Dear all,
I am sad to let you know that Luis Villa, our lead for the Community Engagement department, will be leaving the Wikimedia Foundation. A year ago, Luis took on a big challenge, transitioning from the Legal Department to lead the newly created Community Engagement organization. In that role, Luis and our teams were tasked with many recent community initiatives, such as the creation of the Community Tech team, gender-related and anti-harassment programs, and improved alignment of WMF annual planning with the Funds Dissemination Committee. Prior to that, as Deputy General Counsel he was responsible for a number of legal initiatives, including licensing, contracts, and product counseling. I’m grateful for his counsel, and his leadership in the WMF movement throughout these years.
Later this month, Luis will transition out of his current position with the Wikimedia Foundation to pursue other opportunities. He will remain in a consulting role with the Foundation over the next few months, continuing to support our ongoing strategy and annual planning processes.
I want to thank Luis for his commitment to the WMF mission, and for the inspired energy and contributions he has brought to our movement. I’m looking forward to his future accomplishments and staying in close touch as he grows in his career.
Maggie Dennis will step in as the interim director for the CE team effective immediately. Her deep community background, passion for our mission, and outstanding teamwork are great assets in this transition. She will also continue to serve as Director of Support and Safety. Maggie is a respected leader, colleague, and community member. I am confident she will bring critical insights, especially now as we plan for our next year.
The work of of the CE department will continue as planned, and the overall structure of the department (including the Community Tech team, which will continue to report into the Product organization) will stay on-course. Our goal is to ensure a smooth transition as we continue our progress to improve the WMF support for our communities.
It is my priority that the WMF continues to build upon the initiatives we started in 2015 in support for the global Wikimedia community. Continued leadership of the Community Engagement department at executive level in the WMF is a part of delivering on those commitments. We will be looking to fill the Community Engagement leadership role with someone with a strong background in community programs, and an understanding of the Wikimedia movement. We will also look to engage with you to find the right person for this role. We will send an update on the next steps and the job description shortly, which will include a further discussion of the role on-wiki.
Lila
Losing Luis will be a substantial loss to the WMF. I sat across the wall from him for a couple of years and watched him grow and adapt to the WMF; his legal insight was welcome and targetted. When he transitioned to CE, he ably created that team and shaped it. His loss will be a real hit.
However, with that said.... YAY MAGGIE! I've watched her grow for several years since I hired her as our first community liaison, and you could not have come up with a better choice for an interim head of department. She always had my confidence and respect, and I have often thought her one of the great under-utillized assets of the WMF. Exceptional choice.
Best, pb
On Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 12:16 PM, Lila Tretikov lila@wikimedia.org wrote:
Dear all,
I am sad to let you know that Luis Villa, our lead for the Community Engagement department, will be leaving the Wikimedia Foundation. A year ago, Luis took on a big challenge, transitioning from the Legal Department to lead the newly created Community Engagement organization. In that role, Luis and our teams were tasked with many recent community initiatives, such as the creation of the Community Tech team, gender-related and anti-harassment programs, and improved alignment of WMF annual planning with the Funds Dissemination Committee. Prior to that, as Deputy General Counsel he was responsible for a number of legal initiatives, including licensing, contracts, and product counseling. I’m grateful for his counsel, and his leadership in the WMF movement throughout these years.
Later this month, Luis will transition out of his current position with the Wikimedia Foundation to pursue other opportunities. He will remain in a consulting role with the Foundation over the next few months, continuing to support our ongoing strategy and annual planning processes.
I want to thank Luis for his commitment to the WMF mission, and for the inspired energy and contributions he has brought to our movement. I’m looking forward to his future accomplishments and staying in close touch as he grows in his career.
Maggie Dennis will step in as the interim director for the CE team effective immediately. Her deep community background, passion for our mission, and outstanding teamwork are great assets in this transition. She will also continue to serve as Director of Support and Safety. Maggie is a respected leader, colleague, and community member. I am confident she will bring critical insights, especially now as we plan for our next year.
The work of of the CE department will continue as planned, and the overall structure of the department (including the Community Tech team, which will continue to report into the Product organization) will stay on-course. Our goal is to ensure a smooth transition as we continue our progress to improve the WMF support for our communities.
It is my priority that the WMF continues to build upon the initiatives we started in 2015 in support for the global Wikimedia community. Continued leadership of the Community Engagement department at executive level in the WMF is a part of delivering on those commitments. We will be looking to fill the Community Engagement leadership role with someone with a strong background in community programs, and an understanding of the Wikimedia movement. We will also look to engage with you to find the right person for this role. We will send an update on the next steps and the job description shortly, which will include a further discussion of the role on-wiki.
Lila _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines 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 Luis. :) All the best Maggie/Moonriddengirl. :)
On 9 February 2016 at 01:46, Lila Tretikov lila@wikimedia.org wrote:
Dear all,
I am sad to let you know that Luis Villa, our lead for the Community Engagement department, will be leaving the Wikimedia Foundation. A year ago, Luis took on a big challenge, transitioning from the Legal Department to lead the newly created Community Engagement organization. In that role, Luis and our teams were tasked with many recent community initiatives, such as the creation of the Community Tech team, gender-related and anti-harassment programs, and improved alignment of WMF annual planning with the Funds Dissemination Committee. Prior to that, as Deputy General Counsel he was responsible for a number of legal initiatives, including licensing, contracts, and product counseling. I’m grateful for his counsel, and his leadership in the WMF movement throughout these years.
Later this month, Luis will transition out of his current position with the Wikimedia Foundation to pursue other opportunities. He will remain in a consulting role with the Foundation over the next few months, continuing to support our ongoing strategy and annual planning processes.
I want to thank Luis for his commitment to the WMF mission, and for the inspired energy and contributions he has brought to our movement. I’m looking forward to his future accomplishments and staying in close touch as he grows in his career.
