[Wikimedia-l] Some next steps on a movement charter
rg/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/User_talk:MIskander-WMF> or by signing up for a conversation <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Community_Affairs_Committee/Talking:_2024> with Foundation leaders and Trustees at Talking: 2024. <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Community_Affairs_Committee/Talking:_2024> The Board of Trustees will watch this page <https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/Late_August_2024_update> for ongoing input and questions, and I will also provide regular updates here and elsewhere. Maryana Iskander CEO, Wikimedia Foundation Nataliia Tymkiv Chair, Board of Trustees Dariusz Jemielniak Chair, Governance Committee On Thu, Aug 1, 2024 at 5:35 PM Maryana Iskander wrote: > This message is being translated into other languages on Meta-wiki. > > العربية • español • français • português • 中文 > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation/Chief_Executive_Officer/Updates/August_2024_Update> > > You can help with more languages. > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation/Chief_Executive_Officer/Updates/August_2024_Update> > > Hi everyone - It’s approaching three years since I started getting to know > many of you through a nearly 300-person “listening tour” > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation/Chief_Executive_Officer/Maryana%E2%80%99s_Listening_Tour> > that was designed to help me understand the current needs and the future > aspirations of the Wikimedia movement. A couple of months later, I > officially joined the Wikimedia Foundation as CEO. Since then, I have > regularly > communicated here and elsewhere > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation/Chief_Executive_Officer/Updates>about > what I’ve been doing and learning. And by now, I have met with or spoken to > thousands of you all over the world. > > As some of us travel to Wikimania next week, I wanted to reflect on where > we are now – both in the world, and in our movement. I also want to share a > few thoughts on the things that are keeping me up these days, what is > giving me hope, and where I need more help as we try to move forward > together. > > ===Setting priorities, showing results=== > > When I arrived in 2022, it was a very difficult moment of transition at > the Wikimedia Foundation. Leadership changes are always disruptive, and I > was met with a growing list of demands from Foundation staff, affiliates, > volunteers, and others about what needed to be changed, fixed, added, > eliminated, expanded, or devolved. And there wasn’t much agreement on any > of them. > > I listened first, and then got to work prioritising the Foundation’s focus > in areas that felt urgent and important, including: > >- > >Shifting more financial resources > > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Annual_Plan/2024-2025/Budget_Details#Prioritizing_support_for_the_Movement> >to affiliates and other movement entities by slowing the Foundation’s own >growth; >- > >Centering the technology needs of contributors and projects > > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Annual_Plan/2024-2025#centeringtech> >as a top priority across the Foundation; >- > >Reaching and supporting global communities in many more languages > > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation/Communications/Organization_communications_translators_group> >(from 6 to 30+); >- > >Providing more transparency about the Foundation’s staffing levels > > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Annual_Plan/2024-2025/Budget_Details#Staff_overview>, >budgeting details > > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Annual_Plan/2024-2025/Budget_Details>, >human resources policies > > <https://diff.wikimedia.org/2023/05/03/building-a-global-staff-community-at-the-wikimedia-foundation/>, >and executive salaries > > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Annual_Plan/2023-2024/Foundation_Details#Compensation_Principles> >; >- > >Assembling a capable leadership team > > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation/Chief_Executive_Officer/Updates/Nine_month_update#Priority_2:_Leadership> >through both new hires and internal promotions ><https://wikimediafoundation.org/role/executive/> that is committed to >accountability, and strives to lead by example; >- > >Changing the Foundation’s orientation to have a more explicit external >focus > > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation
[Wikimedia-l] Where to from here?
the practical trade-offs and real-world consequences of those changes. I am confident that the input provided on the Foundation’s open proposal plus the conversations next week for those attending Wikimania will help us find a clearer path forward together. ===Rational optimism=== These governance questions may be discouraging to some of you right now. Not me. I know we can solve them… and draw on the best of our values and humanity along the way. One second ago, people around the world accessed Wikipedia <https://diff.wikimedia.org/2024/07/26/the-journey-to-open-our-first-data-center-in-south-america/> 5,500 times. Our reach is consequential. I see from our readers, donors, partners, and allies that what we do is needed now more than ever before. I see that our values continue to unite people <https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2024/04/23/open-letter-protect-wikipedia-global-digital-compact/> everywhere. I see that we can work with others to advance our commitments <https://wikimediafoundation.org/our-work/open-the-knowledge/journalism-awards/> to equity. In tough moments, this global community always finds its way through. That’s what the Wikimedia movement has been doing for almost 25 years, in spite of the critics, naysayers, and sceptics. We do this by assuming good faith <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Assume_good_faith>, engaging with respect and civility <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Five_pillars#Wikipedia's_editors_should_treat_each_other_with_respect_and_civility>, expressing appreciation <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Barnstars>, and talking through our disagreements. And above all, having each other’s backs <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Village_pump_(WMF)/Archive_7#c-Ganesha811-20240627142100-WMF_has_our_back> now when the world is really counting on us. I welcome your reflections and your input on-wiki <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/Board_resolution_and_vote_on_the_proposed_Movement_Charter/Appendix> about the path forward. You can contact me at miskan...@wikimedia.org or on my talk page <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/User_talk:MIskander-WMF> or by signing up for a conversation <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Community_Affairs_Committee/Talking:_2024> with me and other Foundation leaders and Trustees at Talking: 2024. Maryana Maryana Iskander Wikimedia Foundation CEO ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l Public archives at https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/EVHMZZE6JPFKCRGPN2ADGVXJSVQ7O3ET/ To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org
[Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Draft Annual Plan & Request for Input
