is too. Our 20th birthday, the launch of our Universal Code of Conduct, and the movement strategy recommendations are all milestone moments of solidity and strength. I have great hopes and confidence in the upcoming plans for strategy implementation, particularly the work on the movement charter and interim global council. We are healthy and thriving.
While we will always have more work to do to become the Wikimedia that we want to be, our movement and our organization is in a phase of renewal and regeneration. We have deepened our practices of consultation, collaboration, and inclusion that will be the foundation of the next decade of our work. We have a deep and stable financial position that will help us grow and protect us from any storm, and the trust in our projects has never been higher. Our communities are poised to take on deeper responsibilities of governance, accountability, and leadership, populating a rich, representative, and leaderful movement for free knowledge.
The Foundation is also strong, and filled with passionate, values-aligned leaders at every level of the organization, deeply committed to the work of our movement and mission. Although we don’t always all perfectly agree on absolutely everything, we are working more openly and cooperatively with our movement than ever before. Collaborative strategic planning, sustainable programs to support technical communities and tooling, co-development and consultation on transformative new experiences welcoming newcomers, cooperative partnerships on public health data, bibliographic data, and human rights data -- all of these are signals of much great work to come. Even difficult topics, such as brand and movement governance, continue to bring people together in nothing less than feisty commitment.
Together, we have rich resources of brilliant people, deep passion, and compassion. We are making progress on some of our greatest challenges, from editor and readership growth, technical debt, representation and participation, safety and knowledge equity. I am proud of what we’ve done together and grateful for all the ways in which this movement has made my life immeasurably richer: friendships that will last a lifetime, intellectual curiosity and kinship, and so many memories of *so much dancing*, from Accra to Berlin to Chandigarh.
As for me, I’m going to take a break, and a research fellowship, as a place to think about what’s next. It’s hard to think about your future when you’re fully in your present, and for the past seven years, I’ve been fully present for this movement. But as I look around, I see global challenges such as polarization, inequality, and climate change, as well as opportunities for generational renewal and optimism. As a Wikimedian, I lean toward optimism, and plan to apply myself in that direction!
*What’s next*
- We announced this planned transition publicly on our communications
channels during a Foundation all-staff meeting today.
- A Board Transition Committee composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, who is
chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit Committee, Raju Narisetti, and María Sefidari as Board Chair, will launch the search for a new CEO. They’ll work closely with the executive Transition Team on organizational operations, and with the broader board on an open candidate call. The Board is working with the goal of onboarding a new CEO by Q2 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
- We’ve been working on succession planning for the CEO role since
2019 as a matter of best practice, and the organization is well-prepared for a thoughtful search for the next phase of our mission. The Board has decided to work with Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest Advisors[1] for the executive search: I’ve worked closely with Kathleen on a number of occasions, and she is a true Wikimedian at heart.
- I’ll be drawing back from day-to-day operational work to transition
interim responsibilities starting February 8th. A C-level Transition Team of Jaime Villagomez, Amanda Keton, and Robyn Arville, our two board officers and chief people leader, will take up key responsibilities and decision making around planning, community, and people, and work closely with the broader C-team and VP leadership cohort.
- I’ll spend the next three months supporting the Foundation in
readying itself for a transition. I’ll spend February preparing with this group and other organizational and community leaders on movement strategy and institutional knowledge transfer, sharing lessons learned, and supporting the organization in developing the next year’s strategic plan.
- I look forward to celebrating with you in March and April!
I'll be around for a bit, so feel free to reach out, and after that, I'll see you on the wikis!
Cheers, Katherine
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/
--
[image: Image removed by sender.]
*Katherine Maher *(she/her)
CEO
Wikimedia Foundation https://wikimediafoundation.org/
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
Those are some edificial shoes to fill.
Thank you for all you have done for the Foundation + projects, and for the collective sense of our place in the world's dance.
SJ
On Thu, Feb 4, 2021 at 1:36 PM Brad Patrick bradp.wmf@gmail.com wrote:
Congratulations on a remarkable run! Good luck with the transition and we’ll be watching what happens next!
All the best,
Brad Patrick
*From: *Wikimedia-l wikimedia-l-bounces@lists.wikimedia.org on behalf of Katherine Maher kmaher@wikimedia.org *Reply-To: *Wikimedia Mailing List wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org *Date: *Thursday, February 4, 2021 at 12:48 PM *To: *Wikimedia Mailing List wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org *Subject: *[Wikimedia-l] Thanks for all the fish! / Stepping down April 15
Hi everyone,
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation my intention to step down as CEO later this spring. April 15th will be my last day, marking my seven-year anniversary with the Foundation and the movement. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one. For now, I want to share with you why I’m moving on, and what comes next. I’ll save the customary email with deeper reflections, memories, and thanks for later this spring!
In some ways, this was the easiest hard decision I’ve ever made. It’s never exactly a good time to step away -- transitions always have some rough edges -- but it’s always best to do so when the organization is strong, and before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The movement is in a good, strong place. Our communities are growing, our readership is too. Our 20th birthday, the launch of our Universal Code of Conduct, and the movement strategy recommendations are all milestone moments of solidity and strength. I have great hopes and confidence in the upcoming plans for strategy implementation, particularly the work on the movement charter and interim global council. We are healthy and thriving.
While we will always have more work to do to become the Wikimedia that we want to be, our movement and our organization is in a phase of renewal and regeneration. We have deepened our practices of consultation, collaboration, and inclusion that will be the foundation of the next decade of our work. We have a deep and stable financial position that will help us grow and protect us from any storm, and the trust in our projects has never been higher. Our communities are poised to take on deeper responsibilities of governance, accountability, and leadership, populating a rich, representative, and leaderful movement for free knowledge.
The Foundation is also strong, and filled with passionate, values-aligned leaders at every level of the organization, deeply committed to the work of our movement and mission. Although we don’t always all perfectly agree on absolutely everything, we are working more openly and cooperatively with our movement than ever before. Collaborative strategic planning, sustainable programs to support technical communities and tooling, co-development and consultation on transformative new experiences welcoming newcomers, cooperative partnerships on public health data, bibliographic data, and human rights data -- all of these are signals of much great work to come. Even difficult topics, such as brand and movement governance, continue to bring people together in nothing less than feisty commitment.
Together, we have rich resources of brilliant people, deep passion, and compassion. We are making progress on some of our greatest challenges, from editor and readership growth, technical debt, representation and participation, safety and knowledge equity. I am proud of what we’ve done together and grateful for all the ways in which this movement has made my life immeasurably richer: friendships that will last a lifetime, intellectual curiosity and kinship, and so many memories of *so much dancing*, from Accra to Berlin to Chandigarh.
As for me, I’m going to take a break, and a research fellowship, as a place to think about what’s next. It’s hard to think about your future when you’re fully in your present, and for the past seven years, I’ve been fully present for this movement. But as I look around, I see global challenges such as polarization, inequality, and climate change, as well as opportunities for generational renewal and optimism. As a Wikimedian, I lean toward optimism, and plan to apply myself in that direction!
*What’s next*
- We announced this planned transition publicly on our communications
channels during a Foundation all-staff meeting today.
- A Board Transition Committee composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, who is
chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit Committee, Raju Narisetti, and María Sefidari as Board Chair, will launch the search for a new CEO. They’ll work closely with the executive Transition Team on organizational operations, and with the broader board on an open candidate call. The Board is working with the goal of onboarding a new CEO by Q2 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
- We’ve been working on succession planning for the CEO role since
2019 as a matter of best practice, and the organization is well-prepared for a thoughtful search for the next phase of our mission. The Board has decided to work with Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest Advisors[1] for the executive search: I’ve worked closely with Kathleen on a number of occasions, and she is a true Wikimedian at heart.
- I’ll be drawing back from day-to-day operational work to transition
interim responsibilities starting February 8th. A C-level Transition Team of Jaime Villagomez, Amanda Keton, and Robyn Arville, our two board officers and chief people leader, will take up key responsibilities and decision making around planning, community, and people, and work closely with the broader C-team and VP leadership cohort.
- I’ll spend the next three months supporting the Foundation in
readying itself for a transition. I’ll spend February preparing with this group and other organizational and community leaders on movement strategy and institutional knowledge transfer, sharing lessons learned, and supporting the organization in developing the next year’s strategic plan.
- I look forward to celebrating with you in March and April!
I'll be around for a bit, so feel free to reach out, and after that, I'll see you on the wikis!
Cheers, Katherine
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/
--
[image: Image removed by sender.]
*Katherine Maher *(she/her)
CEO
Wikimedia Foundation https://wikimediafoundation.org/
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
Thanks Katherine for all you have done. All the best and good luck with everything going forward.
Katie
On 04/02/2021 17:47, Katherine Maher wrote:
Hi everyone,
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation my intention to step down as CEO later this spring. April 15th will be my last day, marking my seven-year anniversary with the Foundation and the movement. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one. For now, I want to share with you why I’m moving on, and what comes next. I’ll save the customary email with deeper reflections, memories, and thanks for later this spring!