Maggie Dennis will step in as the interim director for the CE team effective immediately. Her deep community background, passion for our mission, and outstanding teamwork are great assets in this transition. She will also continue to serve as Director of Support and Safety. Maggie is a respected leader, colleague, and community member. I am confident she will bring critical insights, especially now as we plan for our next year.
The work of of the CE department will continue as planned, and the overall structure of the department (including the Community Tech team, which will continue to report into the Product organization) will stay on-course. Our goal is to ensure a smooth transition as we continue our progress to improve the WMF support for our communities.
It is my priority that the WMF continues to build upon the initiatives we started in 2015 in support for the global Wikimedia community. Continued leadership of the Community Engagement department at executive level in the WMF is a part of delivering on those commitments. We will be looking to fill the Community Engagement leadership role with someone with a strong background in community programs, and an understanding of the Wikimedia movement. We will also look to engage with you to find the right person for this role. We will send an update on the next steps and the job description shortly, which will include a further discussion of the role on-wiki.
Lila _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines 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, all- This is a bittersweet email to send. I still, and will always, love this place and this movement, but it was also time for me to go.
Working with so many awesome Wikimedians (including WMF's staff) has been an honor and a privilege, and has given me many great experiences, memories, and a long watchlist ;) that I'll treasure for a long time. The list of people who I'd like to thank is long, so I won't bore everyone with it. However, I do want to particularly thank Kat, who introduced me to Geoff during his first week with WMF. That was ultimately the opportunity that led me to this incredible ride - so I quite literally owe it all to her. Many, many other people have been welcoming and friendly along the way, and I can't ask formore than that.
I'm not going too far! I'll continue to be around the movement, both as a contributor, and to support Maggie and the rest of the department during the transition. I look forward to seeing where Community Engagement goes next - I believe the department will continue to support contributors in a healthy way, and I'm sure Maggie and my long-term successor will continue to build exciting things on the foundation we laid over the past year.
Professionally, I have no firm plans yet. I plan to to take a few deep breaths and then explore some new opportunities in the legal, community, and tech spaces, as well as becoming a parent in May.
If you want to be in touch (to talk about interesting opportunities, flame me for old time's sake, or just chat) I'm pretty easy to find: lu.is, @tieguy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and of course on my enwiki talk page.
See you on the wikis- Luis
On Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 12:16 PM, Lila Tretikov lila@wikimedia.org wrote:
Dear all,
I am sad to let you know that Luis Villa, our lead for the Community Engagement department, will be leaving the Wikimedia Foundation. A year ago, Luis took on a big challenge, transitioning from the Legal Department to lead the newly created Community Engagement organization. In that role, Luis and our teams were tasked with many recent community initiatives, such as the creation of the Community Tech team, gender-related and anti-harassment programs, and improved alignment of WMF annual planning with the Funds Dissemination Committee. Prior to that, as Deputy General Counsel he was responsible for a number of legal initiatives, including licensing, contracts, and product counseling. I’m grateful for his counsel, and his leadership in the WMF movement throughout these years.
Later this month, Luis will transition out of his current position with the Wikimedia Foundation to pursue other opportunities. He will remain in a consulting role with the Foundation over the next few months, continuing to support our ongoing strategy and annual planning processes.
I want to thank Luis for his commitment to the WMF mission, and for the inspired energy and contributions he has brought to our movement. I’m looking forward to his future accomplishments and staying in close touch as he grows in his career.
Maggie Dennis will step in as the interim director for the CE team effective immediately. Her deep community background, passion for our mission, and outstanding teamwork are great assets in this transition. She will also continue to serve as Director of Support and Safety. Maggie is a respected leader, colleague, and community member. I am confident she will bring critical insights, especially now as we plan for our next year.
The work of of the CE department will continue as planned, and the overall structure of the department (including the Community Tech team, which will continue to report into the Product organization) will stay on-course. Our goal is to ensure a smooth transition as we continue our progress to improve the WMF support for our communities.
It is my priority that the WMF continues to build upon the initiatives we started in 2015 in support for the global Wikimedia community. Continued leadership of the Community Engagement department at executive level in the WMF is a part of delivering on those commitments. We will be looking to fill the Community Engagement leadership role with someone with a strong background in community programs, and an understanding of the Wikimedia movement. We will also look to engage with you to find the right person for this role. We will send an update on the next steps and the job description shortly, which will include a further discussion of the role on-wiki.
Lila _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines 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
I’m honored to work in this new way with the other directors in Community Engagement through the next few months as we look for the ideal lead for the department. While I will serve the role in the interim with their critical support, I will also be continuing as Director of Support and Safety.
It will be a busy period, and I’m grateful that Luis will be available to advise me as I settle in. Luis and I have worked together in some capacity for a long time - since he first came on at the Wikimedia Foundation as Deputy General Counsel at the Wikimedia Foundation in 2013. I was immediately impressed by his understanding of and enthusiasm for the open culture movement. I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to work closely with him in the last few months and am very happy to have the opportunity to continue consulting him during this transition. He will be missed.
Community Engagement will be holding an office hour on February 12 at 1900 UTC to talk about the department, its teams, and our current divisions of work, as well as what we will (and should) be looking for in our new lead for Community Engagement. We want to move on this job search quickly, but it’s critical that we find the right person for the role. :) I realize that office hours are not the best form of communication for everyone; based on the office hour and other questions or feedback we may receive, we will also be putting together some information for posting on Meta with the goal of getting that up later next week or early the week thereafter. If you have suggestions for what that page should include, or questions, please let me know!
I am, as mentioned, likely to be pretty busy for a little while, but keeping people informed is a high priority. :)
Best,
Maggie
[1] For more on office hours and localized times: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?hour=19&min=00&...
On Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 3:31 PM, Luis Villa lvilla@wikimedia.org wrote:
Hi, all- This is a bittersweet email to send. I still, and will always, love this place and this movement, but it was also time for me to go.