gether, the four goals are a blueprint to improve the technology that makes Wikimedia projects possible, support and enable our global communities, protect our values, and do so effectively and efficiently over the coming year. - Finances and budget: The plan also includes details about the Foundation’s financial model and our budget. The Foundation’s budget reflects ongoing trade-offs, as we see a slowing rate of new revenue growth. To meet this new reality, the Foundation has slowed its growth significantly over the past two years and made reductions in staffing and expenses last year. Since 2022, funding to other movement entities has outpaced the Foundation's growth rate, which remains the case for this year’s plan. Finally, this draft plan arrives during community conversations about a proposed Movement Charter, which will undergo a community vote in June 2024. In alignment with the principles of subsidiarity <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Movement_Strategy/Principles#Subsidiarity_&_Self-Management> and efficiency <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Movement_Strategy/Principles#Efficiency>, the Wikimedia Foundation remains committed to sharing and transferring responsibilities that other Wikimedia organizations are better equipped to own. The Foundation has benefited from regular and direct engagement with the Movement Charter Drafting Committee (MCDC), and conversations with many stakeholders worldwide to inform and shape its perspectives on future responsibilities <https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Movement_Charter&oldid=26310743#Wikimedia_Foundation_perspectives_on_the_Global_Council>. The Board of Trustees and leadership also discussed different scenarios, including with the MCDC, to assess the readiness of the Foundation to make changes to the status quo from now – and independently of the ratification results. We are already preparing these functions to be overseen jointly with volunteers as sustained change takes time, and to do it well, structural changes will need to begin with careful deliberation from now: - Participatory resource allocation: In 2020, we created the Regional Funds Committees <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Committees> to advise the Foundation on regional resource allocation and make funding decisions about community grants. This year, we will ask the committees to partner with the Foundation to advise on regional allocations, bringing us closer to participatory resource allocation and ensuring greater equity in grants decision making. - A pilot Product and Technology Advisory Council: This concept builds on the existing Wikimedia Foundation Product and Technology Committee <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Product_and_Technology_Committee> and follows the Technology Council's movement strategy initiative. This year, we will try out a pilot to review and advise the Wikimedia Foundation's Product and technology work. - Improved Affiliate Strategy: In the previous year, the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustee liaisons worked with the Affiliations Committee, affiliates, and Foundation staff to improve the Wikimedia Foundation Affiliate Strategy <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Affiliates_Strategy/Review>. This year, we will take forward the learnings and answer some key questions from the process. The narrative long-form draft Annual Plan is a lengthy 23,000 words to ensure that it can serve as a comprehensive overview and also source material for other presentations and shorter summaries. We invite your input and questions over the coming weeks in whatever form you prefer: on-wiki on Meta, project village pumps, and by joining virtual community calls hosted by communities worldwide. Thank you, Maryana Maryana Iskander Wikimedia Foundation CEO ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l Public archives at https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/XER6M7X2LPMRVI4N5MPXMZ5G4UUMBIQR/ To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org
[Wikimedia-l] February 2024 Update
oundation_Community_Affairs_Committee/Talking:_2024#Let's_talk> . For me, each conversation has been a reminder that what drives this movement is the people. We remain at a pivotal moment, where the world needs Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects more than ever. As one of you shared, “I feel like there is a way because we have made a way, an experience of community that connects people across the world.” As always, I welcome your feedback either on my talk page <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/User_talk:MIskander-WMF> or emailing me directly at miskan...@wikimedia.org. Maryana Maryana Iskander, Wikimedia Foundation CEO ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l Public archives at https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/YI5KUYTCCYTTEISGM3APGXYMQUVFAZNM/ To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org
[Wikimedia-l] Updates from Wikimedia Foundation CEO & Invitation to Talking: 2024
t division of labor to achieve our goals? This is intended to support movement charter deliberations, and also to directly identify challenges in our decision-making and governance structures: - What would be the purpose of creating additional entities now, and can we repurpose or close down other entities to achieve these goals? - Are there roles the Foundation should stop playing or let others lead? - How can we speed up technical decision-making? - How do we ensure that global contributors, whether organized into affiliate structures or not, can voice their perspectives and needs efficiently and effectively? - Where and how should we continue to evaluate, iterate, and adapt to the changing needs of our movement and the world around us? Of course this is not a comprehensive list of all the issues that need to be addressed. It is a starting point for key topics that I believe need a longer view. You will see in the next section that I am asking for your help in figuring out how we progress from here. Invite to Talking: 2024… Alongside learning about Wikimedia’s work in these last two years, I have also focused a lot of my energy on learning about our ways of working together. Fulfilling our mission calls for more human interactions, on- and off-wiki, that are designed to create more shared understanding, and hopefully grow trust. The return of in-person gatherings has been essential for a subset of our volunteers, providing spaces for reconnecting, recharging and working through difficult issues together in the same room. Foundation leadership has also been working harder to share organizational news and have individualized conversations on-wiki and in other digital forums. The goal is to put more effort and intentionality into communicating the right information, at the right time, and in the right way, even knowing that we can never meet everyone's expectations. It is also important for us to talk to each other throughout the year – formally and informally. To support this, over the next few months I am asking our Trustees and my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation to join me in a different kind of listening tour: more of a two-way dialogue that is designed to listen intently to what is on your minds now, and to also share progress and ideas about our multi-year planning. We can spend time learning