On 13 March 2015 at 19:04, Pine W wiki.pine@gmail.com wrote:
In general I think highly of Michelle, but this statement fits a long-running pattern I percieve in WMF governance of the board being deferential to the ED and staff. This goes back to Sue's tenure and possibly longer. I feel that the Board should respectfully ask tough questions about staff recommendations. Had the board done so, we might all have been saved from the MediaViewer, VisualEditor, and other product dramas because the Board would have been vigilant about project selection and quality control. WMF needs an activist board. All of the guidance that I read about boards in general says that good boards do due diligance, and I would encourage the WMF board to be proactive and ask tough questions. This can be done while maintaining a positive and respectful atmosphere.
I think you're completely incorrect here. Professional charities desperately need the separation, and being on the board of a professional-level nonprofit board is enough work. This sort of detailed overview of every initiative is precisely what a board needs to evolve the charity to *get away from*.
- d.