Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Board Recruitment: Updates

[Peter Southwood]

This does not seem unreasonable.
Cheers,
Peter

-Original Message-
From: Wikimedia-l [mailto:wikimedia-l-boun...@lists.wikimedia.org] On Behalf Of 
Pine W
Sent: Friday, May 18, 2018 4:47 AM
To: Wikimedia Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Board Recruitment: Updates

I have a difference of perspective on this with Philippe and Seddon.

Records of personnel issues at many government agencies in the US are
public records, and many of those government agencies seem to do OK with
recruiting candidates. I have yet to hear any convincing reason why WMF
should be *less* transparent than government agencies.

From my perspective, one of the benefits of significant transparency for
contracts and severance agreements are that politicians and officials
cannot use government funds for "hush money" nearly as easily as they could
if severance agreements and other contracts were confidential. I don't want
the WMF Board and Executive Director to have the option to use WMF funds as
an incentive for someone to remain quiet about any problems that they might
know about at WMF. Realistically, prevention of every kind of problem is
impossible, but public documentation of severance agreements would be a
good step.

Also, as a taxpayer I think that I should have the right to know what
elected officials are doing with my money. Similarly, I think that donors
(and everyone) should have the right to know what WMF is doing with donated
funds. There may be some time restrictions (for example, if WMF is involved
in current or pending litigation, then the expenses for that might remain
confidential until after the matter is resolved) but in general I think
that WMF should publicly account for how it uses donated funds. That
includes the terms of employment contracts and severance agreements.

I will "practice what I preach" on this matter. If I ever do paid work for
WMF again (most likely in the form of a grant of some type; I am still
thinking about whether this would entangle me financially with WMF in ways
that I think would make me likely to be quiet when I have concerns), I will
publish the terms of the contract and any amendments to that contract if I
have WMF's permission to do so. I would redact only information that could
be used for fraud, my phone number, my address, etc.

Pine
( https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pine )
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Board Recruitment: Updates

[Pine W]

I have a difference of perspective on this with Philippe and Seddon.

Records of personnel issues at many government agencies in the US are
public records, and many of those government agencies seem to do OK with
recruiting candidates. I have yet to hear any convincing reason why WMF
should be *less* transparent than government agencies.

From my perspective, one of the benefits of significant transparency for
contracts and severance agreements are that politicians and officials
cannot use government funds for "hush money" nearly as easily as they could
if severance agreements and other contracts were confidential. I don't want
the WMF Board and Executive Director to have the option to use WMF funds as
an incentive for someone to remain quiet about any problems that they might
know about at WMF. Realistically, prevention of every kind of problem is
impossible, but public documentation of severance agreements would be a
good step.

Also, as a taxpayer I think that I should have the right to know what
elected officials are doing with my money. Similarly, I think that donors
(and everyone) should have the right to know what WMF is doing with donated
funds. There may be some time restrictions (for example, if WMF is involved
in current or pending litigation, then the expenses for that might remain
confidential until after the matter is resolved) but in general I think
that WMF should publicly account for how it uses donated funds. That
includes the terms of employment contracts and severance agreements.

I will "practice what I preach" on this matter. If I ever do paid work for
WMF again (most likely in the form of a grant of some type; I am still
thinking about whether this would entangle me financially with WMF in ways
that I think would make me likely to be quiet when I have concerns), I will
publish the terms of the contract and any amendments to that contract if I
have WMF's permission to do so. I would redact only information that could
be used for fraud, my phone number, my address, etc.

Pine
( https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pine )
___
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Board Recruitment: Updates

[James Salsman]

James, are there any reasons that having a community-friendly opinion on
the subpoena, national security letter, political risks and related
overheads of using closed source hardware with backdoor coprocessors is an
inappropriate litmus test for the Technology Expert seat on the Board?