from each other in the context of: - consequential events taking place in 2024 (e.g., critical elections <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_elections_in_2024>, a movement charter, enforcement of the Universal Code of Conduct, compliance requirements for the Digital Services Act, and how to respond to lawmakers around the world who are concerned about the impact of digital technologies on society); - our annual plan supporting 2030 movement strategy objectives of knowledge equity and knowledge as a service; - longer-range questions to secure our projects for generations yet to come; - and anything else on your mind! I hope you will decide to participate. You can sign up <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Community_Affairs_Committee/Talking:_2024> for on- and off-wiki options between October and February, including individual conversations with Trustees, me, and other Foundation leaders. These discussions are intended to improve deliberations at the Board’s strategic planning retreat next March, and a summary of what we heard will be shared with everyone in advance of March. The Wikimedia Foundation's value to listening and sharing with more curiosity <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Values#We_listen_and_share_with_curiosity> will shape how we show up, and I hope everyone who is interested in participating will bring the same approach. As always, I welcome your feedback either on my talk page <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/User_talk:MIskander-WMF> or emailing me directly at miskan...@wikimedia.org. Maryana Maryana Iskander Wikimedia Foundation CEO ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l Public archives at https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/LUGKNZ64L2CCAZUAIRII4Q2C2YVNK23L/ To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org
[Wikimedia-l] Some Updates & Foundation’s 2023-2024 Annual Plan
h than in past years. Over the past month, we have made internal budget cuts, prioritizing non-personnel expenses but also reducing staffing by 5 percent. These difficult decisions were made to support a more sustainable trajectory in expenses for the coming few years, and also to maintain our overall funding levels to movement partners (including more funding in all regions while prioritizing proportionally larger growth in underrepresented regions). 1. More granular information about how the Foundation operates. To increase visibility and accountability [12], this annual plan includes more detailed financial projections, such as various budget breakdowns of how we allocate our resources. It also shares more granular organizational information, such as our department goals, people processes, global guidelines, and compensation principles. This is meant to complement some of the Foundation’s recently published Diff posts outlining our approach to pay visibility [13] and describing how we support a highly-distributed remote workforce [14]. I hope this level of detail will result in more good-faith conversations about what is, and what is not, possible to do with the resources that we have. Over the next month, all of us at the Wikimedia Foundation look forward to hearing more from you on the direction we are taking. We have tried to enable this in whatever form you prefer: on-wiki on Meta [15], project village pumps, and open calls both virtual and in person [16] that are being hosted over the coming weeks, many in partnership with global communities around the world. Your comments, reflections, and provocations will help improve what we have proposed to do before the Foundation’s Board of Trustees considers the plan and budget in their June meeting. I continue to welcome your direct engagement at miskan...@wikimedia.org or on my talk page [17]. Maryana Maryana Iskander Wikimedia Foundation CEO p.s. On a more personal note – in keeping with the tradition of transparency on additional board roles, earlier this year I shared with the Wikimedia Foundation Trustees that I am under consideration to join the board of Yale University, my law school alma mater. The alumni election process is underway now, and I will let you know the results when they are finalized. [1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Chief_Executive_Officer/Updates/Year_One_Update [2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Chief_Executive_Officer/Updates#Maryana_Iskander [3] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/March_2023_Meeting_Outcomes_from_Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_of_Trustees [4] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Leadership_team/Chief_Product_and_Technology_Officer/Selena%27s_Listening_Tour [5] https://diff.wikimedia.org/2023/04/17/we-are-in-this-mission-together-refreshing-the-values-of-the-wikimedia-foundation/ [6] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Annual_Plan/2023-2024 [7] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Annual_Plan/2023-2024/Draft/External_Trends [8] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Annual_Plan/2023-2024/Draft/External_Trends/Community_call_notes [9]https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Movement_Strategy/Recommendations/Summary [10]https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2017 [11] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Annual_Plan/2023-2024/Draft/Product_%26_Technology#Wiki_Experiences [12] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Movement_Strategy/Principles#Transparency_&_Accountability [13] https://diff.wikimedia.org/2023/02/17/wikimedia-foundation-remote-first-and-global-community-of-staff/ [14] https://diff.wikimedia.org/2023/04/06/wikimedia-foundation-global-guidelines-policies-practices/ [15] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_Foundation_Annual_Plan/2023-2024 [16] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Annual_Plan/2023-2024/Collaboration [17] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/User_talk:MIskander-WMF ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l Public archives at https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/3GHSZ7Q6HUQINTTMZM3NPJBCQBH4GGJX/ To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org
[Wikimedia-l] One Year Update
ur annual planning cycle. Annual planning is being led this year by the needs of our Product & Technology departments. This will be the first time since about 2015 that these two departments will undertake joint planning. Our intent is to repeat the two-way planning processes we experimented with last year, both on-wiki and off-wiki <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Annual_Plan/2022-2023/Feedback_Appendix> . Finally, we intend to provide more granular information about the Foundation's staffing, team structures, and specific budgets as an outcome of these planning efforts. On leadership, we have welcomed new Trustees <https://diff.wikimedia.org/2022/12/12/the-wikimedia-foundation-welcomes-two-community-and-affiliate-selected-trustees/> to the Board following the last community-and-affiliate election. I also made a few senior staff appointments: Lisa Gruwell was named Deputy to the CEO alongside her responsibilities as Chief Advancement Officer; Anusha Alikhan became the head of communications at the Wikimedia Foundation; Nadee Gunasena was appointed Chief of Staff; and as of this week, Stephen LaPorte formally begins as the next General Counsel. I believe that values and culture will matter the most for any real reset <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Village_pump_(proposals)/Archive_197#Comment_from_Nataliia,_Chair_of_the_Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_of_Trustees> to occur in how the Wikimedia Foundation relates to communities, and vice-versa. This is especially true when trust has to be built and maintained; and when any kind of change has to be catalyzed and sustained. The Board and Foundation tried to model this in how we heard and responded to the request for changes in fundraising banners. And we will continue to spend more time reflecting on what the world and our global communities need from us now. I think we are heading more in the right direction and continue to welcome your feedback either on my talk page <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/User_talk:MIskander-WMF> or at miskan...