In some ways, this was the easiest hard decision I’ve ever made. It’s never exactly a good time to step away -- transitions always have some rough edges -- but it’s always best to do so when the organization is strong, and before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The movement is in a good, strong place. Our communities are growing, our readership is too. Our 20th birthday, the launch of our Universal Code of Conduct, and the movement strategy recommendations are all milestone moments of solidity and strength. I have great hopes and confidence in the upcoming plans for strategy implementation, particularly the work on the movement charter and interim global council. We are healthy and thriving.
While we will always have more work to do to become the Wikimedia that we want to be, our movement and our organization is in a phase of renewal and regeneration. We have deepened our practices of consultation, collaboration, and inclusion that will be the foundation of the next decade of our work. We have a deep and stable financial position that will help us grow and protect us from any storm, and the trust in our projects has never been higher. Our communities are poised to take on deeper responsibilities of governance, accountability, and leadership, populating a rich, representative, and leaderful movement for free knowledge.
The Foundation is also strong, and filled with passionate, values-aligned leaders at every level of the organization, deeply committed to the work of our movement and mission. Although we don’t always all perfectly agree on absolutely everything, we are working more openly and cooperatively with our movement than ever before. Collaborative strategic planning, sustainable programs to support technical communities and tooling, co-development and consultation on transformative new experiences welcoming newcomers, cooperative partnerships on public health data, bibliographic data, and human rights data -- all of these are signals of much great work to come. Even difficult topics, such as brand and movement governance, continue to bring people together in nothing less than feisty commitment.
Together, we have rich resources of brilliant people, deep passion, and compassion. We are making progress on some of our greatest challenges, from editor and readership growth, technical debt, representation and participation, safety and knowledge equity. I am proud of what we’ve done together and grateful for all the ways in which this movement has made my life immeasurably richer: friendships that will last a lifetime, intellectual curiosity and kinship, and so many memories of */so much dancing/*, from Accra to Berlin to Chandigarh.
As for me, I’m going to take a break, and a research fellowship, as a place to think about what’s next. It’s hard to think about your future when you’re fully in your present, and for the past seven years, I’ve been fully present for this movement. But as I look around, I see global challenges such as polarization, inequality, and climate change, as well as opportunities for generational renewal and optimism. As a Wikimedian, I lean toward optimism, and plan to apply myself in that direction!
*What’s next*
- We announced this planned transition publicly on our communications channels during a Foundation all-staff meeting today.
- A Board Transition Committee composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, who is chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit Committee, Raju Narisetti, and María Sefidari as Board Chair, will launch the search for a new CEO. They’ll work closely with the executive Transition Team on organizational operations, and with the broader board on an open candidate call. The Board is working with the goal of onboarding a new CEO by Q2 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
- We’ve been working on succession planning for the CEO role since 2019 as a matter of best practice, and the organization is well-prepared for a thoughtful search for the next phase of our mission. The Board has decided to work with Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest Advisors[1] for the executive search: I’ve worked closely with Kathleen on a number of occasions, and she is a true Wikimedian at heart.
- I’ll be drawing back from day-to-day operational work to transition interim responsibilities starting February 8th. A C-level Transition Team of Jaime Villagomez, Amanda Keton, and Robyn Arville, our two board officers and chief people leader, will take up key responsibilities and decision making around planning, community, and people, and work closely with the broader C-team and VP leadership cohort.
- I’ll spend the next three months supporting the Foundation in readying itself for a transition. I’ll spend February preparing with this group and other organizational and community leaders on movement strategy and institutional knowledge transfer, sharing lessons learned, and supporting the organization in developing the next year’s strategic plan.
- I look forward to celebrating with you in March and April!
I'll be around for a bit, so feel free to reach out, and after that, I'll see you on the wikis!
Cheers, Katherine
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/ https://viewcrestadvisors.com/
--
Katherine Maher (she/her)
CEO
Wikimedia Foundation https://wikimediafoundation.org/
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 Katherine,
I like to thank you for all you have done for the movement. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. We will definitely miss you.
Namaste, Rajeeb.
On Thu, 4 Feb 2021 at 23:18, Katherine Maher kmaher@wikimedia.org wrote:
Hi everyone,
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation my intention to step down as CEO later this spring. April 15th will be my last day, marking my seven-year anniversary with the Foundation and the movement. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one. For now, I want to share with you why I’m moving on, and what comes next. I’ll save the customary email with deeper reflections, memories, and thanks for later this spring!
In some ways, this was the easiest hard decision I’ve ever made. It’s never exactly a good time to step away -- transitions always have some rough edges -- but it’s always best to do so when the organization is strong, and before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The movement is in a good, strong place. Our communities are growing, our readership is too. Our 20th birthday, the launch of our Universal Code of Conduct, and the movement strategy recommendations are all milestone moments of solidity and strength. I have great hopes and confidence in the upcoming plans for strategy implementation, particularly the work on the movement charter and interim global council. We are healthy and thriving.
While we will always have more work to do to become the Wikimedia that we want to be, our movement and our organization is in a phase of renewal and regeneration. We have deepened our practices of consultation, collaboration, and inclusion that will be the foundation of the next decade of our work. We have a deep and stable financial position that will help us grow and protect us from any storm, and the trust in our projects has never been higher. Our communities are poised to take on deeper responsibilities of governance, accountability, and leadership, populating a rich, representative, and leaderful movement for free knowledge.
The Foundation is also strong, and filled with passionate, values-aligned leaders at every level of the organization, deeply committed to the work of our movement and mission. Although we don’t always all perfectly agree on absolutely everything, we are working more openly and cooperatively with our movement than ever before. Collaborative strategic planning, sustainable programs to support technical communities and tooling, co-development and consultation on transformative new experiences welcoming newcomers, cooperative partnerships on public health data, bibliographic data, and human rights data -- all of these are signals of much great work to come. Even difficult topics, such as brand and movement governance, continue to bring people together in nothing less than feisty commitment.
Together, we have rich resources of brilliant people, deep passion, and compassion. We are making progress on some of our greatest challenges, from editor and readership growth, technical debt, representation and participation, safety and knowledge equity. I am proud of what we’ve done together and grateful for all the ways in which this movement has made my life immeasurably richer: friendships that will last a lifetime, intellectual curiosity and kinship, and so many memories of *so much dancing*, from Accra to Berlin to Chandigarh.
As for me, I’m going to take a break, and a research fellowship, as a place to think about what’s next. It’s hard to think about your future when you’re fully in your present, and for the past seven years, I’ve been fully present for this movement. But as I look around, I see global challenges such as polarization, inequality, and climate change, as well as opportunities for generational renewal and optimism. As a Wikimedian, I lean toward optimism, and plan to apply myself in that direction!
*What’s next*
- We announced this planned transition publicly on our communications
channels during a Foundation all-staff meeting today.
- A Board Transition Committee composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, who is
chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit Committee, Raju Narisetti, and María Sefidari as Board Chair, will launch the search for a new CEO. They’ll work closely with the executive Transition Team on organizational operations, and with the broader board on an open candidate call. The Board is working with the goal of onboarding a new CEO by Q2 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
- We’ve been working on succession planning for the CEO role since
2019 as a matter of best practice, and the organization is well-prepared for a thoughtful search for the next phase of our mission. The Board has decided to work with Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest Advisors[1] for the executive search: I’ve worked closely with Kathleen on a number of occasions, and she is a true Wikimedian at heart.
- I’ll be drawing back from day-to-day operational work to transition
interim responsibilities starting February 8th. A C-level Transition Team of Jaime Villagomez, Amanda Keton, and Robyn Arville, our two board officers and chief people leader, will take up key responsibilities and decision making around planning, community, and people, and work closely with the broader C-team and VP leadership cohort.
- I’ll spend the next three months supporting the Foundation in
readying itself for a transition. I’ll spend February preparing with this group and other organizational and community leaders on movement strategy and institutional knowledge transfer, sharing lessons learned, and supporting the organization in developing the next year’s strategic plan.
- I look forward to celebrating with you in March and April!
I'll be around for a bit, so feel free to reach out, and after that, I'll see you on the wikis!
Cheers, Katherine
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/
--
Katherine Maher (she/her)
CEO
Wikimedia Foundation https://wikimediafoundation.org/
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
On Thu, Feb 4, 2021 at 9:48 AM Katherine Maher kmaher@wikimedia.org wrote:
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation my intention to step down as CEO later this spring.