On Tue, May 15, 2018 at 12:45 PM, James Hare  wrote:

> This mailing list thread is about the Wikimedia Foundation recruiting
> members for its board and I would like to ask we stick to that, please.
>
> 
> James Hare
> Associate Product Manager
> Wikimedia Foundation
> https://wikimediafoundation.org
>
> On Tue, May 15, 2018 at 11:22 AM, James Salsman 
> wrote:
>
> > To follow up on this, Katherine, would you please state the relative risk
> > to politically controversial editors of using CPUs without backdoor
> > coprocessors to host Foundation projects?
> >
> > Ref.:
> > https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2017/02/03/for-deep-security-
> > use-arm-avoid-intel-amd-processors/
> >
> > Are there a corresponding subpoena and national security letter burden
> > differences in choosing open source hardware without backdoor
> coprocessors?
> > Thank you for considering these questions.
> >
> > Best regards,
> > Jim
> >
> > On Mon, May 14, 2018 at 12:28 PM, James Salsman 
> > wrote:
> >
> > > On the original topic of technology advocacy representation on the
> Board,
> > > [c]an we please get someone from the open source hardware community and
> > > Legal to tell us how much we could save in subpoena, hardware, and
> > overhead
> > > costs by avoiding backdoors? Has anyone on the Board ever championed
> open
> > > source hardware, since, Sam maybe?
> > >
> > > Please see:
> > >
> > > https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/5xvn4i/update_
> > > corebootlibreboot_on_amd_has_ceo_level/
> > >
> > > https://np.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/8aovfb/
> > > china_has_started_ranking_citizens_with_a_creepy/
> > >
> > > https://teachprivacy.com/why-i-love-the-gdpr/
> > >
> > > https://www.mediawiki.org/w/index.php?title=Wikimedia_
> > > Technology%2FAnnual_Plans%2FFY2019%2FCDP3%3A_Knowledge_
> > > Integrity&type=revision&diff=2762601&oldid=2762351
> > >
> > > Best regards,
> > > Jim
> > >
> > > On Mon, May 14, 2018 at 12:44 AM, Philippe Beaudette <
> > > phili...@beaudette.me> wrote:
> > >
> > >> And even if such laws do not exist (and I'm no expert), as an
> employee I
> > >> would be gravely concerned about taking a role with any employer
> where I
> > >> knew that they would be publishing the reason for my departure.
> > >>
> > >> Now, employees may /choose/ to publish a reason (as I did) but to
> > presume
> > >> that it would be mandatory (and to be willing to stake your career on
> it
> > >> in
> > >> advance) would likely seriously inhibit some candidates from applying.
> > >> When you pair that with the WMF's (relatively) transparent
> > organization, I
> > >> think the two together would be a significant inhibitor to recruiting.
> > >>
> > >> Philippe
> > >>
> > >> On Sun, May 13, 2018 at 2:10 PM, Joseph Seddon <
> josephsed...@gmail.com>
> > >> wrote:
> > >>
> > >> > "I am unaware of any laws which would prohibit WMF from publishing
> the
> > >> > entirety of executives' compensation
> > >> > details including their employment contracts, severance agreements,
> > >> > and the circumstances
> > >> > in which their departures happen."
> > >> >
> > >> > Pine, I often appreciate your view and input on a range of topics
> but
> > >> to be
> > >> > blunt if this is your genuine opinion I'm personally rather glad my
> > >> > employer does not base its HR policies and practices on your
> personal
> > >> > interpretation of employment law.
> > >> >
> > >> > Seddon
> > >> >
> > >> > On Sun, May 13, 2018 at 8:59 PM, Pine W 
> wrote:
> > >> >
> > >> > >
> > >> > > Given Jaime's previous statement on this matter, and my general
> > >> > > dissatisfaction with WMF's level of financial transparency, I am
> > >> > > uncomfortable with his involvement with selecting a new WMF Board
> > >> member
> > >> > > based on his or her finance expertise. I would encourage the Board
> > to
> > >> > > reconsider Jaime's role in the selection process, and to place a
> > >> strong
> > >> > > emphasis on identifying a new board member who has experience with
> > >> > > significantly increasing the financial transparency of
> > organizations.
> > >> > >
> > >> > > Pine
> > >> > > ( https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pine )
> > >> > >
> > >> >
> > >> ___
> > >> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wik
> > >> i/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wik
> > >> i/Wikimedia-l
> > >> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> > >> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l
> ,
> > >> 
> > >>
> > >
> > >
> > ___
> > Wikimedia-l

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Board Recruitment: Updates

[James Hare]

This mailing list thread is about the Wikimedia Foundation recruiting
members for its board and I would like to ask we stick to that, please.