Working with so many awesome Wikimedians (including WMF's staff) has been an honor and a privilege, and has given me many great experiences, memories, and a long watchlist ;) that I'll treasure for a long time. The list of people who I'd like to thank is long, so I won't bore everyone with it. However, I do want to particularly thank Kat, who introduced me to Geoff during his first week with WMF. That was ultimately the opportunity that led me to this incredible ride - so I quite literally owe it all to her. Many, many other people have been welcoming and friendly along the way, and I can't ask formore than that.
I'm not going too far! I'll continue to be around the movement, both as a contributor, and to support Maggie and the rest of the department during the transition. I look forward to seeing where Community Engagement goes next - I believe the department will continue to support contributors in a healthy way, and I'm sure Maggie and my long-term successor will continue to build exciting things on the foundation we laid over the past year.
Professionally, I have no firm plans yet. I plan to to take a few deep breaths and then explore some new opportunities in the legal, community, and tech spaces, as well as becoming a parent in May.
If you want to be in touch (to talk about interesting opportunities, flame me for old time's sake, or just chat) I'm pretty easy to find: lu.is, @tieguy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and of course on my enwiki talk page.
See you on the wikis- Luis
On Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 12:16 PM, Lila Tretikov lila@wikimedia.org wrote:
Dear all,
I am sad to let you know that Luis Villa, our lead for the Community Engagement department, will be leaving the Wikimedia Foundation. A year ago, Luis took on a big challenge, transitioning from the Legal
Department
to lead the newly created Community Engagement organization. In that
role,
Luis and our teams were tasked with many recent community initiatives,
such
as the creation of the Community Tech team, gender-related and anti-harassment programs, and improved alignment of WMF annual planning with the Funds Dissemination Committee. Prior to that, as Deputy General Counsel he was responsible for a number of legal initiatives, including licensing, contracts, and product counseling. I’m grateful for his
counsel,
and his leadership in the WMF movement throughout these years.
Later this month, Luis will transition out of his current position with
the
Wikimedia Foundation to pursue other opportunities. He will remain in a consulting role with the Foundation over the next few months, continuing
to
support our ongoing strategy and annual planning processes.
I want to thank Luis for his commitment to the WMF mission, and for the inspired energy and contributions he has brought to our movement. I’m looking forward to his future accomplishments and staying in close touch
as
he grows in his career.
Maggie Dennis will step in as the interim director for the CE team effective immediately. Her deep community background, passion for our mission, and outstanding teamwork are great assets in this transition.
She
will also continue to serve as Director of Support and Safety. Maggie is
a
respected leader, colleague, and community member. I am confident she
will
bring critical insights, especially now as we plan for our next year.
The work of of the CE department will continue as planned, and the
overall
structure of the department (including the Community Tech team, which
will
continue to report into the Product organization) will stay on-course.
Our
goal is to ensure a smooth transition as we continue our progress to improve the WMF support for our communities.
It is my priority that the WMF continues to build upon the initiatives we started in 2015 in support for the global Wikimedia community. Continued leadership of the Community Engagement department at executive level in
the
WMF is a part of delivering on those commitments. We will be looking to fill the Community Engagement leadership role with someone with a strong background in community programs, and an understanding of the Wikimedia movement. We will also look to engage with you to find the right person
for
this role. We will send an update on the next steps and the job
description
shortly, which will include a further discussion of the role on-wiki.
Lila _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines 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
-- Luis Villa Sr. Director of Community Engagement Wikimedia Foundation *Working towards a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge.* _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines 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
Luis - how you will be missed! Thank you for helping the projects grow on so many fronts — in policy, engagement, and general good will. Maggie, I can't think of a better interim director. SJ
On Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 3:31 PM, Luis Villa lvilla@wikimedia.org wrote:
Hi, all- This is a bittersweet email to send. I still, and will always, love this place and this movement, but it was also time for me to go.
Working with so many awesome Wikimedians (including WMF's staff) has been an honor and a privilege, and has given me many great experiences, memories, and a long watchlist ;) that I'll treasure for a long time. The list of people who I'd like to thank is long, so I won't bore everyone with it. However, I do want to particularly thank Kat, who introduced me to Geoff during his first week with WMF. That was ultimately the opportunity that led me to this incredible ride - so I quite literally owe it all to her. Many, many other people have been welcoming and friendly along the way, and I can't ask formore than that.
I'm not going too far! I'll continue to be around the movement, both as a contributor, and to support Maggie and the rest of the department during the transition. I look forward to seeing where Community Engagement goes next - I believe the department will continue to support contributors in a healthy way, and I'm sure Maggie and my long-term successor will continue to build exciting things on the foundation we laid over the past year.
Professionally, I have no firm plans yet. I plan to to take a few deep breaths and then explore some new opportunities in the legal, community, and tech spaces, as well as becoming a parent in May.
If you want to be in touch (to talk about interesting opportunities, flame me for old time's sake, or just chat) I'm pretty easy to find: lu.is, @tieguy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and of course on my enwiki talk page.
See you on the wikis- Luis
On Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 12:16 PM, Lila Tretikov lila@wikimedia.org wrote:
Dear all,
I am sad to let you know that Luis Villa, our lead for the Community Engagement department, will be leaving the Wikimedia Foundation. A year ago, Luis took on a big challenge, transitioning from the Legal
Department
to lead the newly created Community Engagement organization. In that
role,
Luis and our teams were tasked with many recent community initiatives,
such
as the creation of the Community Tech team, gender-related and anti-harassment programs, and improved alignment of WMF annual planning with the Funds Dissemination Committee. Prior to that, as Deputy General Counsel he was responsible for a number of legal initiatives, including licensing, contracts, and product counseling. I’m grateful for his
counsel,
and his leadership in the WMF movement throughout these years.
Later this month, Luis will transition out of his current position with
the
Wikimedia Foundation to pursue other opportunities. He will remain in a consulting role with the Foundation over the next few months, continuing
to
support our ongoing strategy and annual planning processes.
I want to thank Luis for his commitment to the WMF mission, and for the inspired energy and contributions he has brought to our movement. I’m looking forward to his future accomplishments and staying in close touch
as
he grows in his career.