You did amazing work for the movement. Like others who have moved on from WMF, it has felt great knowing that the organization is in great hands under your leadership, and has accomplished major new milestones. Congratulations as well on the UCoC, which I also agree is incredibly important for the reasons that have been well-articulated by others in the related thread. Getting Wikipedia unblocked in Turkey was huge, and I was thrilled to read about the UN partnership. There's too much other stuff to list, but exciting projects kicked off under your leadership include your support for Wikidata and Abstract Wikipedia -- as will be no surprise, I'm especially excited about following those developments. :)
You took the helm at a time when WMF was going through a rocky period (to say the least), and these and other achievements are especially remarkable in light of how far the organization had to come to make them possible. I'm genuinely excited about what's next for you, and know that you'll bring your passion for Wikimedia's values with you. Thank you, Katherine, for your service.
Warmly,
Erik
Hello Katherine,
I like to thank you very much for all what you have achieved, stepping in the role at complicated time and really doing the job beautifully. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. I will definitely miss you. I think many feel a bit orphans after the announcement.
Florence
Le 04/02/2021 à 18:47, Katherine Maher a écrit :
Hi everyone,
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation my intention to step down as CEO later this spring. April 15th will be my last day, marking my seven-year anniversary with the Foundation and the movement. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one. For now, I want to share with you why I’m moving on, and what comes next. I’ll save the customary email with deeper reflections, memories, and thanks for later this spring!
In some ways, this was the easiest hard decision I’ve ever made. It’s never exactly a good time to step away -- transitions always have some rough edges -- but it’s always best to do so when the organization is strong, and before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The movement is in a good, strong place. Our communities are growing, our readership is too. Our 20th birthday, the launch of our Universal Code of Conduct, and the movement strategy recommendations are all milestone moments of solidity and strength. I have great hopes and confidence in the upcoming plans for strategy implementation, particularly the work on the movement charter and interim global council. We are healthy and thriving.
While we will always have more work to do to become the Wikimedia that we want to be, our movement and our organization is in a phase of renewal and regeneration. We have deepened our practices of consultation, collaboration, and inclusion that will be the foundation of the next decade of our work. We have a deep and stable financial position that will help us grow and protect us from any storm, and the trust in our projects has never been higher. Our communities are poised to take on deeper responsibilities of governance, accountability, and leadership, populating a rich, representative, and leaderful movement for free knowledge.
The Foundation is also strong, and filled with passionate, values-aligned leaders at every level of the organization, deeply committed to the work of our movement and mission. Although we don’t always all perfectly agree on absolutely everything, we are working more openly and cooperatively with our movement than ever before. Collaborative strategic planning, sustainable programs to support technical communities and tooling, co-development and consultation on transformative new experiences welcoming newcomers, cooperative partnerships on public health data, bibliographic data, and human rights data -- all of these are signals of much great work to come. Even difficult topics, such as brand and movement governance, continue to bring people together in nothing less than feisty commitment.
Together, we have rich resources of brilliant people, deep passion, and compassion. We are making progress on some of our greatest challenges, from editor and readership growth, technical debt, representation and participation, safety and knowledge equity. I am proud of what we’ve done together and grateful for all the ways in which this movement has made my life immeasurably richer: friendships that will last a lifetime, intellectual curiosity and kinship, and so many memories of */so much dancing/*, from Accra to Berlin to Chandigarh.
As for me, I’m going to take a break, and a research fellowship, as a place to think about what’s next. It’s hard to think about your future when you’re fully in your present, and for the past seven years, I’ve been fully present for this movement. But as I look around, I see global challenges such as polarization, inequality, and climate change, as well as opportunities for generational renewal and optimism. As a Wikimedian, I lean toward optimism, and plan to apply myself in that direction!
*What’s next*
- We announced this planned transition publicly on our communications channels during a Foundation all-staff meeting today.
- A Board Transition Committee composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, who is chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit Committee, Raju Narisetti, and María Sefidari as Board Chair, will launch the search for a new CEO. They’ll work closely with the executive Transition Team on organizational operations, and with the broader board on an open candidate call. The Board is working with the goal of onboarding a new CEO by Q2 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
- We’ve been working on succession planning for the CEO role since 2019 as a matter of best practice, and the organization is well-prepared for a thoughtful search for the next phase of our mission. The Board has decided to work with Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest Advisors[1] for the executive search: I’ve worked closely with Kathleen on a number of occasions, and she is a true Wikimedian at heart.
- I’ll be drawing back from day-to-day operational work to transition interim responsibilities starting February 8th. A C-level Transition Team of Jaime Villagomez, Amanda Keton, and Robyn Arville, our two board officers and chief people leader, will take up key responsibilities and decision making around planning, community, and people, and work closely with the broader C-team and VP leadership cohort.
- I’ll spend the next three months supporting the Foundation in readying itself for a transition. I’ll spend February preparing with this group and other organizational and community leaders on movement strategy and institutional knowledge transfer, sharing lessons learned, and supporting the organization in developing the next year’s strategic plan.
- I look forward to celebrating with you in March and April!
I'll be around for a bit, so feel free to reach out, and after that, I'll see you on the wikis!
Cheers, Katherine
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/ https://viewcrestadvisors.com/
--
Katherine Maher (she/her)
CEO
Wikimedia Foundation https://wikimediafoundation.org/
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
Thank you, Katherine! You did an amazing job. Wish you all the best.
Un gran abrazo,
Patricio
El jue, 4 feb 2021 a las 18:13, Florence Devouard (fdevouard@gmail.com) escribió:
Hello Katherine,
I like to thank you very much for all what you have achieved, stepping in the role at complicated time and really doing the job beautifully. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. I will definitely miss you. I think many feel a bit orphans after the announcement.
Florence
Le 04/02/2021 à 18:47, Katherine Maher a écrit :
Hi everyone,
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation my intention to step down as CEO later this spring. April 15th will be my last day, marking my seven-year anniversary with the Foundation and the movement. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one. For now, I want to share with you why I’m moving on, and what comes next. I’ll save the customary email with deeper reflections, memories, and thanks for later this spring!
In some ways, this was the easiest hard decision I’ve ever made. It’s never exactly a good time to step away -- transitions always have some rough edges -- but it’s always best to do so when the organization is strong, and before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The movement is in a good, strong place. Our communities are growing, our readership is too. Our 20th birthday, the launch of our Universal Code of Conduct, and the movement strategy recommendations are all milestone moments of solidity and strength. I have great hopes and confidence in the upcoming plans for strategy implementation, particularly the work on the movement charter and interim global council. We are healthy and thriving.
While we will always have more work to do to become the Wikimedia that we want to be, our movement and our organization is in a phase of renewal and regeneration. We have deepened our practices of consultation, collaboration, and inclusion that will be the foundation of the next decade of our work. We have a deep and stable financial position that will help us grow and protect us from any storm, and the trust in our projects has never been higher. Our communities are poised to take on deeper responsibilities of governance, accountability, and leadership, populating a rich, representative, and leaderful movement for free knowledge.
The Foundation is also strong, and filled with passionate, values-aligned leaders at every level of the organization, deeply committed to the work of our movement and mission. Although we don’t always all perfectly agree on absolutely everything, we are working more openly and cooperatively with our movement than ever before. Collaborative strategic planning, sustainable programs to support technical communities and tooling, co-development and consultation on transformative new experiences welcoming newcomers, cooperative partnerships on public health data, bibliographic data, and human rights data -- all of these are signals of much great work to come. Even difficult topics, such as brand and movement governance, continue to bring people together in nothing less than feisty commitment.
Together, we have rich resources of brilliant people, deep passion, and compassion. We are making progress on some of our greatest challenges, from editor and readership growth, technical debt, representation and participation, safety and knowledge equity. I am proud of what we’ve done together and grateful for all the ways in which this movement has made my life immeasurably richer: friendships that will last a lifetime, intellectual curiosity and kinship, and so many memories of *so much dancing*, from Accra to Berlin to Chandigarh.
As for me, I’m going to take a break, and a research fellowship, as a place to think about what’s next. It’s hard to think about your future when you’re fully in your present, and for the past seven years, I’ve been fully present for this movement. But as I look around, I see global challenges such as polarization, inequality, and climate change, as well as opportunities for generational renewal and optimism. As a Wikimedian, I lean toward optimism, and plan to apply myself in that direction!
*What’s next*
- We announced this planned transition publicly on our communications
channels during a Foundation all-staff meeting today.
- A Board Transition Committee composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, who is
chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit Committee, Raju Narisetti, and María Sefidari as Board Chair, will launch the search for a new CEO. They’ll work closely with the executive Transition Team on organizational operations, and with the broader board on an open candidate call. The Board is working with the goal of onboarding a new CEO by Q2 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
- We’ve been working on succession planning for the CEO role since
2019 as a matter of best practice, and the organization is well-prepared for a thoughtful search for the next phase of our mission. The Board has decided to work with Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest Advisors[1] for the executive search: I’ve worked closely with Kathleen on a number of occasions, and she is a true Wikimedian at heart.
