Hi everyone,
Last week, at our December meeting, the Wikimedia Foundation Board of
Trustees made some decisions regarding the two Board terms expiring at the
end of this year. Alice Wiegand sought and received reappointment for a
term which will end at Wikimania 2018. Guy Kawasaki decided not to seek
reappointment, and will complete his term at the end of December.
Alice joined the Board in 2012 when she was selected to serve in one of the
two affiliate-selected board seats. She was subsequently appointed to fill
one of the four appointed expert seats, and will be completing her first
full term in that role this month. Alice lives in Germany, and has been
involved with German Wikipedia since 2004 and Wikimedia Deutschland since
2008. Her unique background brings an important perspective on matters
related to the Wikimedia communities, strategy development, organizational
structuring, and executive accounting and assessment. Given her skills,
experience in the movement, and working knowledge of recent Board history,
we felt it was important to retain her presence for an additional term.
The Board appreciates Guy’s commitment to Wikimedia and the input he
provided while serving on the Board. Guy joined the Board in 2015 when he
was selected to fill one of the four appointed expert seats. A prominent
figure in Silicon Valley, Guy has brought a unique perspective to the
challenges and opportunities the Board has considered during his term. Even
though we only worked together for a short time, I enjoyed his fresh point
of view that forced us to step out of our comfort zone, and reconsider
things we've done for years. In a time of evolution, the value from those
questions was really high.
Alice's new appointment will last 1.5 years as opposed to 2 years[1]. We
have asked Alice to serve a term which ends at Wikimania 2018 (instead of
in December 2018) to help consolidate Board transitions to the annual
meeting at Wikimania, rather than spread throughout the year. Our hope is
this shift will support a more effective onboarding process for new members.
We will provide more information in January on our plans for filling the
vacancy now left by Guy's departure, as well as the other vacancies on the
Board. Until then, I invite you to join me in congratulating Alice on her
reappointment, and thanking Guy for his service to Wikimedia.
Congratulations, Alice, and thank you, Guy!
As 2016 comes to an end, please allow me to take a moment and thank all of
you, on behalf of the Board, for your support, efforts, and contributions
this past year. We overcame many hurdles together and achieved many
collaborative accomplishments. I am confident that we will make 2017 an
amazing year. I am looking forward to continuing to work with all of you as
we come together in service of the movement in new ways. There is still
much to achieve and hurdles to overcome, but, together, we have what it
takes.
On behalf of the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees,
Christophe Henner, Chair
PS. An on-wiki version of this message is available for translation:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_
Board_noticeboard/December_2016_-_Update_regarding_expiring_Board_terms
[1]
https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Resolution:Term_
Limit_Proposal_for_Bylaws
Christophe HENNER
Chair of the board of trustees
chenner(a)wikimedia.org
+33650664739 <+33%206%2050%2066%2047%2039>
twitter *@schiste* skype *christophe_henner*