Maggie Dennis will step in as the interim director for the CE team effective immediately. Her deep community background, passion for our mission, and outstanding teamwork are great assets in this transition.
She
will also continue to serve as Director of Support and Safety. Maggie is
a
respected leader, colleague, and community member. I am confident she
will
bring critical insights, especially now as we plan for our next year.
The work of of the CE department will continue as planned, and the
overall
structure of the department (including the Community Tech team, which
will
continue to report into the Product organization) will stay on-course.
Our
goal is to ensure a smooth transition as we continue our progress to improve the WMF support for our communities.
It is my priority that the WMF continues to build upon the initiatives we started in 2015 in support for the global Wikimedia community. Continued leadership of the Community Engagement department at executive level in
the
WMF is a part of delivering on those commitments. We will be looking to fill the Community Engagement leadership role with someone with a strong background in community programs, and an understanding of the Wikimedia movement. We will also look to engage with you to find the right person
for
this role. We will send an update on the next steps and the job
description
shortly, which will include a further discussion of the role on-wiki.
Lila _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines 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
-- Luis Villa Sr. Director of Community Engagement Wikimedia Foundation *Working towards a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge.* _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines 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
All the best to Maggie as she steps into this new role, and Luis as he figures out what comes next.
Sydney
Sydney Poore User:FloNight Wikipedian in Residence at Cochrane Collaboration
On Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 3:44 PM, Maggie Dennis mdennis@wikimedia.org wrote:
I’m honored to work in this new way with the other directors in Community Engagement through the next few months as we look for the ideal lead for the department. While I will serve the role in the interim with their critical support, I will also be continuing as Director of Support and Safety.
It will be a busy period, and I’m grateful that Luis will be available to advise me as I settle in. Luis and I have worked together in some capacity for a long time - since he first came on at the Wikimedia Foundation as Deputy General Counsel at the Wikimedia Foundation in 2013. I was immediately impressed by his understanding of and enthusiasm for the open culture movement. I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to work closely with him in the last few months and am very happy to have the opportunity to continue consulting him during this transition. He will be missed.
Community Engagement will be holding an office hour on February 12 at 1900 UTC to talk about the department, its teams, and our current divisions of work, as well as what we will (and should) be looking for in our new lead for Community Engagement. We want to move on this job search quickly, but it’s critical that we find the right person for the role. :) I realize that office hours are not the best form of communication for everyone; based on the office hour and other questions or feedback we may receive, we will also be putting together some information for posting on Meta with the goal of getting that up later next week or early the week thereafter. If you have suggestions for what that page should include, or questions, please let me know!
I am, as mentioned, likely to be pretty busy for a little while, but keeping people informed is a high priority. :)
Best,
Maggie
[1] For more on office hours and localized times:
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?hour=19&min=00&...
On Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 3:31 PM, Luis Villa lvilla@wikimedia.org wrote:
Hi, all- This is a bittersweet email to send. I still, and will always, love this place and this movement, but it was also time for me to go.
Working with so many awesome Wikimedians (including WMF's staff) has been an honor and a privilege, and has given me many great experiences, memories, and a long watchlist ;) that I'll treasure for a long time. The list of people who I'd like to thank is long, so I won't bore everyone
with
it. However, I do want to particularly thank Kat, who introduced me to Geoff during his first week with WMF. That was ultimately the opportunity that led me to this incredible ride - so I quite literally owe it all to her. Many, many other people have been welcoming and friendly along the way, and I can't ask formore than that.
I'm not going too far! I'll continue to be around the movement, both as a contributor, and to support Maggie and the rest of the department during the transition. I look forward to seeing where Community Engagement goes next - I believe the department will continue to support contributors in
a
healthy way, and I'm sure Maggie and my long-term successor will continue to build exciting things on the foundation we laid over the past year.
Professionally, I have no firm plans yet. I plan to to take a few deep breaths and then explore some new opportunities in the legal, community, and tech spaces, as well as becoming a parent in May.
If you want to be in touch (to talk about interesting opportunities,
flame
me for old time's sake, or just chat) I'm pretty easy to find: lu.is, @tieguy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and of course on my enwiki talk page.
See you on the wikis- Luis
On Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 12:16 PM, Lila Tretikov lila@wikimedia.org
wrote:
Dear all,
I am sad to let you know that Luis Villa, our lead for the Community Engagement department, will be leaving the Wikimedia Foundation. A year ago, Luis took on a big challenge, transitioning from the Legal
Department
to lead the newly created Community Engagement organization. In that
role,
Luis and our teams were tasked with many recent community initiatives,
such
as the creation of the Community Tech team, gender-related and anti-harassment programs, and improved alignment of WMF annual planning with the Funds Dissemination Committee. Prior to that, as Deputy
General
Counsel he was responsible for a number of legal initiatives, including licensing, contracts, and product counseling. I’m grateful for his
counsel,
and his leadership in the WMF movement throughout these years.
Later this month, Luis will transition out of his current position with
the
Wikimedia Foundation to pursue other opportunities. He will remain in a consulting role with the Foundation over the next few months,
continuing
to
support our ongoing strategy and annual planning processes.
I want to thank Luis for his commitment to the WMF mission, and for the inspired energy and contributions he has brought to our movement. I’m looking forward to his future accomplishments and staying in close
touch
as
he grows in his career.
Maggie Dennis will step in as the interim director for the CE team effective immediately. Her deep community background, passion for our mission, and outstanding teamwork are great assets in this transition.
She
will also continue to serve as Director of Support and Safety. Maggie
is
a
respected leader, colleague, and community member. I am confident she
will
bring critical insights, especially now as we plan for our next year.
The work of of the CE department will continue as planned, and the
overall
structure of the department (including the Community Tech team, which
will
continue to report into the Product organization) will stay on-course.
Our
goal is to ensure a smooth transition as we continue our progress to improve the WMF support for our communities.
It is my priority that the WMF continues to build upon the initiatives
we
started in 2015 in support for the global Wikimedia community.