- I’ll be drawing back from day-to-day operational work to transition
interim responsibilities starting February 8th. A C-level Transition Team of Jaime Villagomez, Amanda Keton, and Robyn Arville, our two board officers and chief people leader, will take up key responsibilities and decision making around planning, community, and people, and work closely with the broader C-team and VP leadership cohort.
- I’ll spend the next three months supporting the Foundation in
readying itself for a transition. I’ll spend February preparing with this group and other organizational and community leaders on movement strategy and institutional knowledge transfer, sharing lessons learned, and supporting the organization in developing the next year’s strategic plan.
- I look forward to celebrating with you in March and April!
I'll be around for a bit, so feel free to reach out, and after that, I'll see you on the wikis!
Cheers, Katherine
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/
--
Katherine Maher (she/her)
CEO
Wikimedia Foundation https://wikimediafoundation.org/
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 <wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>
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Thanks Katherine,
it was always a good feeling to see you at work navigating the complexities of our movement and trying to bring people together with your words. I'm curious to see what will be your next challenge.
Warmly, Lodewijk
On Thu, Feb 4, 2021 at 2:58 PM Patricio Lorente patricio.lorente@gmail.com wrote:
Thank you, Katherine! You did an amazing job. Wish you all the best.
Un gran abrazo,
PatricioEl jue, 4 feb 2021 a las 18:13, Florence Devouard (fdevouard@gmail.com) escribió:
Hello Katherine,
I like to thank you very much for all what you have achieved, stepping in the role at complicated time and really doing the job beautifully. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. I will definitely miss you. I think many feel a bit orphans after the announcement.
Florence
Le 04/02/2021 à 18:47, Katherine Maher a écrit :
Hi everyone,
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation my intention to step down as CEO later this spring. April 15th will be my last day, marking my seven-year anniversary with the Foundation and the movement. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one. For now, I want to share with you why I’m moving on, and what comes next. I’ll save the customary email with deeper reflections, memories, and thanks for later this spring!
In some ways, this was the easiest hard decision I’ve ever made. It’s never exactly a good time to step away -- transitions always have some rough edges -- but it’s always best to do so when the organization is strong, and before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The movement is in a good, strong place. Our communities are growing, our readership is too. Our 20th birthday, the launch of our Universal Code of Conduct, and the movement strategy recommendations are all milestone moments of solidity and strength. I have great hopes and confidence in the upcoming plans for strategy implementation, particularly the work on the movement charter and interim global council. We are healthy and thriving.
While we will always have more work to do to become the Wikimedia that we want to be, our movement and our organization is in a phase of renewal and regeneration. We have deepened our practices of consultation, collaboration, and inclusion that will be the foundation of the next decade of our work. We have a deep and stable financial position that will help us grow and protect us from any storm, and the trust in our projects has never been higher. Our communities are poised to take on deeper responsibilities of governance, accountability, and leadership, populating a rich, representative, and leaderful movement for free knowledge.
The Foundation is also strong, and filled with passionate, values-aligned leaders at every level of the organization, deeply committed to the work of our movement and mission. Although we don’t always all perfectly agree on absolutely everything, we are working more openly and cooperatively with our movement than ever before. Collaborative strategic planning, sustainable programs to support technical communities and tooling, co-development and consultation on transformative new experiences welcoming newcomers, cooperative partnerships on public health data, bibliographic data, and human rights data -- all of these are signals of much great work to come. Even difficult topics, such as brand and movement governance, continue to bring people together in nothing less than feisty commitment.
Together, we have rich resources of brilliant people, deep passion, and compassion. We are making progress on some of our greatest challenges, from editor and readership growth, technical debt, representation and participation, safety and knowledge equity. I am proud of what we’ve done together and grateful for all the ways in which this movement has made my life immeasurably richer: friendships that will last a lifetime, intellectual curiosity and kinship, and so many memories of *so much dancing*, from Accra to Berlin to Chandigarh.
As for me, I’m going to take a break, and a research fellowship, as a place to think about what’s next. It’s hard to think about your future when you’re fully in your present, and for the past seven years, I’ve been fully present for this movement. But as I look around, I see global challenges such as polarization, inequality, and climate change, as well as opportunities for generational renewal and optimism. As a Wikimedian, I lean toward optimism, and plan to apply myself in that direction!
*What’s next*
- We announced this planned transition publicly on our communications
channels during a Foundation all-staff meeting today.
- A Board Transition Committee composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, who is
chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit Committee, Raju Narisetti, and María Sefidari as Board Chair, will launch the search for a new CEO. They’ll work closely with the executive Transition Team on organizational operations, and with the broader board on an open candidate call. The Board is working with the goal of onboarding a new CEO by Q2 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
- We’ve been working on succession planning for the CEO role since
2019 as a matter of best practice, and the organization is well-prepared for a thoughtful search for the next phase of our mission. The Board has decided to work with Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest Advisors[1] for the executive search: I’ve worked closely with Kathleen on a number of occasions, and she is a true Wikimedian at heart.
- I’ll be drawing back from day-to-day operational work to transition
interim responsibilities starting February 8th. A C-level Transition Team of Jaime Villagomez, Amanda Keton, and Robyn Arville, our two board officers and chief people leader, will take up key responsibilities and decision making around planning, community, and people, and work closely with the broader C-team and VP leadership cohort.
- I’ll spend the next three months supporting the Foundation in
readying itself for a transition. I’ll spend February preparing with this group and other organizational and community leaders on movement strategy and institutional knowledge transfer, sharing lessons learned, and supporting the organization in developing the next year’s strategic plan.
- I look forward to celebrating with you in March and April!
I'll be around for a bit, so feel free to reach out, and after that, I'll see you on the wikis!
Cheers, Katherine
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/
--
Katherine Maher (she/her)
CEO
Wikimedia Foundation https://wikimediafoundation.org/
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 <wikimedia-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>
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-- Patricio Lorente _______________________________________________ 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
Thank you, Katherine, for all of your work to help the Wikimedia Foundation and the Wikimedia movement grow and strengthen. I know there have been many challenging times, and you stepped into this role at a time when a new type of leadership was needed - and you provided it admirably well. You will be missed. I wish you the best in your future endeavours.
All the best,
Risker/Anne
On Thu, 4 Feb 2021 at 12:48, Katherine Maher kmaher@wikimedia.org wrote:
Hi everyone,
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation my intention to step down as CEO later this spring. April 15th will be my last day, marking my seven-year anniversary with the Foundation and the movement. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one. For now, I want to share with you why I’m moving on, and what comes next. I’ll save the customary email with deeper reflections, memories, and thanks for later this spring!
In some ways, this was the easiest hard decision I’ve ever made. It’s never exactly a good time to step away -- transitions always have some rough edges -- but it’s always best to do so when the organization is strong, and before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The movement is in a good, strong place. Our communities are growing, our readership is too. Our 20th birthday, the launch of our Universal Code of Conduct, and the movement strategy recommendations are all milestone moments of solidity and strength. I have great hopes and confidence in the upcoming plans for strategy implementation, particularly the work on the movement charter and interim global council. We are healthy and thriving.
While we will always have more work to do to become the Wikimedia that we want to be, our movement and our organization is in a phase of renewal and regeneration. We have deepened our practices of consultation, collaboration, and inclusion that will be the foundation of the next decade of our work. We have a deep and stable financial position that will help us grow and protect us from any storm, and the trust in our projects has never been higher. Our communities are poised to take on deeper responsibilities of governance, accountability, and leadership, populating a rich, representative, and leaderful movement for free knowledge.
The Foundation is also strong, and filled with passionate, values-aligned leaders at every level of the organization, deeply committed to the work of our movement and mission. Although we don’t always all perfectly agree on absolutely everything, we are working more openly and cooperatively with our movement than ever before. Collaborative strategic planning, sustainable programs to support technical communities and tooling, co-development and consultation on transformative new experiences welcoming newcomers, cooperative partnerships on public health data, bibliographic data, and human rights data -- all of these are signals of much great work to come. Even difficult topics, such as brand and movement governance, continue to bring people together in nothing less than feisty commitment.
Together, we have rich resources of brilliant people, deep passion, and compassion. We are making progress on some of our greatest challenges, from editor and readership growth, technical debt, representation and participation, safety and knowledge equity. I am proud of what we’ve done together and grateful for all the ways in which this movement has made my life immeasurably richer: friendships that will last a lifetime, intellectual curiosity and kinship, and so many memories of *so much dancing*, from Accra to Berlin to Chandigarh.
As for me, I’m going to take a break, and a research fellowship, as a place to think about what’s next. It’s hard to think about your future when you’re fully in your present, and for the past seven years, I’ve been fully present for this movement. But as I look around, I see global challenges such as polarization, inequality, and climate change, as well as opportunities for generational renewal and optimism. As a Wikimedian, I lean toward optimism, and plan to apply myself in that direction!
*What’s next*
- We announced this planned transition publicly on our communications
channels during a Foundation all-staff meeting today.