James Hare
Associate Product Manager
Wikimedia Foundation
https://wikimediafoundation.org

On Tue, May 15, 2018 at 11:22 AM, James Salsman  wrote:

> To follow up on this, Katherine, would you please state the relative risk
> to politically controversial editors of using CPUs without backdoor
> coprocessors to host Foundation projects?
>
> Ref.:
> https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2017/02/03/for-deep-security-
> use-arm-avoid-intel-amd-processors/
>
> Are there a corresponding subpoena and national security letter burden
> differences in choosing open source hardware without backdoor coprocessors?
> Thank you for considering these questions.
>
> Best regards,
> Jim
>
> On Mon, May 14, 2018 at 12:28 PM, James Salsman 
> wrote:
>
> > On the original topic of technology advocacy representation on the Board,
> > [c]an we please get someone from the open source hardware community and
> > Legal to tell us how much we could save in subpoena, hardware, and
> overhead
> > costs by avoiding backdoors? Has anyone on the Board ever championed open
> > source hardware, since, Sam maybe?
> >
> > Please see:
> >
> > https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/5xvn4i/update_
> > corebootlibreboot_on_amd_has_ceo_level/
> >
> > https://np.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/8aovfb/
> > china_has_started_ranking_citizens_with_a_creepy/
> >
> > https://teachprivacy.com/why-i-love-the-gdpr/
> >
> > https://www.mediawiki.org/w/index.php?title=Wikimedia_
> > Technology%2FAnnual_Plans%2FFY2019%2FCDP3%3A_Knowledge_
> > Integrity&type=revision&diff=2762601&oldid=2762351
> >
> > Best regards,
> > Jim
> >
> > On Mon, May 14, 2018 at 12:44 AM, Philippe Beaudette <
> > phili...@beaudette.me> wrote:
> >
> >> And even if such laws do not exist (and I'm no expert), as an employee I
> >> would be gravely concerned about taking a role with any employer where I
> >> knew that they would be publishing the reason for my departure.
> >>
> >> Now, employees may /choose/ to publish a reason (as I did) but to
> presume
> >> that it would be mandatory (and to be willing to stake your career on it
> >> in
> >> advance) would likely seriously inhibit some candidates from applying.
> >> When you pair that with the WMF's (relatively) transparent
> organization, I
> >> think the two together would be a significant inhibitor to recruiting.
> >>
> >> Philippe
> >>
> >> On Sun, May 13, 2018 at 2:10 PM, Joseph Seddon 
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >> > "I am unaware of any laws which would prohibit WMF from publishing the
> >> > entirety of executives' compensation
> >> > details including their employment contracts, severance agreements,
> >> > and the circumstances
> >> > in which their departures happen."
> >> >
> >> > Pine, I often appreciate your view and input on a range of topics but
> >> to be
> >> > blunt if this is your genuine opinion I'm personally rather glad my
> >> > employer does not base its HR policies and practices on your personal
> >> > interpretation of employment law.
> >> >
> >> > Seddon
> >> >
> >> > On Sun, May 13, 2018 at 8:59 PM, Pine W  wrote:
> >> >
> >> > >
> >> > > Given Jaime's previous statement on this matter, and my general
> >> > > dissatisfaction with WMF's level of financial transparency, I am
> >> > > uncomfortable with his involvement with selecting a new WMF Board
> >> member
> >> > > based on his or her finance expertise. I would encourage the Board
> to
> >> > > reconsider Jaime's role in the selection process, and to place a
> >> strong
> >> > > emphasis on identifying a new board member who has experience with
> >> > > significantly increasing the financial transparency of
> organizations.
> >> > >
> >> > > Pine
> >> > > ( https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pine )
> >> > >
> >> >
> >> ___
> >> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wik
> >> i/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wik
> >> i/Wikimedia-l
> >> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> >> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> >> 
> >>
> >
> >
> ___
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> wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> wiki/Wikimedia-l
> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
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> 
>
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Board Recruitment: Updates