Continued
leadership of the Community Engagement department at executive level in
the
WMF is a part of delivering on those commitments. We will be looking to fill the Community Engagement leadership role with someone with a
strong
background in community programs, and an understanding of the Wikimedia movement. We will also look to engage with you to find the right person
for
this role. We will send an update on the next steps and the job
description
shortly, which will include a further discussion of the role on-wiki.
Lila _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines 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
-- Luis Villa Sr. Director of Community Engagement Wikimedia Foundation *Working towards a world in which every single human being can freely
share
in the sum of all knowledge.* _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines 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
-- Maggie Dennis Director, Support and Safety Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines 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 Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 9:31 PM, Luis Villa lvilla@wikimedia.org wrote:
Hi, all- This is a bittersweet email to send. I still, and will always, love this place and this movement, but it was also time for me to go.
Luis,
:'-( You will very much missed :(
It has been a huge help to get some clarification on topics like database rights (even if some part remain unclear). As well, your understanding of technical issues has been invaluable.
I hope to still see you around in the broader open source community and maybe at events like State of the Map.
Cheers, Katie
Working with so many awesome Wikimedians (including WMF's staff) has been an honor and a privilege, and has given me many great experiences, memories, and a long watchlist ;) that I'll treasure for a long time. The list of people who I'd like to thank is long, so I won't bore everyone with it. However, I do want to particularly thank Kat, who introduced me to Geoff during his first week with WMF. That was ultimately the opportunity that led me to this incredible ride - so I quite literally owe it all to her. Many, many other people have been welcoming and friendly along the way, and I can't ask formore than that.
I'm not going too far! I'll continue to be around the movement, both as a contributor, and to support Maggie and the rest of the department during the transition. I look forward to seeing where Community Engagement goes next - I believe the department will continue to support contributors in a healthy way, and I'm sure Maggie and my long-term successor will continue to build exciting things on the foundation we laid over the past year.
Professionally, I have no firm plans yet. I plan to to take a few deep breaths and then explore some new opportunities in the legal, community, and tech spaces, as well as becoming a parent in May.
If you want to be in touch (to talk about interesting opportunities, flame me for old time's sake, or just chat) I'm pretty easy to find: lu.is, @tieguy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and of course on my enwiki talk page.
See you on the wikis- Luis
On Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 12:16 PM, Lila Tretikov lila@wikimedia.org wrote:
Dear all,
I am sad to let you know that Luis Villa, our lead for the Community Engagement department, will be leaving the Wikimedia Foundation. A year ago, Luis took on a big challenge, transitioning from the Legal
Department
to lead the newly created Community Engagement organization. In that
role,
Luis and our teams were tasked with many recent community initiatives,
such
as the creation of the Community Tech team, gender-related and anti-harassment programs, and improved alignment of WMF annual planning with the Funds Dissemination Committee. Prior to that, as Deputy General Counsel he was responsible for a number of legal initiatives, including licensing, contracts, and product counseling. I’m grateful for his
counsel,
and his leadership in the WMF movement throughout these years.
Later this month, Luis will transition out of his current position with
the
Wikimedia Foundation to pursue other opportunities. He will remain in a consulting role with the Foundation over the next few months, continuing
to
support our ongoing strategy and annual planning processes.
I want to thank Luis for his commitment to the WMF mission, and for the inspired energy and contributions he has brought to our movement. I’m looking forward to his future accomplishments and staying in close touch
as
he grows in his career.
Maggie Dennis will step in as the interim director for the CE team effective immediately. Her deep community background, passion for our mission, and outstanding teamwork are great assets in this transition.
She
will also continue to serve as Director of Support and Safety. Maggie is
a
respected leader, colleague, and community member. I am confident she
will
bring critical insights, especially now as we plan for our next year.
The work of of the CE department will continue as planned, and the
overall
structure of the department (including the Community Tech team, which
will
continue to report into the Product organization) will stay on-course.
Our
goal is to ensure a smooth transition as we continue our progress to improve the WMF support for our communities.
It is my priority that the WMF continues to build upon the initiatives we started in 2015 in support for the global Wikimedia community. Continued leadership of the Community Engagement department at executive level in
the
WMF is a part of delivering on those commitments. We will be looking to fill the Community Engagement leadership role with someone with a strong background in community programs, and an understanding of the Wikimedia movement. We will also look to engage with you to find the right person
for
this role. We will send an update on the next steps and the job
description
shortly, which will include a further discussion of the role on-wiki.
Lila _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines 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
-- Luis Villa Sr. Director of Community Engagement Wikimedia Foundation *Working towards a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge.* _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines 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
You'll be missed Luis.
KTC
p.s. Yay Maggie!
On 08/02/2016 20:31, Luis Villa wrote:
Hi, all- This is a bittersweet email to send. I still, and will always, love this place and this movement, but it was also time for me to go.
Working with so many awesome Wikimedians (including WMF's staff) has been an honor and a privilege, and has given me many great experiences, memories, and a long watchlist ;) that I'll treasure for a long time. The list of people who I'd like to thank is long, so I won't bore everyone with it. However, I do want to particularly thank Kat, who introduced me to Geoff during his first week with WMF. That was ultimately the opportunity that led me to this incredible ride - so I quite literally owe it all to her. Many, many other people have been welcoming and friendly along the way, and I can't ask formore than that.
I'm not going too far! I'll continue to be around the movement, both as a contributor, and to support Maggie and the rest of the department during the transition. I look forward to seeing where Community Engagement goes next - I believe the department will continue to support contributors in a healthy way, and I'm sure Maggie and my long-term successor will continue to build exciting things on the foundation we laid over the past year.
Professionally, I have no firm plans yet. I plan to to take a few deep breaths and then explore some new opportunities in the legal, community, and tech spaces, as well as becoming a parent in May.
If you want to be in touch (to talk about interesting opportunities, flame me for old time's sake, or just chat) I'm pretty easy to find: lu.is, @tieguy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and of course on my enwiki talk page.