@wikimedia.org. Maryana Maryana Iskander Wikimedia Foundation CEO ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l Public archives at https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/7WCRKESMDJCDA3QIJLXPKYJEZ2F3XQZE/ To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org
[Wikimedia-l] Nine Month Update & Foundation Leadership Team
ill add more organization-wide responsibilities to existing leadership roles in order to increase accountability, improve coordination, and reduce silos. I am pleased to share that Lisa Gruwell ( lgruw...@wikimedia.org) will assume additional responsibilities as a Deputy to the CEO while also remaining the Chief Advancement Officer. I believe this will provide the Foundation with further leadership stability as well as provide important institutional memory given Lisa’s 12+ years of Wikimedia experience. In that time, Lisa has delivered an unparalleled track record of results throughout every chapter of the Foundation’s history since its inception. She has supported communities around the globe and engaged allies in embracing the vision of Wikimedia. Lisa is always looking to the future and asking how we can deepen the impact of our work. She often channels the voices of our contributors, readers and donors – I have seen firsthand how deeply Lisa cares about this mission and the people who make it possible from those at the Foundation, in our movement, and around the world. Legal Working closely with General Counsel Amanda Keton, we recently appointed Stephen LaPorte (slapo...@wikimedia.org) as Deputy General Counsel. This is a key role that the Foundation’s legal team has had for several years. In addition to leading the Legal Affairs and Public Policy teams for the last decade, Stephen has built a track record of effective partnership with communities to support our technical aspirations, while seeing around the corners of the policy landscape to protect and expand free knowledge. We will all benefit from Stephen’s experience and wisdom in this role. Communications The Foundation’s communications department is led by Vice President Anusha Alikhan (aalik...@wikimedia.org) to support strategic efforts for external, movement, and Foundation audiences. Anusha joined Wikimedia in 2019 from the Knight Foundation and has prior experience as a freelance journalist, editor and lawyer. Her leadership of the communications team recognizes Anusha’s capabilities as a consummate communications professional, her embodiment of Wikimedia’s values, and her unwavering commitment to equity and inclusion. Finance & Administration Jaime Villagomez (jvillago...@wikimedia.org) remains our Chief Financial Officer, very capably overseeing the Foundation’s finance and administration teams to steward our finances, strengthen the operational infrastructure of our movement, and enable the Foundation to better meet its strategic objectives. Talent & Culture Alongside an experienced team of leaders, I am temporarily heading up our Talent & Culture department in order to learn more about what is needed at this time – I plan to make further leadership decisions by the end of the year. Chief of Staff Finally, I have redefined the Chief of Staff role to support the broader organization and movement, not only the CEO. Communicating regularly and effectively, not just to relay information but to create shared understanding across diverse stakeholders, is one of the most important capabilities we need at the Foundation, and this role is intended to help us all. Nadee Gunasena (ngunas...@wikimedia.org) recently became Chief of Staff after four years of executive communications support at the Wikimedia Foundation. Many of you may already know Nadee as someone who stands ready to help affiliates and community members with communications and other needs. Priority 3: Values and Culture Strategy, planning and leadership are necessary ingredients for success. My experience has taught me that values and culture often matter more. I have been on a journey seeking to understand how the Wikimedia Foundation’s organizational values <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Values> are lived in practice. And how values can clarify what others should expect of us. This feels like an important question now, especially given how much has changed at the Foundation since these were first penned in 2016. We are beginning those conversations between now and December following input from employee groups, our Board of Trustees, as well as data from a recent all-staff survey. I am always interested to hear from others who also think about values and how they shape organizational culture and performance. I haven’t stopped asking for time to keep learning from all of you - thank you to those who have reached out for more conversations and to share perspectives. I can always be reached directly at miskan...@wikimedia.org. Maryana Maryana Iskander Wikimedia Foundation CEO ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l Public archives at https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/ZC4R63OMDY6IVGHEZ
[Wikimedia-l] Selena Deckelmann joins as Chief Product & Technology Officer
Hi all, When I started in January, I shared with you that one of my top priorities <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Chief_Executive_Officer/Maryana%E2%80%99s_Listening_Tour/My_Incoming_Priorities> coming to the Wikimedia Foundation was to actively step in and support the Foundation’s product and technology teams while we recruited executive leadership of these mission critical functions with a new Chief Product and Technology Officer. I am delighted to introduce you to Selena Deckelmann, who will be joining the Wikimedia Foundation on August 1. She is based in Portland, Oregon in the United States. Selena is currently the Senior Vice President at Mozilla, where she has been for the last nine years. She leads the Firefox organization of more than 400 people responsible for all Firefox product and technology functions including desktop, mobile, web platform, and browser services. I have gotten to know Selena over several months and also learned from people who have worked with her over many years. She is known for successfully driving change by getting stakeholders aligned around what’s needed, and being seen as a trusted partner. Selena has built strong credibility over many years with colleagues and also with a broader developer community. She is described as a leader who can