[James Salsman]

To follow up on this, Katherine, would you please state the relative risk
to politically controversial editors of using CPUs without backdoor
coprocessors to host Foundation projects?

Ref.:
https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2017/02/03/for-deep-security-use-arm-avoid-intel-amd-processors/

Are there a corresponding subpoena and national security letter burden
differences in choosing open source hardware without backdoor coprocessors?
Thank you for considering these questions.

Best regards,
Jim

On Mon, May 14, 2018 at 12:28 PM, James Salsman  wrote:

> On the original topic of technology advocacy representation on the Board,
> [c]an we please get someone from the open source hardware community and
> Legal to tell us how much we could save in subpoena, hardware, and overhead
> costs by avoiding backdoors? Has anyone on the Board ever championed open
> source hardware, since, Sam maybe?
>
> Please see:
>
> https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/5xvn4i/update_
> corebootlibreboot_on_amd_has_ceo_level/
>
> https://np.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/8aovfb/
> china_has_started_ranking_citizens_with_a_creepy/
>
> https://teachprivacy.com/why-i-love-the-gdpr/
>
> https://www.mediawiki.org/w/index.php?title=Wikimedia_
> Technology%2FAnnual_Plans%2FFY2019%2FCDP3%3A_Knowledge_
> Integrity&type=revision&diff=2762601&oldid=2762351
>
> Best regards,
> Jim
>
> On Mon, May 14, 2018 at 12:44 AM, Philippe Beaudette <
> phili...@beaudette.me> wrote:
>
>> And even if such laws do not exist (and I'm no expert), as an employee I
>> would be gravely concerned about taking a role with any employer where I
>> knew that they would be publishing the reason for my departure.
>>
>> Now, employees may /choose/ to publish a reason (as I did) but to presume
>> that it would be mandatory (and to be willing to stake your career on it
>> in
>> advance) would likely seriously inhibit some candidates from applying.
>> When you pair that with the WMF's (relatively) transparent organization, I
>> think the two together would be a significant inhibitor to recruiting.
>>
>> Philippe
>>
>> On Sun, May 13, 2018 at 2:10 PM, Joseph Seddon 
>> wrote:
>>
>> > "I am unaware of any laws which would prohibit WMF from publishing the
>> > entirety of executives' compensation
>> > details including their employment contracts, severance agreements,
>> > and the circumstances
>> > in which their departures happen."
>> >
>> > Pine, I often appreciate your view and input on a range of topics but
>> to be
>> > blunt if this is your genuine opinion I'm personally rather glad my
>> > employer does not base its HR policies and practices on your personal
>> > interpretation of employment law.
>> >
>> > Seddon
>> >
>> > On Sun, May 13, 2018 at 8:59 PM, Pine W  wrote:
>> >
>> > >
>> > > Given Jaime's previous statement on this matter, and my general
>> > > dissatisfaction with WMF's level of financial transparency, I am
>> > > uncomfortable with his involvement with selecting a new WMF Board
>> member
>> > > based on his or her finance expertise. I would encourage the Board to
>> > > reconsider Jaime's role in the selection process, and to place a
>> strong
>> > > emphasis on identifying a new board member who has experience with
>> > > significantly increasing the financial transparency of organizations.
>> > >
>> > > Pine
>> > > ( https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pine )
>> > >
>> >
>> ___
>> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wik
>> i/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wik
>> i/Wikimedia-l
>> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
>> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
>> 
>>
>
>
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Board Recruitment: Updates

[James Salsman]

On the original topic of technology advocacy representation on the Board,
an we please get someone from the open source hardware community and Legal
to tell us how much we could save in subpoena, hardware, and overhead costs
by avoiding backdoors? Has anyone on the Board ever championed open source
hardware, since, Sam maybe?