See you on the wikis- Luis
On Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 12:16 PM, Lila Tretikov lila@wikimedia.org wrote:
Dear all,
I am sad to let you know that Luis Villa, our lead for the Community Engagement department, will be leaving the Wikimedia Foundation. A year ago, Luis took on a big challenge, transitioning from the Legal Department to lead the newly created Community Engagement organization. In that role, Luis and our teams were tasked with many recent community initiatives, such as the creation of the Community Tech team, gender-related and anti-harassment programs, and improved alignment of WMF annual planning with the Funds Dissemination Committee. Prior to that, as Deputy General Counsel he was responsible for a number of legal initiatives, including licensing, contracts, and product counseling. I’m grateful for his counsel, and his leadership in the WMF movement throughout these years.
Later this month, Luis will transition out of his current position with the Wikimedia Foundation to pursue other opportunities. He will remain in a consulting role with the Foundation over the next few months, continuing to support our ongoing strategy and annual planning processes.
I want to thank Luis for his commitment to the WMF mission, and for the inspired energy and contributions he has brought to our movement. I’m looking forward to his future accomplishments and staying in close touch as he grows in his career.
Maggie Dennis will step in as the interim director for the CE team effective immediately. Her deep community background, passion for our mission, and outstanding teamwork are great assets in this transition. She will also continue to serve as Director of Support and Safety. Maggie is a respected leader, colleague, and community member. I am confident she will bring critical insights, especially now as we plan for our next year.
The work of of the CE department will continue as planned, and the overall structure of the department (including the Community Tech team, which will continue to report into the Product organization) will stay on-course. Our goal is to ensure a smooth transition as we continue our progress to improve the WMF support for our communities.
It is my priority that the WMF continues to build upon the initiatives we started in 2015 in support for the global Wikimedia community. Continued leadership of the Community Engagement department at executive level in the WMF is a part of delivering on those commitments. We will be looking to fill the Community Engagement leadership role with someone with a strong background in community programs, and an understanding of the Wikimedia movement. We will also look to engage with you to find the right person for this role. We will send an update on the next steps and the job description shortly, which will include a further discussion of the role on-wiki.
Lila _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines 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
Really sorry to hear about your departure Luis. You will be missed. I wish you the best and congrats for the little baby !
Florence
Le 08/02/16 21:31, Luis Villa a écrit :
Hi, all- This is a bittersweet email to send. I still, and will always, love this place and this movement, but it was also time for me to go.
Working with so many awesome Wikimedians (including WMF's staff) has been an honor and a privilege, and has given me many great experiences, memories, and a long watchlist ;) that I'll treasure for a long time. The list of people who I'd like to thank is long, so I won't bore everyone with it. However, I do want to particularly thank Kat, who introduced me to Geoff during his first week with WMF. That was ultimately the opportunity that led me to this incredible ride - so I quite literally owe it all to her. Many, many other people have been welcoming and friendly along the way, and I can't ask formore than that.
I'm not going too far! I'll continue to be around the movement, both as a contributor, and to support Maggie and the rest of the department during the transition. I look forward to seeing where Community Engagement goes next - I believe the department will continue to support contributors in a healthy way, and I'm sure Maggie and my long-term successor will continue to build exciting things on the foundation we laid over the past year.
Professionally, I have no firm plans yet. I plan to to take a few deep breaths and then explore some new opportunities in the legal, community, and tech spaces, as well as becoming a parent in May.
If you want to be in touch (to talk about interesting opportunities, flame me for old time's sake, or just chat) I'm pretty easy to find: lu.is, @tieguy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and of course on my enwiki talk page.
See you on the wikis- Luis
On Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 12:16 PM, Lila Tretikov lila@wikimedia.org wrote:
Dear all,
I am sad to let you know that Luis Villa, our lead for the Community Engagement department, will be leaving the Wikimedia Foundation. A year ago, Luis took on a big challenge, transitioning from the Legal Department to lead the newly created Community Engagement organization. In that role, Luis and our teams were tasked with many recent community initiatives, such as the creation of the Community Tech team, gender-related and anti-harassment programs, and improved alignment of WMF annual planning with the Funds Dissemination Committee. Prior to that, as Deputy General Counsel he was responsible for a number of legal initiatives, including licensing, contracts, and product counseling. I’m grateful for his counsel, and his leadership in the WMF movement throughout these years.
Later this month, Luis will transition out of his current position with the Wikimedia Foundation to pursue other opportunities. He will remain in a consulting role with the Foundation over the next few months, continuing to support our ongoing strategy and annual planning processes.
I want to thank Luis for his commitment to the WMF mission, and for the inspired energy and contributions he has brought to our movement. I’m looking forward to his future accomplishments and staying in close touch as he grows in his career.
Maggie Dennis will step in as the interim director for the CE team effective immediately. Her deep community background, passion for our mission, and outstanding teamwork are great assets in this transition. She will also continue to serve as Director of Support and Safety. Maggie is a respected leader, colleague, and community member. I am confident she will bring critical insights, especially now as we plan for our next year.
The work of of the CE department will continue as planned, and the overall structure of the department (including the Community Tech team, which will continue to report into the Product organization) will stay on-course. Our goal is to ensure a smooth transition as we continue our progress to improve the WMF support for our communities.
It is my priority that the WMF continues to build upon the initiatives we started in 2015 in support for the global Wikimedia community. Continued leadership of the Community Engagement department at executive level in the WMF is a part of delivering on those commitments. We will be looking to fill the Community Engagement leadership role with someone with a strong background in community programs, and an understanding of the Wikimedia movement. We will also look to engage with you to find the right person for this role. We will send an update on the next steps and the job description shortly, which will include a further discussion of the role on-wiki.
Lila _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines 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
Wow. Luis, I've had the pleasure of meeting you a few times and you'll be sorely missed.
Maggie, I've known you for quite a while and can't think of anyone better to step into this role. I've no doubt you'll do great.
