[Wikimedia-l] Ting's resignation, Thank you for five great years

[Jan-Bart de Vreede]

Hi Everyone,

As today is the day that Ting's resignation from the Board of Trustees becomes effective I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for the tremendous contribution he has made to the board over the past five years. I did not know Ting when he joined our board but from what I heard we were lucky that the community elected him. And that certainly proved to be the case. In my opinion a board functions best when there are many divergent opinions at the table who are able to discuss matters in a sensible and constructive way in order to come to creative solutions. Ting certainly contributed his uniqueness to that mix over the past five years, and I am grateful that he was able to make as much time available as he did in order to remain on the board for such a long time. Apart from being a really really nice person Ting has a lot of wisdom (something which he will probably deny ;)

As some of you might know I ran against Ting for the Chair position of the Board of Trustees in 2010 and lost. At that time I thought that I was definitely the better candidate but the following two years proved me wrong. I was happy to serve as his vice chair during the second year. His diligent way of going about things made sure that a lot of things got done during his tenure as chair and also ensured that all the voices at the table got heard. Ting was always willing to go and visit a local chapter or a Wikimedia event in order to represent the board and Foundation. His unwavering principles and spirited way of discussing topics about which he is passionate (of which there are several) are an inspiration. At the same time he was more than willing to listen to all the different viewpoints and able to change his mind if others presented valid arguments (something which sounds simple but with which a lot of people, including myself, have difficulty with ;) During several different discussions Ting managed to convince me of the fact that his viewpoint was the correct one, and I will miss his input in the future.

As is tradition Ting will attend the next Wikimania (Hong Kong here we come!) and we will take that opportunity to formally thank him for his efforts for the Wikimedia Board of Trustees. I hope you will all join me in this :)

Thank you Ting! I am not sure how or when, but I hope that our paths will cross again in the coming years!

Jan-Bart de Vreede
Vice Chair Board of Trustees
Wikimedia Foundation