make the tough decisions, develop skills, grow diverse contributors, and inspire teams. She also has a great laugh and looks for joy in her work! As context for the recruitment process: given the critical need to get this right, we used two firms with global search expertise who specialized in product/technology executive leadership roles. This meant double the work, but allowed us to more quickly build a large, globally diverse pool of over 500 candidates. Once we identified a smaller number of finalists, they participated in real-life case studies of some of our current challenges and met with Wikimedia stakeholders over the course of many months. As you all know, we have a highly unique and sometimes difficult environment with a multifaceted mission, complex structure, and often competing stakeholders. This is going to be a challenge for anyone, especially given the steep learning curve at Wikimedia (which I can confirm from my own experience!). I hope you will sign up to help me successfully onboard Selena as she gets started! Selena will share her own message with you shortly, and she can be reached directly at sdeckelm...@wikimedia.org. Maryana Maryana Iskander Wikimedia Foundation CEO *** https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2022/06/13/wikimedia-foundation-welcomes-selena-deckelmann/ Wikimedia Foundation welcomes Selena Deckelmann as Chief Product and Technology Officer 13 June 2022, San Francisco — The Wikimedia Foundation today announced the appointment of Selena Deckelmann as Chief Product and Technology Officer. Selena is currently serving as Senior Vice President of Mozilla, where she was responsible for Firefox. She will officially join on August 1, 2022. Selena will lead the product and technology teams at the Wikimedia Foundation. These teams support the technology infrastructure and innovation that powers Wikimedia projects, including Wikipedia, one of the most visited websites in the world with more than 16 billion pageviews per month. They also enable more than 300,000 global volunteers to edit Wikimedia projects each month. “Selena has a proven track record of delivering results by enabling individuals and teams to tackle unique and often complex challenges,” said Maryana Iskander, CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation. “She has dedicated her career to open source technologies for empowerment and inclusion.” At Mozilla, where she has been for nearly a decade, Selena currently leads the Firefox organization of more than 400 people responsible for all Firefox product and technology functions including desktop, mobile, web platform, and browser services. She oversaw some of the company’s most significant achievements including performance projects like Quantum Flow, architectural changes like Project Fission, key features like Enhanced Tracking Protection and Total Cookie Protection, and services such as Firefox Monitor. In her nine years at Mozilla, Selena held various other roles including Vice President for Firefox Desktop, Senior Director for Web Platform Engineering and Gecko Runtime, and Senior Manager for Gecko Security Engineering. Selena also brings experience from her previous roles as co-founder of Prime Radiant, a software as a service business that explored how to improve business processes at scale with checklist automation software, and as Consulting Director of Development for The Ada Initiative, an organization that was dedicated to increasing the participation of women in open source and technology communities. She was a major contributor to PostgreSQL, one of the largest free and open source databases in the world. “Open collaboration produces better solutio
[Wikimedia-l] Three Month Update & Wikimedia Foundation Draft Annual Plan
ds, efforts, and opportunities across communities and to identify further collaborations that could be developed or deepened by region, by project, or by another area of interest. Inspired by our projects, the Foundation’s draft plan is on Meta as a long-form text document in multiple languages. [7] We hope this format will allow for more (and multilingual) engagement on substance and ideas, while also communicating complexity and nuance that may be difficult to achieve only through slides and spreadsheets. We have identified some thematic areas, not an exhaustive list of every Foundation initiative underway now. In some areas, we have described challenges with proposed solutions, and in other areas we have defined experiments to simply provide a concrete starting point for new ways of working. Over the next month, we invite input from those who are interested on the Meta talk page or by joining open calls being hosted in different time zones. [8] We’ll track comments on Meta and from the calls to shape a final document that the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees will approve in June. Priority 2: Leadership for our product and technology teams I highlighted in January that CEO transitions are disruptive for most organisations and change often continues after a new leader has arrived. One of my most immediate tasks has been to actively step in and support the Foundation’s Product and Technology departments while we recruit for executive leadership of these mission critical functions. I have spent most of my time in the first quarter with these teams, looking for opportunities to improve our ways of working even during a period of leadership transition. I have also studied the history and evolution of the Foundation’s Product and Technology departments, which were first separated in 2015. Despite excellent work in both areas, the distance between Product and Technology has grown in recent years. At this moment in time, we will be best served by a single leader serving as the Wikimedia Foundation’s Chief Product & Technology Officer to share accountability with me for how we plan and execute our work end-to-end across product and engineering. Hiring the right talent at this level is both art and science. So far, we have sourced hundreds of candidates in a global search spanning the world, although it will remain a rolling process until we find the right leader. I hope to share more soon. Priority 3: Our Values My final priority has been seeking to understand how the Wikimedia Foundation’s organizational values are lived in practice. [9] This process remains ongoing. Over the past three months I have started by engaging the diverse employee resource groups at the Foundation, as well as our Board of Trustees. Alongside this, I continue to support movement governance processes, meet with some of our most important collaborators in the free knowledge ecosystem, and invest in building a stronger partnership with our Trustees, many of whom are also new to their roles. And I am still listening and learning - thank you to those who have offered time for conversations and to share varying perspectives. Since my arrival, I have been communicating on a weekly basis with all Wikimedia Foundation staff and also with the board. I welcome feedback on how often you also want to hear from me - probably not every week! Wishing a peaceful holiday weekend ahead for those who may be celebrating, Maryana Maryana Iskander Wikimedia Foundation CEO [1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/14_September_2021_-_Welcoming_the_new_Wikimedia_Foundation_CEO [2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Chief_Executive_Officer/Maryana%E2%80%99s_Listening_Tour [3] https://diff.wikimedia.org/2022/01/28/what-does-the-world-need-from-us-now-external-trends-to-watch/ [4] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Medium-term_plan_2019/Annual_Plan_2021-2022#Budget [5] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Medium-term_plan_2019 [6] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2017#Our_strategic_direction:_Service_and_Equity [7] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Annual_Plan/2022-2023/draft [8] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Annual_Plan/2022-2023/draft/Your_Input [9] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Values ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l Public archives at https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/2L5AXE5SLHSVZKURWQOARE2EDSZMBOKW/ To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org