Steve
*Steven Crossin* *cro0016@gmail.com cro0016@gmail.com*
On 10 February 2016 at 13:37, Florence Devouard fdevouard@gmail.com wrote:
Really sorry to hear about your departure Luis. You will be missed. I wish you the best and congrats for the little baby !
Florence
Le 08/02/16 21:31, Luis Villa a écrit :
Hi, all-
This is a bittersweet email to send. I still, and will always, love this place and this movement, but it was also time for me to go.
Working with so many awesome Wikimedians (including WMF's staff) has been an honor and a privilege, and has given me many great experiences, memories, and a long watchlist ;) that I'll treasure for a long time. The list of people who I'd like to thank is long, so I won't bore everyone with it. However, I do want to particularly thank Kat, who introduced me to Geoff during his first week with WMF. That was ultimately the opportunity that led me to this incredible ride - so I quite literally owe it all to her. Many, many other people have been welcoming and friendly along the way, and I can't ask formore than that.
I'm not going too far! I'll continue to be around the movement, both as a contributor, and to support Maggie and the rest of the department during the transition. I look forward to seeing where Community Engagement goes next - I believe the department will continue to support contributors in a healthy way, and I'm sure Maggie and my long-term successor will continue to build exciting things on the foundation we laid over the past year.
Professionally, I have no firm plans yet. I plan to to take a few deep breaths and then explore some new opportunities in the legal, community, and tech spaces, as well as becoming a parent in May.
If you want to be in touch (to talk about interesting opportunities, flame me for old time's sake, or just chat) I'm pretty easy to find: lu.is, @tieguy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and of course on my enwiki talk page.
See you on the wikis- Luis
On Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 12:16 PM, Lila Tretikov lila@wikimedia.org wrote:
Dear all,
I am sad to let you know that Luis Villa, our lead for the Community Engagement department, will be leaving the Wikimedia Foundation. A year ago, Luis took on a big challenge, transitioning from the Legal Department to lead the newly created Community Engagement organization. In that role, Luis and our teams were tasked with many recent community initiatives, such as the creation of the Community Tech team, gender-related and anti-harassment programs, and improved alignment of WMF annual planning with the Funds Dissemination Committee. Prior to that, as Deputy General Counsel he was responsible for a number of legal initiatives, including licensing, contracts, and product counseling. I’m grateful for his counsel, and his leadership in the WMF movement throughout these years.
Later this month, Luis will transition out of his current position with the Wikimedia Foundation to pursue other opportunities. He will remain in a consulting role with the Foundation over the next few months, continuing to support our ongoing strategy and annual planning processes.
I want to thank Luis for his commitment to the WMF mission, and for the inspired energy and contributions he has brought to our movement. I’m looking forward to his future accomplishments and staying in close touch as he grows in his career.
Maggie Dennis will step in as the interim director for the CE team effective immediately. Her deep community background, passion for our mission, and outstanding teamwork are great assets in this transition. She will also continue to serve as Director of Support and Safety. Maggie is a respected leader, colleague, and community member. I am confident she will bring critical insights, especially now as we plan for our next year.
The work of of the CE department will continue as planned, and the overall structure of the department (including the Community Tech team, which will continue to report into the Product organization) will stay on-course. Our goal is to ensure a smooth transition as we continue our progress to improve the WMF support for our communities.
It is my priority that the WMF continues to build upon the initiatives we started in 2015 in support for the global Wikimedia community. Continued leadership of the Community Engagement department at executive level in the WMF is a part of delivering on those commitments. We will be looking to fill the Community Engagement leadership role with someone with a strong background in community programs, and an understanding of the Wikimedia movement. We will also look to engage with you to find the right person for this role. We will send an update on the next steps and the job description shortly, which will include a further discussion of the role on-wiki.
Lila _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines 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 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, Katie! I'd definitely love to finally make it to a state of the map one of these days; I do think database issues will continue to be an issue for the entire broader movement and I hope Wikimedia will be able to keep working to integrate maps and other structured data in a healthy way.
(and thanks, of course, to the many, many other people who have been in touch with kind words. Katie gets an on-list response because this is an important, topical issue I'd like to remain involved in.)
Luis On Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 9:31 PM, Luis Villa lvilla@wikimedia.org wrote:
Hi, all- This is a bittersweet email to send. I still, and will always, love this place and this movement, but it was also time for me to go.
Luis,
:'-( You will very much missed :(
It has been a huge help to get some clarification on topics like database rights (even if some part remain unclear). As well, your understanding of technical issues has been invaluable.
I hope to still see you around in the broader open source community and maybe at events like State of the Map.
Cheers, Katie
Working with so many awesome Wikimedians (including WMF's staff) has been an honor and a privilege, and has given me many great experiences, memories, and a long watchlist ;) that I'll treasure for a long time. The list of people who I'd like to thank is long, so I won't bore everyone
with
it. However, I do want to particularly thank Kat, who introduced me to Geoff during his first week with WMF. That was ultimately the opportunity that led me to this incredible ride - so I quite literally owe it all to her. Many, many other people have been welcoming and friendly along the way, and I can't ask formore than that.
I'm not going too far! I'll continue to be around the movement, both as a contributor, and to support Maggie and the rest of the department during the transition. I look forward to seeing where Community Engagement goes next - I believe the department will continue to support contributors in a healthy way, and I'm sure Maggie and my long-term successor will continue to build exciting things on the foundation we laid over the past year.
Professionally, I have no firm plans yet. I plan to to take a few deep breaths and then explore some new opportunities in the legal, community, and tech spaces, as well as becoming a parent in May.
If you want to be in touch (to talk about interesting opportunities, flame me for old time's sake, or just chat) I'm pretty easy to find: lu.is, @tieguy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and of course on my enwiki talk page.
See you on the wikis- Luis
On Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 12:16 PM, Lila Tretikov lila@wikimedia.org wrote:
Dear all,
I am sad to let you know that Luis Villa, our lead for the Community Engagement department, will be leaving the Wikimedia Foundation. A year ago, Luis took on a big challenge, transitioning from the Legal
Department
to lead the newly created Community Engagement organization. In that
role,
Luis and our teams were tasked with many recent community initiatives,
such
as the creation of the Community Tech team, gender-related and anti-harassment programs, and improved alignment of WMF annual planning with the Funds Dissemination Committee. Prior to that, as Deputy General Counsel he was responsible for a number of legal initiatives, including licensing, contracts, and product counseling. I’m grateful for his
counsel,
and his leadership in the WMF movement throughout these years.
Later this month, Luis will transition out of his current position with
the
Wikimedia Foundation to pursue other opportunities. He will remain in a consulting role with the Foundation over the next few months, continuing
to
support our ongoing strategy and annual planning processes.
I want to thank Luis for his commitment to the WMF mission, and for the inspired energy and contributions he has brought to our movement. I’m looking forward to his future accomplishments and staying in close touch
as
he grows in his career.
Maggie Dennis will step in as the interim director for the CE team effective immediately. Her deep community background, passion for our mission, and outstanding teamwork are great assets in this transition.
She
will also continue to serve as Director of Support and Safety. Maggie is
a
respected leader, colleague, and community member. I am confident she
will
bring critical insights, especially now as we plan for our next year.
The work of of the CE department will continue as planned, and the
overall
structure of the department (including the Community Tech team, which
will
continue to report into the Product organization) will stay on-course.
Our
goal is to ensure a smooth transition as we continue our progress to improve the WMF support for our communities.
It is my priority that the WMF continues to build upon the initiatives
we
started in 2015 in support for the global Wikimedia community. Continued leadership of the Community Engagement department at executive level in
the
WMF is a part of delivering on those commitments. We will be looking to fill the Community Engagement leadership role with someone with a strong background in community programs, and an understanding of the Wikimedia movement. We will also look to engage with you to find the right person
for
this role. We will send an update on the next steps and the job
description
shortly, which will include a further discussion of the role on-wiki.
Lila _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines 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
-- Luis Villa Sr. Director of Community Engagement Wikimedia Foundation *Working towards a world in which every single human being can freely
share
in the sum of all knowledge.* _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines 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
-- @wikimediadc / @wikidata _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines 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
Luis, I am very sorry to see you depart, and not only because I accept the blame for the introduction. :-) Thanks for everything you brought to WMF; I look forward to our continued path-crossing in the future.
-Kat
On Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 12:31 PM, Luis Villa lvilla@wikimedia.org wrote:
Hi, all- This is a bittersweet email to send. I still, and will always, love this place and this movement, but it was also time for me to go.
Working with so many awesome Wikimedians (including WMF's staff) has been an honor and a privilege, and has given me many great experiences, memories, and a long watchlist ;) that I'll treasure for a long time. The list of people who I'd like to thank is long, so I won't bore everyone with it. However, I do want to particularly thank Kat, who introduced me to Geoff during his first week with WMF. That was ultimately the opportunity that led me to this incredible ride - so I quite literally owe it all to her. Many, many other people have been welcoming and friendly along the way, and I can't ask formore than that.
I'm not going too far! I'll continue to be around the movement, both as a contributor, and to support Maggie and the rest of the department during the transition. I look forward to seeing where Community Engagement goes next - I believe the department will continue to support contributors in a healthy way, and I'm sure Maggie and my long-term successor will continue to build exciting things on the foundation we laid over the past year.
Professionally, I have no firm plans yet. I plan to to take a few deep breaths and then explore some new opportunities in the legal, community, and tech spaces, as well as becoming a parent in May.
If you want to be in touch (to talk about interesting opportunities, flame me for old time's sake, or just chat) I'm pretty easy to find: lu.is, @tieguy on Twitter, LinkedIn, and of course on my enwiki talk page.
See you on the wikis- Luis
On Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 12:16 PM, Lila Tretikov lila@wikimedia.org wrote:
Dear all,
I am sad to let you know that Luis Villa, our lead for the Community Engagement department, will be leaving the Wikimedia Foundation. A year ago, Luis took on a big challenge, transitioning from the Legal Department to lead the newly created Community Engagement organization. In that role, Luis and our teams were tasked with many recent community initiatives, such as the creation of the Community Tech team, gender-related and anti-harassment programs, and improved alignment of WMF annual planning with the Funds Dissemination Committee. Prior to that, as Deputy General Counsel he was responsible for a number of legal initiatives, including licensing, contracts, and product counseling. I’m grateful for his counsel, and his leadership in the WMF movement throughout these years.
Later this month, Luis will transition out of his current position with the Wikimedia Foundation to pursue other opportunities. He will remain in a consulting role with the Foundation over the next few months, continuing to support our ongoing strategy and annual planning processes.
I want to thank Luis for his commitment to the WMF mission, and for the inspired energy and contributions he has brought to our movement. I’m looking forward to his future accomplishments and staying in close touch as he grows in his career.
Maggie Dennis will step in as the interim director for the CE team effective immediately. Her deep community background, passion for our mission, and outstanding teamwork are great assets in this transition. She will also continue to serve as Director of Support and Safety. Maggie is a respected leader, colleague, and community member. I am confident she will bring critical insights, especially now as we plan for our next year.
The work of of the CE department will continue as planned, and the overall structure of the department (including the Community Tech team, which will continue to report into the Product organization) will stay on-course. Our goal is to ensure a smooth transition as we continue our progress to improve the WMF support for our communities.
It is my priority that the WMF continues to build upon the initiatives we started in 2015 in support for the global Wikimedia community. Continued leadership of the Community Engagement department at executive level in the WMF is a part of delivering on those commitments. We will be looking to fill the Community Engagement leadership role with someone with a strong background in community programs, and an understanding of the Wikimedia movement. We will also look to engage with you to find the right person for this role. We will send an update on the next steps and the job description shortly, which will include a further discussion of the role on-wiki.
Lila _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines 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
-- Luis Villa Sr. Director of Community Engagement Wikimedia Foundation *Working towards a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge.* _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines 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