As a community member I found Katherine to be open, approachable and that she saw me, a volunteer, as an equal partner in the movement.
As a staff member she has shown an exemplary level of professionalism, to have a real passion for Wikimedia, and solid understanding of the importance of trust, honesty and transparency in our movement.
I have a lot of faith in Katherine to be able to lead the Foundation through the rough seas. And not by attempting to do so single-handedly, but by mobalising the team of brilliant people that are behind her.
You have my full support.
On Fri, Mar 11, 2016 at 3:28 AM, Pine W wiki.pine@gmail.com wrote:
I think it's a possibility that's worth considering seriously. (: We'll see how things go.
Pine
On Thu, Mar 10, 2016 at 7:26 PM, Oliver Keyes ironholds@gmail.com wrote:
On Thu, Mar 10, 2016 at 10:17 PM, Pine W wiki.pine@gmail.com wrote:
Thank you, Katherine.
That's a good question, Oliver. I think that a lot will depend on
whether
WMF can fill the other C-level vacancies, particularly the CTO vacancy, with people who are mission-aligned and can are SMEs in areas where Katherine isn't. Also, a lot will depend on whether Katherine wants to
stay
in the job. Being the WMF ED is a very different beast from being the leader of a department; it remains to be seen if Katherine will like it
and
how other people are feeling as the ED search moves forward.
Regarding these goals from Meta "Avoid lengthy process for identifying
a
new ED" and "Minimize uncertainty", I would encourage WMF not to rush
the
selection of a new ED; I believe that Katherine will do well in the interim, and this choice buys WMF some time to do a good job with the
ED
search. Regarding uncertainty, that's one of the few certain things
around
here, but of course steps can be taken to make people feel comfortable
with
the uncertainty.
Pine,
It was a joke.
Good luck, Katherine. Many of us are relying on you and have faith in
you.
Pine
On Thu, Mar 10, 2016 at 7:10 PM, Oliver Keyes ironholds@gmail.com
wrote:
\o/\o/\o/\o/
So glad to see this wonderful choice!
...if we're gonna have Katherine as the interim...do we really need to find someone permanent? ;)
On Thu, Mar 10, 2016 at 10:05 PM, James Heilman jmh649@gmail.com
wrote:
A very positive move. Thank you Katherine for agreeing to step up
and
take
on this role. You have my full confidence :-)
James
On Thu, Mar 10, 2016 at 8:01 PM, Pharos <
pharosofalexandria@gmail.com
wrote:
Congratulations, Katherine!
She is an excellent choice to navigate us through for this
difficult
time.
Thanks, Pharos
On Thu, Mar 10, 2016 at 9:55 PM, Patricio Lorente < patricio.lorente@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello all, > > I’m happy to announce that the Wikimedia Foundation leadership
team
has
> proposed an interim Executive Director, and the Board has given
our
full
> support. Starting on March 14th, current Chief Communications
Officer
> Katherine Maher (
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Katherine_(WMF)
)
> will > step into the role of interim Executive Director. We thank the
C-levels
for > their careful consideration in this process, and Katherine for
stepping
up > during this period of transition. > > In choosing an interim ED, the C-levels started by identifying
immediate
> priorities for the coming months, including building trust,
improving
> communications, and filling key leadership positions. They felt,
and
we
> agree, that Katherine is the right person to lead the
organization
while
it > addresses these and other important issues. Additionally, this
will
allow
> the rest of the executive team to focus on critical
organizational
> functions, including community and engineering management,
fundraising,
and > strengthening our human resources function. You can read more
about
our
> process and thinking here: > >
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/March...
> > > Katherine has been with the Foundation as Chief Communications
Officer
for > about two years now. During that time, she has developed a
versatile
and
> effective team that serves the needs of the organization and
movement,
> collaborating closely with other departments and the community.
She
has
> thoughtfully introduced new capacities and led her team through > transitions, and played a critical role in shepherding the
strategy
process > and the annual plan, in collaboration with other C-levels. She is
known
for > listening to and empowering the people that she works with. > > For those who don’t know Katherine, she’s been a longtime
advocate
for
> global open communities, culture, and technology. She previously
led
> advocacy for the international digital rights organization Access
Now,
> where she worked on freedom of expression, access to information,
and
> privacy. She has supported the efforts of citizens and
governments
around
> the world to deepen transparency and participation in her roles
at
the
> World Bank, National Democratic Institute for International
Affairs,
and
> UNICEF (where her team built wikis for youth participation in
major
global > issues). She is a member of the advisory board of the Open
Technology
Fund. > > With interim leadership in place, our next step as the Board is
to
move
> quickly to plan and implement the search for a permanent
Executive
> Director. We will be working together over the coming weeks to
clarify
> roles and responsibilities in this search, and identify the best
way
for
> community and staff to participate. We want this process to be
inclusive
> and incorporate many voices. We look forward to sharing an update
on
our
> progress toward the end of next week. > > As interim Executive Director, Katherine will report to the
Board.
Geoff
> Brigham will continue serving as Board Secretary, and Jaime
Villagomez as
> Board Treasurer, reporting to the Board in those capacities. As
of
March
> 14, Katherine's reports include the C-team: Geoff Brigham, Jaime > Villagomez, Maggie Dennis, Lisa Gruwell, Joady Lohr, and Wes
Moran.
The
> Communications team will continue to report to Katherine for the
time
> being, with support from the leadership of Juliet Barbara and
Heather
> Walls. > > Thank you, > > Patricio > > Translation notice - This message is available for translation on > Meta-Wiki: > >
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/10_Ma...
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