[Wikimedia-l] Re: An Open Letter to Maryana Iskander
Hi Frederick - Nice to hear from you again. I look forward to reading the letter. Maryana On Mon, Apr 11, 2022 at 9:19 PM Frederick Noronha < fredericknoro...@gmail.com> wrote: > https://www.opensourceforu.com/2022/01/an-open-letter-to-maryana-iskander/ > > -- > > > > April 2022 | Frederick Noronha. 784 Saligao 403511 Goa > > Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa | M (after 2pm) +91 9822122436 Twitter @fn > > 1 2 | > > 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 | fredericknoron...@gmail.com > > 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 | Books. Words. Photos. Wikipedia. Networks > > 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 | PHOTOS: https://flickr.com/photos/fn-goa/ > > 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 | VIDEOS: http://t.ly/58ji > > > > > [image: Mailtrack] > <https://streaklinks.com/BAW3dz7FReUOVUpCiQBJ0g7B/https%3A%2F%2Fmailtrack.io%3Futm_source%3Dgmail%26utm_medium%3Dsignature%26utm_campaign%3Dsignaturevirality11%26> > Sender > notified by > Mailtrack > <https://streaklinks.com/BAW3dz7Y2M9FFABwcQGf-1jV/https%3A%2F%2Fmailtrack.io%3Futm_source%3Dgmail%26utm_medium%3Dsignature%26utm_campaign%3Dsignaturevirality11%26> > 12/04/22, > 12:45:14 am > ᐧ > > ᐧ > ___ > Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines > at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > Public archives at > https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/32E7OBAV6HAK6UG4AJYSZR5ZSJXVCINK/ > To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l Public archives at https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/RSS53DAGBY3MYYBONA6ONYZFFSOTZBWL/ To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org
[Wikimedia-l] Puzzles & Priorities Follow-Up and News from the Wikimedia Foundation
Hi all, Two weeks ago, I shared reflections from my listening tour <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Chief_Executive_Officer/Maryana%E2%80%99s_Listening_Tour> including five ‘puzzles’ that I believe require shared problem-solving from all of us. The first puzzle asked: ‘what does the world need from us now?’ I heard from many of you about the urgency of connecting our work to the real-world trends impacting free knowledge in societies across the globe. I'd like to start thinking together about these and what they require of our movement. As I mentioned in my priorities, this month the Foundation kicked off a new approach to annual planning for our next fiscal year (from 01 July 2022- 30 June 2023). We are currently working to understand how the Foundation’s current resources support all Wikimedia projects, regions, language communities and audiences. In April, we’ll be ready to share what we’ve learned, and will host conversations on how to better shape this work for next year and beyond. We also started our planning process by looking at some key trends that may impact the future of the free knowledge ecosystem – you can read more about this on Diff <https://diff.wikimedia.org/2022/01/28/what-does-the-world-need-from-us-now-external-trends-to-watch/> and Meta <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Chief_Executive_Officer/Maryana%E2%80%99s_Listening_Tour/External_Trends>. Some of these trends (about the changing nature of online search, new approaches to content moderation, and responses to the rise of misinformation and disinformation) are not only about the future, but also about the present. They require long-term thinking and raise several big questions: - What tradeoffs or changes might the Foundation – and our movement – need to make as the nature of search changes online and government regulations increase? - How should we position our movement to best respond? What role can we play as individual contributors, affiliates, communities, and the Foundation? - What else are we missing in our thinking about relevant trends? I welcome any feedback on the Listening Tour Meta page <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_Foundation_Chief_Executive_Officer/Maryana%E2%80%99s_Listening_Tour> or by emailing me directly. These questions need multi-year answers, but this brainstorm to inform our annual plan is a first step. I will also share periodic updates from the Wikimedia Foundation here and on Meta. Today, I wanted to let you know that Robyn Arville, the Wikimedia Foundation’s Chief of Talent and Culture Officer, has decided that the time has come for her to recharge and begin thinking about her next adventure. She will be stepping down in early April, giving us time for a very stable and orderly transition in the months ahead. Robyn joined Foundation in 2019, and has led several important initiatives to improve learning and development opportunities for staff, introduce new DEI initiatives for the Foundation, and recruit a more diverse, global workforce. She also served as a member of the Transition Team leading the Foundation during the CEO search last year. I hope you will join me and the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees in thanking Robyn for her service and contributions. Thanks for taking the time to read this message. Maryana Maryana Iskander Wikimedia Foundation CEO On Fri, Jan 14, 2022 at 8:01 AM Maryana Iskander wrote: > Dear all, > > Four months ago today, I introduced myself as the incoming CEO of the > Wikimedia Foundation [1]. Two weeks following my first letter to you below, > I launched a two-month listening tour. I spent this time doing three > things: (1) talking with people – I spoke with 275 people from 55 > countries; (2) joining community events – I participated virtually in 17 > community-organised events around the world that gathered over 750 > volunteers; and (3) meeting with staff teams across the Wikimedia > Foundation. A summary is available on Meta [2]. > > I engaged on and off-wiki with people who reached out directly. I also > asked to speak to those who may not usually have the loudest voices. I > posed questions about our vision, mission, impact, strategy and how we > relate to the rest of the world. I asked what we know from evidence, > research and data – not only our own opinions. I tried to deeply understand > our current ways of working, how they have been shaped by the past, and > what they may mean for the future. And I delighted in listening to stories > about what motivates people at a personal level to contribute to their > projects and communities. > > Several hundred conversations later, I want to share with you the five > “puzzles” [3] that will shape my incoming priorities for the first six > months. The quotes I’ve included to describe each puzzle come from these &