- A Board Transition Committee composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, who is
chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit Committee, Raju Narisetti, and María Sefidari as Board Chair, will launch the search for a new CEO. They’ll work closely with the executive Transition Team on organizational operations, and with the broader board on an open candidate call. The Board is working with the goal of onboarding a new CEO by Q2 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
- We’ve been working on succession planning for the CEO role since
2019 as a matter of best practice, and the organization is well-prepared for a thoughtful search for the next phase of our mission. The Board has decided to work with Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest Advisors[1] for the executive search: I’ve worked closely with Kathleen on a number of occasions, and she is a true Wikimedian at heart.
- I’ll be drawing back from day-to-day operational work to transition
interim responsibilities starting February 8th. A C-level Transition Team of Jaime Villagomez, Amanda Keton, and Robyn Arville, our two board officers and chief people leader, will take up key responsibilities and decision making around planning, community, and people, and work closely with the broader C-team and VP leadership cohort.
- I’ll spend the next three months supporting the Foundation in
readying itself for a transition. I’ll spend February preparing with this group and other organizational and community leaders on movement strategy and institutional knowledge transfer, sharing lessons learned, and supporting the organization in developing the next year’s strategic plan.
- I look forward to celebrating with you in March and April!
I'll be around for a bit, so feel free to reach out, and after that, I'll see you on the wikis!
Cheers, Katherine
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/
--
Katherine Maher (she/her)
CEO
Wikimedia Foundation https://wikimediafoundation.org/
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
Thank you Katherine, I think it is a tribute to all you have done that many people will not have even realised you had been here for 7 years and many more would not have expected you to move on so soon. The WMF is far place than was when you started to move forward in conjunction with the community.
Boodarwun
On Fri, 5 Feb 2021 at 13:50, Risker risker.wp@gmail.com wrote:
Thank you, Katherine, for all of your work to help the Wikimedia Foundation and the Wikimedia movement grow and strengthen. I know there have been many challenging times, and you stepped into this role at a time when a new type of leadership was needed - and you provided it admirably well. You will be missed. I wish you the best in your future endeavours.
All the best,
Risker/Anne
On Thu, 4 Feb 2021 at 12:48, Katherine Maher kmaher@wikimedia.org wrote:
Hi everyone,
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation my intention to step down as CEO later this spring. April 15th will be my last day, marking my seven-year anniversary with the Foundation and the movement. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one. For now, I want to share with you why I’m moving on, and what comes next. I’ll save the customary email with deeper reflections, memories, and thanks for later this spring!
In some ways, this was the easiest hard decision I’ve ever made. It’s never exactly a good time to step away -- transitions always have some rough edges -- but it’s always best to do so when the organization is strong, and before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The movement is in a good, strong place. Our communities are growing, our readership is too. Our 20th birthday, the launch of our Universal Code of Conduct, and the movement strategy recommendations are all milestone moments of solidity and strength. I have great hopes and confidence in the upcoming plans for strategy implementation, particularly the work on the movement charter and interim global council. We are healthy and thriving.
While we will always have more work to do to become the Wikimedia that we want to be, our movement and our organization is in a phase of renewal and regeneration. We have deepened our practices of consultation, collaboration, and inclusion that will be the foundation of the next decade of our work. We have a deep and stable financial position that will help us grow and protect us from any storm, and the trust in our projects has never been higher. Our communities are poised to take on deeper responsibilities of governance, accountability, and leadership, populating a rich, representative, and leaderful movement for free knowledge.
The Foundation is also strong, and filled with passionate, values-aligned leaders at every level of the organization, deeply committed to the work of our movement and mission. Although we don’t always all perfectly agree on absolutely everything, we are working more openly and cooperatively with our movement than ever before. Collaborative strategic planning, sustainable programs to support technical communities and tooling, co-development and consultation on transformative new experiences welcoming newcomers, cooperative partnerships on public health data, bibliographic data, and human rights data -- all of these are signals of much great work to come. Even difficult topics, such as brand and movement governance, continue to bring people together in nothing less than feisty commitment.
Together, we have rich resources of brilliant people, deep passion, and compassion. We are making progress on some of our greatest challenges, from editor and readership growth, technical debt, representation and participation, safety and knowledge equity. I am proud of what we’ve done together and grateful for all the ways in which this movement has made my life immeasurably richer: friendships that will last a lifetime, intellectual curiosity and kinship, and so many memories of *so much dancing*, from Accra to Berlin to Chandigarh.
As for me, I’m going to take a break, and a research fellowship, as a place to think about what’s next. It’s hard to think about your future when you’re fully in your present, and for the past seven years, I’ve been fully present for this movement. But as I look around, I see global challenges such as polarization, inequality, and climate change, as well as opportunities for generational renewal and optimism. As a Wikimedian, I lean toward optimism, and plan to apply myself in that direction!
*What’s next*
- We announced this planned transition publicly on our communications
channels during a Foundation all-staff meeting today.
- A Board Transition Committee composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, who is
chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit Committee, Raju Narisetti, and María Sefidari as Board Chair, will launch the search for a new CEO. They’ll work closely with the executive Transition Team on organizational operations, and with the broader board on an open candidate call. The Board is working with the goal of onboarding a new CEO by Q2 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
- We’ve been working on succession planning for the CEO role since
2019 as a matter of best practice, and the organization is well-prepared for a thoughtful search for the next phase of our mission. The Board has decided to work with Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest Advisors[1] for the executive search: I’ve worked closely with Kathleen on a number of occasions, and she is a true Wikimedian at heart.
- I’ll be drawing back from day-to-day operational work to transition
interim responsibilities starting February 8th. A C-level Transition Team of Jaime Villagomez, Amanda Keton, and Robyn Arville, our two board officers and chief people leader, will take up key responsibilities and decision making around planning, community, and people, and work closely with the broader C-team and VP leadership cohort.
- I’ll spend the next three months supporting the Foundation in
readying itself for a transition. I’ll spend February preparing with this group and other organizational and community leaders on movement strategy and institutional knowledge transfer, sharing lessons learned, and supporting the organization in developing the next year’s strategic plan.
- I look forward to celebrating with you in March and April!
I'll be around for a bit, so feel free to reach out, and after that, I'll see you on the wikis!
Cheers, Katherine
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/
--
Katherine Maher (she/her)
CEO
Wikimedia Foundation https://wikimediafoundation.org/
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
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
Thank you very much, Katherine, for your tremendous contribution over the years.
I can remember meeting you for the first time at Wikimedia Conference 2018 and then interviewing you at Wikimania 2019 for WikiBarta https://wikimedia.org.bd/blog/80-exclusive-interview-with-katherine-maher. Apart from your contribution to the movement, I shall always remember your amicable approach and encouraging words.
Hope to meet you again. Best wishes for your future life and advance Welcome to the new ED and CEO. :)
Kind regards, Ankan
On Thu, Feb 4, 2021 at 11:48 PM Katherine Maher kmaher@wikimedia.org wrote:
Hi everyone,
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation my intention to step down as CEO later this spring. April 15th will be my last day, marking my seven-year anniversary with the Foundation and the movement. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one. For now, I want to share with you why I’m moving on, and what comes next. I’ll save the customary email with deeper reflections, memories, and thanks for later this spring!
In some ways, this was the easiest hard decision I’ve ever made. It’s never exactly a good time to step away -- transitions always have some rough edges -- but it’s always best to do so when the organization is strong, and before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The movement is in a good, strong place. Our communities are growing, our readership is too. Our 20th birthday, the launch of our Universal Code of Conduct, and the movement strategy recommendations are all milestone moments of solidity and strength. I have great hopes and confidence in the upcoming plans for strategy implementation, particularly the work on the movement charter and interim global council. We are healthy and thriving.
While we will always have more work to do to become the Wikimedia that we want to be, our movement and our organization is in a phase of renewal and regeneration. We have deepened our practices of consultation, collaboration, and inclusion that will be the foundation of the next decade of our work. We have a deep and stable financial position that will help us grow and protect us from any storm, and the trust in our projects has never been higher. Our communities are poised to take on deeper responsibilities of governance, accountability, and leadership, populating a rich, representative, and leaderful movement for free knowledge.
The Foundation is also strong, and filled with passionate, values-aligned leaders at every level of the organization, deeply committed to the work of our movement and mission. Although we don’t always all perfectly agree on absolutely everything, we are working more openly and cooperatively with our movement than ever before. Collaborative strategic planning, sustainable programs to support technical communities and tooling, co-development and consultation on transformative new experiences welcoming newcomers, cooperative partnerships on public health data, bibliographic data, and human rights data -- all of these are signals of much great work to come. Even difficult topics, such as brand and movement governance, continue to bring people together in nothing less than feisty commitment.