Please see:

https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/5xvn4i/update_corebootlibreboot_on_amd_has_ceo_level/

https://np.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/8aovfb/china_has_started_ranking_citizens_with_a_creepy/

https://teachprivacy.com/why-i-love-the-gdpr/

https://www.mediawiki.org/w/index.php?title=Wikimedia_Technology%2FAnnual_Plans%2FFY2019%2FCDP3%3A_Knowledge_Integrity&type=revision&diff=2762601&oldid=2762351

Best regards,
Jim

On Mon, May 14, 2018 at 12:44 AM, Philippe Beaudette 
wrote:

> And even if such laws do not exist (and I'm no expert), as an employee I
> would be gravely concerned about taking a role with any employer where I
> knew that they would be publishing the reason for my departure.
>
> Now, employees may /choose/ to publish a reason (as I did) but to presume
> that it would be mandatory (and to be willing to stake your career on it in
> advance) would likely seriously inhibit some candidates from applying.
> When you pair that with the WMF's (relatively) transparent organization, I
> think the two together would be a significant inhibitor to recruiting.
>
> Philippe
>
> On Sun, May 13, 2018 at 2:10 PM, Joseph Seddon 
> wrote:
>
> > "I am unaware of any laws which would prohibit WMF from publishing the
> > entirety of executives' compensation
> > details including their employment contracts, severance agreements,
> > and the circumstances
> > in which their departures happen."
> >
> > Pine, I often appreciate your view and input on a range of topics but to
> be
> > blunt if this is your genuine opinion I'm personally rather glad my
> > employer does not base its HR policies and practices on your personal
> > interpretation of employment law.
> >
> > Seddon
> >
> > On Sun, May 13, 2018 at 8:59 PM, Pine W  wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > Given Jaime's previous statement on this matter, and my general
> > > dissatisfaction with WMF's level of financial transparency, I am
> > > uncomfortable with his involvement with selecting a new WMF Board
> member
> > > based on his or her finance expertise. I would encourage the Board to
> > > reconsider Jaime's role in the selection process, and to place a strong
> > > emphasis on identifying a new board member who has experience with
> > > significantly increasing the financial transparency of organizations.
> > >
> > > Pine
> > > ( https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pine )
> > >
> >
> ___
> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> wiki/Wikimedia-l
> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> 
>
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Board Recruitment: Updates

[Philippe Beaudette]

And even if such laws do not exist (and I'm no expert), as an employee I
would be gravely concerned about taking a role with any employer where I
knew that they would be publishing the reason for my departure.

Now, employees may /choose/ to publish a reason (as I did) but to presume
that it would be mandatory (and to be willing to stake your career on it in
advance) would likely seriously inhibit some candidates from applying.
When you pair that with the WMF's (relatively) transparent organization, I
think the two together would be a significant inhibitor to recruiting.

Philippe

On Sun, May 13, 2018 at 2:10 PM, Joseph Seddon 
wrote:

> "I am unaware of any laws which would prohibit WMF from publishing the
> entirety of executives' compensation
> details including their employment contracts, severance agreements,
> and the circumstances
> in which their departures happen."
>
> Pine, I often appreciate your view and input on a range of topics but to be
> blunt if this is your genuine opinion I'm personally rather glad my
> employer does not base its HR policies and practices on your personal
> interpretation of employment law.
>
> Seddon
>
> On Sun, May 13, 2018 at 8:59 PM, Pine W  wrote:
>
> >
> > Given Jaime's previous statement on this matter, and my general
> > dissatisfaction with WMF's level of financial transparency, I am
> > uncomfortable with his involvement with selecting a new WMF Board member
> > based on his or her finance expertise. I would encourage the Board to
> > reconsider Jaime's role in the selection process, and to place a strong
> > emphasis on identifying a new board member who has experience with
> > significantly increasing the financial transparency of organizations.
> >
> > Pine
> > ( https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pine )
> >
>
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Board Recruitment: Updates

[Joseph Seddon]

"I am unaware of any laws which would prohibit WMF from publishing the
entirety of executives' compensation
details including their employment contracts, severance agreements,
and the circumstances
in which their departures happen."

Pine, I often appreciate your view and input on a range of topics but to be
blunt if this is your genuine opinion I'm personally rather glad my
employer does not base its HR policies and practices on your personal
interpretation of employment law.

Seddon

On Sun, May 13, 2018 at 8:59 PM, Pine W  wrote:

> Hello Antanana,
>
> Thank you for this information.
>
> I would like to bring the topic of WMF's financial transparency into the
> conversation about who should be selected for a WMF Board seat based on
> their knowledge of finance. I am dissatisfied with WMF's financial
> transparency on topics such as severance payments to executives (see
> https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-l/2017-May/087656.html),
> and I fail to understand how WMF can claim to be a largely open and
> transparent organization while providing the minimum legally required
> disclosures about its payments to its executives.
>
> Contrary to Jaime's statement, I am unaware of any laws which would
> prohibit WMF from publishing the entirety of executives' compensation
> details including their employment contracts, severance agreements, and the
> circumstances in which their departures happen. Government agencies in the
> United States publish this information routinely and/or are often required
> to make the information available upon receiving public records requests.
>
> Given Jaime's previous statement on this matter, and my general
> dissatisfaction with WMF's level of financial transparency, I am
> uncomfortable with his involvement with selecting a new WMF Board member
> based on his or her finance expertise. I would encourage the Board to
> reconsider Jaime's role in the selection process, and to place a strong
> emphasis on identifying a new board member who has experience with
> significantly increasing the financial transparency of organizations.
>
> Pine
> ( https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pine )
>
> On Sat, May 12, 2018 at 12:31 AM, Nataliia Tymkiv 
> wrote:
>
> > Dear all,
> >
> > As you may know, the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees has two
> > appointed Board members whose terms will expire during Wikimania 2018 -
> > Kelly Battles and Alice Wiegand. We have been working to fill those seats
> >  and our goal is for potential candidates to join us in Cape Town during
> > Wikimania 2018.
> >
> > == Finance expert seat ==
> >
> > This is a very specific profile: we need a person with strong financial
> > management background and auditing skills. The BCG (Board Governance
> > Committee) is currently interviewing a short list of candidates prepared
> by
> > Kelly Battles and Jaime Villagomez (the CFO of Wikimedia Foundation).
> Once
> > interviews are complete, the BCG will send their recommendations  to the
> > full Board.
> >
> > == Technology/organizational growth expert seat ==
> >
> > Over the last few months, we have conducted a series of conversations on
> > Board  expertise needs. With the support of Katherine Maher (ED) and Josh
> > Weinberg (Chief of Staff), the BGC developed a candidate profile for the
> > soon-to-be-vacant seat and gave its recommendation to the Board during
> > their meeting in Berlin. We need your help to identify potential
> candidates
> > for this position who are interested in serving the Wikimedia community
> as
> > a member of the Board of Trustees.
> >
> > We shall begin accepting applications and referrals for these positions
> > today. A more detailed timeline of the full recruitment process is
> > available on Meta here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/?curid=10176203 [1].
> > You
> > can find the candidate package here [2].
> >
> > Applicants may apply online at:
> > https://boards.greenhouse.io/wikimedia/jobs/1162305?gh_src=
> > 8b8yun5r1#.WvaOKPKMTCv.
> > We will also accept applications and referrals by email at
> > board-nominati...@lists.wikimedia.org.
> >
> > We look forward to hearing from you.
> >
> > [1]
> > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_
> > Board_Governance_Committee/Board_Recruitment
> > [2]
> > https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Board_Recruiting_
> > