[Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Announcement *please read*

[Steven Zhang]

We all started talking about "Sue Gardner for President 2016" on IRC today. I'd vote for her...

Sent from my iPhone

On 28/03/2013, at 6:35 PM, Isarra Yos <zhorishna at gmail.com> wrote:

> It's odd, but I think I'm glad - not so much that you're leaving, but where you're going, what you intend to do... somehow I find that comforting...
> 
> On 27/03/13 22:00, Sue Gardner wrote:
>> Hello Wikimedia community members,
>> 
>> This is not an easy e-mail to write, and it’s been a very hard
>> decision to make. But I’m writing to tell you that I’m planning to
>> leave my position as the Executive Director of the Wikimedia
>> Foundation.
>> 
>> My departure isn’t imminent -- the Board and I anticipate it’ll take
>> at least six months to recruit my successor, and I’ll be fully engaged
>> as Executive Director all through the recruitment process and until we
>> have a new person in place. We’re expecting that’ll take about six
>> months or so, and so this note is not goodbye -- not yet.
>> 
>> Making the decision to leave hasn’t been easy, but it comes down to two things.
>> 
>> First, the movement and the Wikimedia Foundation are in a strong place
>> now. When I joined, the Foundation was tiny and not yet able to
>> reliably support the projects. Today it's healthy, thriving, and a
>> competent partner to the global network of Wikimedia volunteers. If
>> that wasn’t the case, I wouldn’t feel okay to leave. In that sense, my
>> leaving is a vote of confidence in our Board and executive team and
>> staff --- I know they will ably steer the Foundation through the years
>> ahead, and I’m confident the Board will appoint a strong successor to
>> me.
>> 
>> And I feel that although we’re in good shape, with a promising future,
>> the same isn’t true for the internet itself. (This is thing number
>> two.) Increasingly, I’m finding myself uncomfortable about how the
>> internet’s developing, who’s influencing its development, and who is
>> not. Last year we at Wikimedia raised an alarm about SOPA/PIPA, and
>> now CISPA is back. Wikipedia has experienced censorship at the hands
>> of industry groups and governments, and we’re --increasingly, I
>> think-- seeing important decisions made by unaccountable
>> non-transparent corporate players, a shift from the open web to mobile
>> walled gardens, and a shift from the production-based internet to one
>> that’s consumption-based. There are many organizations and individuals
>> advocating for the public interest online -- what’s good for ordinary
>> people -- but other interests are more numerous and powerful than they
>> are. I want that to change. And that’s what I want to do next.
>> 
>> I’ve always aimed to make the biggest contribution I can to the
>> general public good. Today, this is pulling me towards a new and
>> different role, one very much aligned with Wikimedia values and
>> informed by my experiences here, and with the purpose of amplifying
>> the voices of people advocating for the free and open internet. I
>> don’t know exactly what this will look like -- I might write a book,
>> or start a non-profit, or work in partnership with something that
>> already exists. Either way, I feel strongly that this is what I need
>> to do.
>> 
>> I feel an increasing sense of urgency around this. That said, I also
>> feel a strong sense of responsibility (and love!) for the Wikimedia
>> movement, and so I’ve agreed with the Board that I’ll stay on as
>> Executive Director until we have my successor in place. That’ll take
>> some time -- likely, at least six months.
>> 
>> Until then, nothing changes. The Wikimedia Foundation has lots of work
>> to do, and you can expect me to focus fully on it until we have a new
>> Executive Director in place.
>> 
>> I have many people to thank, but I’m not going to do it now --
>> there’ll be time for that later. For now, I’ll just say I love working
>> with you all, I’m proud of everything the Wikimedia movement is
>> accomplishing, and I’m looking forward to our next six months
>> together.
>> 
>> Jan-Bart’s going to write a note in a couple of minutes with
>> information about the transition process. We’ll be hosting office
>> hours this weekend as well, so anybody with questions can ask them
>> here or turn up to talk with us on IRC.
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> Sue
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> --
>> Sue Gardner
>> Executive Director
>> Wikimedia Foundation
>> 
>> 415 839 6885 office
>> 415 816 9967 cell
>> 
>> Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in
>> the sum of all knowledge.  Help us make it a reality!
>> 
>> https://donate.wikimedia.org/
>> 
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> 
> 
> -- 
> -— Isarra
> 
> 
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