Together, we have rich resources of brilliant people, deep passion, and compassion. We are making progress on some of our greatest challenges, from editor and readership growth, technical debt, representation and participation, safety and knowledge equity. I am proud of what we’ve done together and grateful for all the ways in which this movement has made my life immeasurably richer: friendships that will last a lifetime, intellectual curiosity and kinship, and so many memories of *so much dancing*, from Accra to Berlin to Chandigarh.
As for me, I’m going to take a break, and a research fellowship, as a place to think about what’s next. It’s hard to think about your future when you’re fully in your present, and for the past seven years, I’ve been fully present for this movement. But as I look around, I see global challenges such as polarization, inequality, and climate change, as well as opportunities for generational renewal and optimism. As a Wikimedian, I lean toward optimism, and plan to apply myself in that direction!
*What’s next*
- We announced this planned transition publicly on our communications
channels during a Foundation all-staff meeting today.
- A Board Transition Committee composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, who is
chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit Committee, Raju Narisetti, and María Sefidari as Board Chair, will launch the search for a new CEO. They’ll work closely with the executive Transition Team on organizational operations, and with the broader board on an open candidate call. The Board is working with the goal of onboarding a new CEO by Q2 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
- We’ve been working on succession planning for the CEO role since
2019 as a matter of best practice, and the organization is well-prepared for a thoughtful search for the next phase of our mission. The Board has decided to work with Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest Advisors[1] for the executive search: I’ve worked closely with Kathleen on a number of occasions, and she is a true Wikimedian at heart.
- I’ll be drawing back from day-to-day operational work to transition
interim responsibilities starting February 8th. A C-level Transition Team of Jaime Villagomez, Amanda Keton, and Robyn Arville, our two board officers and chief people leader, will take up key responsibilities and decision making around planning, community, and people, and work closely with the broader C-team and VP leadership cohort.
- I’ll spend the next three months supporting the Foundation in
readying itself for a transition. I’ll spend February preparing with this group and other organizational and community leaders on movement strategy and institutional knowledge transfer, sharing lessons learned, and supporting the organization in developing the next year’s strategic plan.
- I look forward to celebrating with you in March and April!
I'll be around for a bit, so feel free to reach out, and after that, I'll see you on the wikis!
Cheers, Katherine
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/
--
Katherine Maher (she/her)
CEO
Wikimedia Foundation https://wikimediafoundation.org/
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
Dear Katherine,
It's actually sad to see people that we've grown to love who have also contributed so much in the movement go. It was great working with you, having those interactions and conversations with you in different parts of the world, seeing your growth and maturity as well was interesting.
Congratulations on your achievements and wish you success in your future endeavours.
Kind regards, Bobby Shabangu
On Thu, 4 Feb 2021 at 19:48, Katherine Maher kmaher@wikimedia.org wrote:
Hi everyone,
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation my intention to step down as CEO later this spring. April 15th will be my last day, marking my seven-year anniversary with the Foundation and the movement. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one. For now, I want to share with you why I’m moving on, and what comes next. I’ll save the customary email with deeper reflections, memories, and thanks for later this spring!
In some ways, this was the easiest hard decision I’ve ever made. It’s never exactly a good time to step away -- transitions always have some rough edges -- but it’s always best to do so when the organization is strong, and before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The movement is in a good, strong place. Our communities are growing, our readership is too. Our 20th birthday, the launch of our Universal Code of Conduct, and the movement strategy recommendations are all milestone moments of solidity and strength. I have great hopes and confidence in the upcoming plans for strategy implementation, particularly the work on the movement charter and interim global council. We are healthy and thriving.
While we will always have more work to do to become the Wikimedia that we want to be, our movement and our organization is in a phase of renewal and regeneration. We have deepened our practices of consultation, collaboration, and inclusion that will be the foundation of the next decade of our work. We have a deep and stable financial position that will help us grow and protect us from any storm, and the trust in our projects has never been higher. Our communities are poised to take on deeper responsibilities of governance, accountability, and leadership, populating a rich, representative, and leaderful movement for free knowledge.
The Foundation is also strong, and filled with passionate, values-aligned leaders at every level of the organization, deeply committed to the work of our movement and mission. Although we don’t always all perfectly agree on absolutely everything, we are working more openly and cooperatively with our movement than ever before. Collaborative strategic planning, sustainable programs to support technical communities and tooling, co-development and consultation on transformative new experiences welcoming newcomers, cooperative partnerships on public health data, bibliographic data, and human rights data -- all of these are signals of much great work to come. Even difficult topics, such as brand and movement governance, continue to bring people together in nothing less than feisty commitment.
Together, we have rich resources of brilliant people, deep passion, and compassion. We are making progress on some of our greatest challenges, from editor and readership growth, technical debt, representation and participation, safety and knowledge equity. I am proud of what we’ve done together and grateful for all the ways in which this movement has made my life immeasurably richer: friendships that will last a lifetime, intellectual curiosity and kinship, and so many memories of *so much dancing*, from Accra to Berlin to Chandigarh.
As for me, I’m going to take a break, and a research fellowship, as a place to think about what’s next. It’s hard to think about your future when you’re fully in your present, and for the past seven years, I’ve been fully present for this movement. But as I look around, I see global challenges such as polarization, inequality, and climate change, as well as opportunities for generational renewal and optimism. As a Wikimedian, I lean toward optimism, and plan to apply myself in that direction!
*What’s next*
- We announced this planned transition publicly on our communications
channels during a Foundation all-staff meeting today.
- A Board Transition Committee composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, who is
chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit Committee, Raju Narisetti, and María Sefidari as Board Chair, will launch the search for a new CEO. They’ll work closely with the executive Transition Team on organizational operations, and with the broader board on an open candidate call. The Board is working with the goal of onboarding a new CEO by Q2 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
- We’ve been working on succession planning for the CEO role since
2019 as a matter of best practice, and the organization is well-prepared for a thoughtful search for the next phase of our mission. The Board has decided to work with Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest Advisors[1] for the executive search: I’ve worked closely with Kathleen on a number of occasions, and she is a true Wikimedian at heart.
- I’ll be drawing back from day-to-day operational work to transition
interim responsibilities starting February 8th. A C-level Transition Team of Jaime Villagomez, Amanda Keton, and Robyn Arville, our two board officers and chief people leader, will take up key responsibilities and decision making around planning, community, and people, and work closely with the broader C-team and VP leadership cohort.
- I’ll spend the next three months supporting the Foundation in
readying itself for a transition. I’ll spend February preparing with this group and other organizational and community leaders on movement strategy and institutional knowledge transfer, sharing lessons learned, and supporting the organization in developing the next year’s strategic plan.
- I look forward to celebrating with you in March and April!
I'll be around for a bit, so feel free to reach out, and after that, I'll see you on the wikis!
Cheers, Katherine
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/
--
Katherine Maher (she/her)
CEO
Wikimedia Foundation https://wikimediafoundation.org/
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
Dear Katherine,
I never saw this coming!
You have done so well as the CEO of Foundation and I believe you will continue to be an ambassador of the movement, wherever you go.
You are such a special person and we all shall miss you!!!
Stay blessed.
On Thu, Feb 4, 2021, 6:48 PM Katherine Maher kmaher@wikimedia.org wrote:
Hi everyone,
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation my intention to step down as CEO later this spring. April 15th will be my last day, marking my seven-year anniversary with the Foundation and the movement. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one. For now, I want to share with you why I’m moving on, and what comes next. I’ll save the customary email with deeper reflections, memories, and thanks for later this spring!
In some ways, this was the easiest hard decision I’ve ever made. It’s never exactly a good time to step away -- transitions always have some rough edges -- but it’s always best to do so when the organization is strong, and before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The movement is in a good, strong place. Our communities are growing, our readership is too. Our 20th birthday, the launch of our Universal Code of Conduct, and the movement strategy recommendations are all milestone moments of solidity and strength. I have great hopes and confidence in the upcoming plans for strategy implementation, particularly the work on the movement charter and interim global council. We are healthy and thriving.
While we will always have more work to do to become the Wikimedia that we want to be, our movement and our organization is in a phase of renewal and regeneration. We have deepened our practices of consultation, collaboration, and inclusion that will be the foundation of the next decade of our work. We have a deep and stable financial position that will help us grow and protect us from any storm, and the trust in our projects has never been higher. Our communities are poised to take on deeper responsibilities of governance, accountability, and leadership, populating a rich, representative, and leaderful movement for free knowledge.
The Foundation is also strong, and filled with passionate, values-aligned leaders at every level of the organization, deeply committed to the work of our movement and mission. Although we don’t always all perfectly agree on absolutely everything, we are working more openly and cooperatively with our movement than ever before. Collaborative strategic planning, sustainable programs to support technical communities and tooling, co-development and consultation on transformative new experiences welcoming newcomers, cooperative partnerships on public health data, bibliographic data, and human rights data -- all of these are signals of much great work to come. Even difficult topics, such as brand and movement governance, continue to bring people together in nothing less than feisty commitment.
Together, we have rich resources of brilliant people, deep passion, and compassion. We are making progress on some of our greatest challenges, from editor and readership growth, technical debt, representation and participation, safety and knowledge equity. I am proud of what we’ve done together and grateful for all the ways in which this movement has made my life immeasurably richer: friendships that will last a lifetime, intellectual curiosity and kinship, and so many memories of *so much dancing*, from Accra to Berlin to Chandigarh.
As for me, I’m going to take a break, and a research fellowship, as a place to think about what’s next. It’s hard to think about your future when you’re fully in your present, and for the past seven years, I’ve been fully present for this movement. But as I look around, I see global challenges such as polarization, inequality, and climate change, as well as opportunities for generational renewal and optimism. As a Wikimedian, I lean toward optimism, and plan to apply myself in that direction!
*What’s next*
- We announced this planned transition publicly on our communications
channels during a Foundation all-staff meeting today.
- A Board Transition Committee composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, who is
chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit Committee, Raju Narisetti, and María Sefidari as Board Chair, will launch the search for a new CEO. They’ll work closely with the executive Transition Team on organizational operations, and with the broader board on an open candidate call. The Board is working with the goal of onboarding a new CEO by Q2 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
- We’ve been working on succession planning for the CEO role since
2019 as a matter of best practice, and the organization is well-prepared for a thoughtful search for the next phase of our mission. The Board has decided to work with Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest Advisors[1] for the executive search: I’ve worked closely with Kathleen on a number of occasions, and she is a true Wikimedian at heart.
- I’ll be drawing back from day-to-day operational work to transition
interim responsibilities starting February 8th. A C-level Transition Team of Jaime Villagomez, Amanda Keton, and Robyn Arville, our two board officers and chief people leader, will take up key responsibilities and decision making around planning, community, and people, and work closely with the broader C-team and VP leadership cohort.
- I’ll spend the next three months supporting the Foundation in
readying itself for a transition. I’ll spend February preparing with this group and other organizational and community leaders on movement strategy and institutional knowledge transfer, sharing lessons learned, and supporting the organization in developing the next year’s strategic plan.
- I look forward to celebrating with you in March and April!
I'll be around for a bit, so feel free to reach out, and after that, I'll see you on the wikis!
Cheers, Katherine
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/
--
Katherine Maher (she/her)
CEO
Wikimedia Foundation https://wikimediafoundation.org/
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
Dear Katherine,
Thank you for your engagement and support to our movement, to which you have brought so much. We will miss you but we hope you will stay connected in some way or another.
Particularly, I want to thank you for your commitment to diversity and inclusion, and for being one of those leaders that one can easily reach out to.
I join the others in wishing you all the best for the future in your personal and professional endeavours.
Warm regards,
Natacha Rault Envoyé de mon iPhone
Le 5 févr. 2021 à 11:47, Olushola Olaniyan olaniyanshola15@gmail.com a écrit :
Dear Katherine,
I never saw this coming!
You have done so well as the CEO of Foundation and I believe you will continue to be an ambassador of the movement, wherever you go.
You are such a special person and we all shall miss you!!!
Stay blessed.
On Thu, Feb 4, 2021, 6:48 PM Katherine Maher kmaher@wikimedia.org wrote: Hi everyone,
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation my intention to step down as CEO later this spring. April 15th will be my last day, marking my seven-year anniversary with the Foundation and the movement. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one. For now, I want to share with you why I’m moving on, and what comes next. I’ll save the customary email with deeper reflections, memories, and thanks for later this spring!
In some ways, this was the easiest hard decision I’ve ever made. It’s never exactly a good time to step away -- transitions always have some rough edges -- but it’s always best to do so when the organization is strong, and before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The movement is in a good, strong place. Our communities are growing, our readership is too. Our 20th birthday, the launch of our Universal Code of Conduct, and the movement strategy recommendations are all milestone moments of solidity and strength. I have great hopes and confidence in the upcoming plans for strategy implementation, particularly the work on the movement charter and interim global council. We are healthy and thriving.
While we will always have more work to do to become the Wikimedia that we want to be, our movement and our organization is in a phase of renewal and regeneration. We have deepened our practices of consultation, collaboration, and inclusion that will be the foundation of the next decade of our work. We have a deep and stable financial position that will help us grow and protect us from any storm, and the trust in our projects has never been higher. Our communities are poised to take on deeper responsibilities of governance, accountability, and leadership, populating a rich, representative, and leaderful movement for free knowledge.
The Foundation is also strong, and filled with passionate, values-aligned leaders at every level of the organization, deeply committed to the work of our movement and mission. Although we don’t always all perfectly agree on absolutely everything, we are working more openly and cooperatively with our movement than ever before. Collaborative strategic planning, sustainable programs to support technical communities and tooling, co-development and consultation on transformative new experiences welcoming newcomers, cooperative partnerships on public health data, bibliographic data, and human rights data -- all of these are signals of much great work to come. Even difficult topics, such as brand and movement governance, continue to bring people together in nothing less than feisty commitment.
Together, we have rich resources of brilliant people, deep passion, and compassion. We are making progress on some of our greatest challenges, from editor and readership growth, technical debt, representation and participation, safety and knowledge equity. I am proud of what we’ve done together and grateful for all the ways in which this movement has made my life immeasurably richer: friendships that will last a lifetime, intellectual curiosity and kinship, and so many memories of so much dancing, from Accra to Berlin to Chandigarh.
As for me, I’m going to take a break, and a research fellowship, as a place to think about what’s next. It’s hard to think about your future when you’re fully in your present, and for the past seven years, I’ve been fully present for this movement. But as I look around, I see global challenges such as polarization, inequality, and climate change, as well as opportunities for generational renewal and optimism. As a Wikimedian, I lean toward optimism, and plan to apply myself in that direction!
What’s next We announced this planned transition publicly on our communications channels during a Foundation all-staff meeting today. A Board Transition Committee composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, who is chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit Committee, Raju Narisetti, and María Sefidari as Board Chair, will launch the search for a new CEO. They’ll work closely with the executive Transition Team on organizational operations, and with the broader board on an open candidate call. The Board is working with the goal of onboarding a new CEO by Q2 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year. We’ve been working on succession planning for the CEO role since 2019 as a matter of best practice, and the organization is well-prepared for a thoughtful search for the next phase of our mission. The Board has decided to work with Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest Advisors[1] for the executive search: I’ve worked closely with Kathleen on a number of occasions, and she is a true Wikimedian at heart. I’ll be drawing back from day-to-day operational work to transition interim responsibilities starting February 8th. A C-level Transition Team of Jaime Villagomez, Amanda Keton, and Robyn Arville, our two board officers and chief people leader, will take up key responsibilities and decision making around planning, community, and people, and work closely with the broader C-team and VP leadership cohort. I’ll spend the next three months supporting the Foundation in readying itself for a transition. I’ll spend February preparing with this group and other organizational and community leaders on movement strategy and institutional knowledge transfer, sharing lessons learned, and supporting the organization in developing the next year’s strategic plan. I look forward to celebrating with you in March and April! I'll be around for a bit, so feel free to reach out, and after that, I'll see you on the wikis!
Cheers, Katherine
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/
--
Katherine Maher (she/her) CEO Wikimedia Foundation
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
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
Thank you for all your work Katherine! You will be missed.
Strainu
În joi, 4 feb. 2021 la 19:48, Katherine Maher kmaher@wikimedia.org a scris:
Hi everyone,
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation my intention to step down as CEO later this spring. April 15th will be my last day, marking my seven-year anniversary with the Foundation and the movement. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one. For now, I want to share with you why I’m moving on, and what comes next. I’ll save the customary email with deeper reflections, memories, and thanks for later this spring!
In some ways, this was the easiest hard decision I’ve ever made. It’s never exactly a good time to step away -- transitions always have some rough edges -- but it’s always best to do so when the organization is strong, and before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The movement is in a good, strong place. Our communities are growing, our readership is too. Our 20th birthday, the launch of our Universal Code of Conduct, and the movement strategy recommendations are all milestone moments of solidity and strength. I have great hopes and confidence in the upcoming plans for strategy implementation, particularly the work on the movement charter and interim global council. We are healthy and thriving.
While we will always have more work to do to become the Wikimedia that we want to be, our movement and our organization is in a phase of renewal and regeneration. We have deepened our practices of consultation, collaboration, and inclusion that will be the foundation of the next decade of our work. We have a deep and stable financial position that will help us grow and protect us from any storm, and the trust in our projects has never been higher. Our communities are poised to take on deeper responsibilities of governance, accountability, and leadership, populating a rich, representative, and leaderful movement for free knowledge.
The Foundation is also strong, and filled with passionate, values-aligned leaders at every level of the organization, deeply committed to the work of our movement and mission. Although we don’t always all perfectly agree on absolutely everything, we are working more openly and cooperatively with our movement than ever before. Collaborative strategic planning, sustainable programs to support technical communities and tooling, co-development and consultation on transformative new experiences welcoming newcomers, cooperative partnerships on public health data, bibliographic data, and human rights data -- all of these are signals of much great work to come. Even difficult topics, such as brand and movement governance, continue to bring people together in nothing less than feisty commitment.
Together, we have rich resources of brilliant people, deep passion, and compassion. We are making progress on some of our greatest challenges, from editor and readership growth, technical debt, representation and participation, safety and knowledge equity. I am proud of what we’ve done together and grateful for all the ways in which this movement has made my life immeasurably richer: friendships that will last a lifetime, intellectual curiosity and kinship, and so many memories of *so much dancing*, from Accra to Berlin to Chandigarh.
As for me, I’m going to take a break, and a research fellowship, as a place to think about what’s next. It’s hard to think about your future when you’re fully in your present, and for the past seven years, I’ve been fully present for this movement. But as I look around, I see global challenges such as polarization, inequality, and climate change, as well as opportunities for generational renewal and optimism. As a Wikimedian, I lean toward optimism, and plan to apply myself in that direction!
*What’s next*
- We announced this planned transition publicly on our communications
channels during a Foundation all-staff meeting today.
- A Board Transition Committee composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, who is
chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit Committee, Raju Narisetti, and María Sefidari as Board Chair, will launch the search for a new CEO. They’ll work closely with the executive Transition Team on organizational operations, and with the broader board on an open candidate call. The Board is working with the goal of onboarding a new CEO by Q2 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
- We’ve been working on succession planning for the CEO role since
2019 as a matter of best practice, and the organization is well-prepared for a thoughtful search for the next phase of our mission. The Board has decided to work with Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest Advisors[1] for the executive search: I’ve worked closely with Kathleen on a number of occasions, and she is a true Wikimedian at heart.
- I’ll be drawing back from day-to-day operational work to transition
interim responsibilities starting February 8th. A C-level Transition Team of Jaime Villagomez, Amanda Keton, and Robyn Arville, our two board officers and chief people leader, will take up key responsibilities and decision making around planning, community, and people, and work closely with the broader C-team and VP leadership cohort.
- I’ll spend the next three months supporting the Foundation in
readying itself for a transition. I’ll spend February preparing with this group and other organizational and community leaders on movement strategy and institutional knowledge transfer, sharing lessons learned, and supporting the organization in developing the next year’s strategic plan.
- I look forward to celebrating with you in March and April!
I'll be around for a bit, so feel free to reach out, and after that, I'll see you on the wikis!
Cheers, Katherine
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/
--
Katherine Maher (she/her)
CEO
Wikimedia Foundation https://wikimediafoundation.org/
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
Tl;dr
This must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
Thank you for everything!
Now the longer version...
That was quite a run! A lot of your accomplishments have been shared here but one is missing. One that is capturing how brilliant you are, how facetiously crazy you are and, well, how very wikimedian to the core you are.
The Selfie Monkey communication campaign.
That was quite a run, I am proud I got to work closely with you when I was chair and vice-chair. It was a blessing to be able to work with someone bold, smart and had a great vision of what Wikimedia should be.
But the real feat is that you turned a vision into reality.
Under your leadership we scaled up. Not only in resources but in openness, inclusiveness and ambition. Let's not forget you also took head on the challenge of healing the Foundation after a crisis and rebuilding trust and dialogue with the entire movement. This thread is proof you succeeded :)
Things are never perfect and there is still so much to fix and to do. But also so much less than five years ago thanks to you.
We have had global, open and inclusive conversations about who we are. Our footprint has globally improved. But more than our footprints, you have made room for leaders outside of the US and Europe to emerge.
We have a Universal Code of Conduct! If it was only for that your track record would be amazing.
Those are deep changes. And there are so many more, I let others contribute and list them!
And there are those things that are discreet but instrumental (yay API project, Abstract etc.) that you and the teams you lead turned from ideas to actual projects. Not forgetting your strong commitment to Wikidata from day one. All will be structural to the future of open knowledge.
Your legacy speaks louder for you than any word I could write.
But enough with praising the professional you. You are an amazing professional but you also are a stellar human being.
You are a very approachable and relatable leader. You care and that changed everything.
Plus, you were a great companion to play "who leaves the party last", "how close to boarding time can I arrive at the airport and not miss my flight", "can you open a bottle of wine with a shoe in Buenos Aires without spilling any" and "Wikimedian terrible singers 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019".
I hope our paths will cross again, and preferably before the restaurant at the end of the universe.
Farewell and keep changing the world.
Le jeu. 4 févr. 2021 à 6:48 PM, Katherine Maher kmaher@wikimedia.org a écrit :
Hi everyone,
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation my intention to step down as CEO later this spring. April 15th will be my last day, marking my seven-year anniversary with the Foundation and the movement. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one. For now, I want to share with you why I’m moving on, and what comes next. I’ll save the customary email with deeper reflections, memories, and thanks for later this spring!
In some ways, this was the easiest hard decision I’ve ever made. It’s never exactly a good time to step away -- transitions always have some rough edges -- but it’s always best to do so when the organization is strong, and before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The movement is in a good, strong place. Our communities are growing, our readership is too. Our 20th birthday, the launch of our Universal Code of Conduct, and the movement strategy recommendations are all milestone moments of solidity and strength. I have great hopes and confidence in the upcoming plans for strategy implementation, particularly the work on the movement charter and interim global council. We are healthy and thriving.
While we will always have more work to do to become the Wikimedia that we want to be, our movement and our organization is in a phase of renewal and regeneration. We have deepened our practices of consultation, collaboration, and inclusion that will be the foundation of the next decade of our work. We have a deep and stable financial position that will help us grow and protect us from any storm, and the trust in our projects has never been higher. Our communities are poised to take on deeper responsibilities of governance, accountability, and leadership, populating a rich, representative, and leaderful movement for free knowledge.
The Foundation is also strong, and filled with passionate, values-aligned leaders at every level of the organization, deeply committed to the work of our movement and mission. Although we don’t always all perfectly agree on absolutely everything, we are working more openly and cooperatively with our movement than ever before. Collaborative strategic planning, sustainable programs to support technical communities and tooling, co-development and consultation on transformative new experiences welcoming newcomers, cooperative partnerships on public health data, bibliographic data, and human rights data -- all of these are signals of much great work to come. Even difficult topics, such as brand and movement governance, continue to bring people together in nothing less than feisty commitment.
Together, we have rich resources of brilliant people, deep passion, and compassion. We are making progress on some of our greatest challenges, from editor and readership growth, technical debt, representation and participation, safety and knowledge equity. I am proud of what we’ve done together and grateful for all the ways in which this movement has made my life immeasurably richer: friendships that will last a lifetime, intellectual curiosity and kinship, and so many memories of *so much dancing*, from Accra to Berlin to Chandigarh.
As for me, I’m going to take a break, and a research fellowship, as a place to think about what’s next. It’s hard to think about your future when you’re fully in your present, and for the past seven years, I’ve been fully present for this movement. But as I look around, I see global challenges such as polarization, inequality, and climate change, as well as opportunities for generational renewal and optimism. As a Wikimedian, I lean toward optimism, and plan to apply myself in that direction!
*What’s next*
- We announced this planned transition publicly on our communications
channels during a Foundation all-staff meeting today.
- A Board Transition Committee composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, who is
chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit Committee, Raju Narisetti, and María Sefidari as Board Chair, will launch the search for a new CEO. They’ll work closely with the executive Transition Team on organizational operations, and with the broader board on an open candidate call. The Board is working with the goal of onboarding a new CEO by Q2 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
- We’ve been working on succession planning for the CEO role since
2019 as a matter of best practice, and the organization is well-prepared for a thoughtful search for the next phase of our mission. The Board has decided to work with Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest Advisors[1] for the executive search: I’ve worked closely with Kathleen on a number of occasions, and she is a true Wikimedian at heart.
- I’ll be drawing back from day-to-day operational work to transition
interim responsibilities starting February 8th. A C-level Transition Team of Jaime Villagomez, Amanda Keton, and Robyn Arville, our two board officers and chief people leader, will take up key responsibilities and decision making around planning, community, and people, and work closely with the broader C-team and VP leadership cohort.
- I’ll spend the next three months supporting the Foundation in
readying itself for a transition. I’ll spend February preparing with this group and other organizational and community leaders on movement strategy and institutional knowledge transfer, sharing lessons learned, and supporting the organization in developing the next year’s strategic plan.
- I look forward to celebrating with you in March and April!
I'll be around for a bit, so feel free to reach out, and after that, I'll see you on the wikis!
Cheers, Katherine
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/
--
Katherine Maher (she/her)
CEO
Wikimedia Foundation https://wikimediafoundation.org/
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
wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org