[Wikimedia-l] Puzzles and Priorities | Reflections from Maryana’s Listening Tour
Dear all, Four months ago today, I introduced myself as the incoming CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation [1]. Two weeks following my first letter to you below, I launched a two-month listening tour. I spent this time doing three things: (1) talking with people – I spoke with 275 people from 55 countries; (2) joining community events – I participated virtually in 17 community-organised events around the world that gathered over 750 volunteers; and (3) meeting with staff teams across the Wikimedia Foundation. A summary is available on Meta [2]. I engaged on and off-wiki with people who reached out directly. I also asked to speak to those who may not usually have the loudest voices. I posed questions about our vision, mission, impact, strategy and how we relate to the rest of the world. I asked what we know from evidence, research and data – not only our own opinions. I tried to deeply understand our current ways of working, how they have been shaped by the past, and what they may mean for the future. And I delighted in listening to stories about what motivates people at a personal level to contribute to their projects and communities. Several hundred conversations later, I want to share with you the five “puzzles” [3] that will shape my incoming priorities for the first six months. The quotes I’ve included to describe each puzzle come from these conversations. I certainly haven’t learned everything or spoken yet to everyone. But I have chosen to describe what I heard so far as “puzzles” because they will require collective ingenuity and shared problem-solving if we are to achieve ambitious aspirations and tackle complex challenges. Thank you to everyone who made the time to speak with me. While the ‘tour’ may be done, my listening and learning continues. Look out for more information from me in the coming weeks about how you can help us shape the Foundation and movement’s future. Thank you, Maryana [1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/14_September_2021_-_Welcoming_the_new_Wikimedia_Foundation_CEO [2] https://w.wiki/4gH$ [3] https://w.wiki/4gHz On Tue, Sep 14, 2021 at 8:35 AM Maryana Iskander wrote: > Dear All, > > Thank you for this opportunity to introduce myself to you. > > When I read the job position [1] for the next leader of Wikimedia > Foundation, I noticed that it opened with a seemingly simple statement: > “Knowledge belongs to all of us.” Does it, really? It’s a striking > statement. In an increasingly unequal and polarizing world, one in which > almost nothing belongs to all of us, the idea that knowledge *must *belong > to all is enough to capture anyone’s attention and imagination – certainly > mine. > > My story is shaped by a twin belief that knowledge can also set us free. > Shortly after I was born in Cairo, Egypt, my parents left for the United > States. During my time at university, graduate school, and law school, I > was consistently pulled towards some of society’s toughest issues – women’s > rights, civil rights, and the rights of prisoners. I was equally pulled by > the need to be effective in making change – seeking out leadership > positions and raising my hand and voice to change the institutions of > power, not just protest against them. I learned that the opportunity to > make meaningful impact often sits ‘in-between’ traditional spheres: > in-between research and teaching at Rice University, in-between healthcare > delivery and advocacy at Planned Parenthood, and in-between government and > the private sector at Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator. My time at all > of these organisations required listening to and learning from many diverse > stakeholders – including volunteers – and using my position of leadership > to champion often unheard voices. > > > > In 2012, I followed my heart to South Africa and its very complicated > society – a legacy of apartheid perpetuating deep inequality despite the > resilience of communities full of potential and hope, and a country with > one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world. A new > organisation had just been formed with a big vision to close this > opportunity gap. I signed up, first as an unpaid volunteer, and then for > many years as the CEO. My job has been to cultivate a common space of trust > for the collective assets of the society – from government, the private > sector, civil society, and millions of young people – to work in a > coalition to tackle one of the most daunting challenges of our time. To do > this, we relied on an inclusive, multi-channel platform that leverages all > forms of technology as a way to serve communities still riddled by a basic > lack of access. Our successes came from the power of connection, > partnership, and a collective belief that young people are the solution, > not the problem. As I began my tent
[Wikimedia-l] Incoming CEO Listening Tour
Hi everyone - Thank you for the messages of welcome that I have received since my announcement [1] last Tuesday as the incoming CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation. As I mentioned in my welcome letter below, I am officially joining in January 2022 and would like to use the next few months for a “listening tour” to help me do just that: listen and learn. If you are interested in sharing, you can find details on Meta now [2]. I welcome input from anyone who would like to share and look forward to meeting some of you on the screen and maybe even in person! Thank you, Maryana [1] *https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/14_September_2021_-_Welcoming_the_new_Wikimedia_Foundation_CEO <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/14_September_2021_-_Welcoming_the_new_Wikimedia_Foundation_CEO>* [2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Chief_Executive_Officer/Maryana%E2%80%99s_Listening_Tour On Tue, Sep 14, 2021 at 5:35 PM Maryana Iskander wrote: > Dear All, > > Thank you for this opportunity to introduce myself to you. > > When I read the job position [1] for the next leader of Wikimedia > Foundation, I noticed that it opened with a seemingly simple statement: > “Knowledge belongs to all of us.” Does it, really? It’s a striking > statement. In an increasingly unequal and polarizing world, one in which > almost nothing belongs to all of us, the idea that knowledge *must *belong > to all is enough to capture anyone’s attention and imagination – certainly > mine. > > My story is shaped by a twin belief that knowledge can also set us free. > Shortly after I was born in Cairo, Egypt, my parents left for the United > States. During my time at university, graduate school, and law school, I > was consistently pulled towards some of society’s toughest issues – women’s > rights, civil rights, and the rights of prisoners. I was equally pulled by > the need to be effective in making change – seeking out leadership > positions and raising my hand and voice to change the institutions of > power, not just protest against them. I learned that the opportunity to > make meaningful impact often sits ‘in-between’ traditional spheres: > in-between research and teaching at Rice University, in-between healthcare > delivery and advocacy at Planned Parenthood, and in-between government and > the private sector at Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator. My time at all > of these organisations required listening to and learning from many diverse > stakeholders – including volunteers – and using my position of leadership > to champion often unheard voices. > > > > In 2012, I followed my heart to South Africa and its very complicated > society – a legacy of apartheid perpetuating deep inequality despite the > resilience of communities full of potential and hope, and a country with > one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world. A new > organisation had just been formed with a big vision to close this > opportunity gap. I signed up, first as an unpaid volunteer, and then for > many years as the CEO. My job has been to cultivate a common space of trust > for the collective assets of the society – from government, the private > sector, civil society, and millions of young people – to work in a > coalition to tackle one of the most daunting challenges of our time. To do > this, we relied on an inclusive, multi-channel platform that leverages all > forms of technology as a way to serve communities still riddled by a basic > lack of access. Our successes came from the power of connection, > partnership, and a collective belief that young people are the solution, > not the problem. As I began my tenth year, I felt it was time to make space > for new leaders. > > > > Why am I joining the Wikimedia Foundation at this moment? There are many > reasons: (1) this collective of projects is growing what is perhaps the > most important commons infrastructure of our modern world. I am excited to > add my time and talents to this vision. What will it take to create – not > just imagine – a world in which every single human being can freely share > in the sum of all knowledge? (2) I have experienced first-hand that > distributed leadership models can usually achieve more than any group of > people can do on their own. I am eager to support processes that will make > this even more true for our movement; and (3) I am drawn to working with > people of integrity and commitment, who also appreciate humor and joy. I > can already see that I will meet new colleagues like this from all over the > world. > > > > My former colleagues will say that I believe progress is enabled by > culture: one that is founded on accountability, diversity and inclusion in > all
[Wikimedia-l] Re: Welcoming the new Wikimedia Foundation CEO
in 2019 where I met a volunteer editor on English Wikipedia. The next year, he reached out to me to say that Wikipedia was looking to increase its articles about notable women, and he would write an article about me [2] in line with Wikipedia’s editing values. He eventually did this with the help of another editor from “Women in Red.” Second, on World Teachers Day in October 2019, my current organisation, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, participated in an AfroCuration event hosted by WikiAfrica Education. It was aimed at generating new historical content on Wikipedia related to the themes of democracy, freedom, and constitution-making. The goal was to support students and teachers to create articles in indigenous languages about individuals who contributed to South Africa’s remarkable Constitution. I look forward to beginning my own editing and volunteer journey as well as my professional path in the movement. *What are three things I want to learn from you?* My first job is to listen and seek to understand. Even before I officially join the Wikimedia Foundation in January 2022, I would like to hear from anyone who is interested in sharing directly with me. Later this month, I will send more information about a focused ‘listening tour’ that will take place ahead of my formal start date. It will consist of online and offline engagements across Wiki communities, as well as with Foundation staff and other stakeholders. I know that we are many communities with many different opinions. I will of course first ask you what you think: about our vision, mission, impact, strategy, how we relate to the rest of the world, as well as our current and future ways of working and achieving our aspirations. But I will also ask you to help me learn what you know from data, even if it differs from what you think. I am curious about the spaces ‘in between’ opinion and evidence – as messy or imperfect as they may be. And finally, I want to learn what motivates you at a personal level to contribute to your projects and participate in your communities. Thank you for taking the time to read my message. I look forward to hearing from you. Maryana P.S. If you would like to read a translation of this email or can help to translate my email into other languages, please visit Meta [3] -- [1] https://wikimediafoundation.org/about/jobs/our-2021-ceo-and-executive-director-search/#section-1 [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryana_Iskander [3] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/14_September_2021_-_Welcoming_the_new_Wikimedia_Foundation_CEO On Tue, Sep 14, 2021 at 5:31 PM Nataliia Tymkiv wrote: > Dear all, > > I am pleased to announce that the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees > has appointed Maryana Iskander as the new CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation > [1] [2]. > > Since 2013, Maryana has served as the CEO of Harambee Youth Employment > Accelerator [3], a South African non-profit social enterprise focused on > building African solutions for the global challenge of youth unemployment. > Prior to this, she spent six years as Chief Operating Officer of Planned > Parenthood Federation of America [4], a volunteer-led social movement > focused on access to women’s healthcare. Maryana has also worked in > academia as the Advisor to the President of Rice University [5], an > international research university based in the United States. > > Her professional career has been motivated by breaking down systemic > barriers, creating opportunities for collaborative solution-building, and > community empowerment. She has a proven track record for leading complex > organisations shaped by shared decision-making. > > In looking for the next CEO, we on the Board convened a Transition > Committee [6], primarily to guide us in finding the right person for this > critical role and secondly to oversee the executive Transition Team. The > Transition Committee conducted a far-reaching and competitive global > search, receiving around 400 recommendations and speaking to about 50 > potential candidates. Throughout this selection process, Maryana impressed > us as someone who is deeply inspired by the Wikimedia vision and who > embodies the values of equity and community that inform all Wikimedia work. > She has extensive leadership experience working with volunteer-led > initiatives and building partnerships across public, private and social > sectors. Maryana also brings expertise in technology-led innovation to > accelerate meaningful social change. She does this with a global > perspective: Maryana was born in the Middle East, educated in the United > States and the United Kingdom, and has spent the last decade living and > working on the African continent. > > Maryana joins the Wikimedia Foundation at a crucial time. The movement is > larger than
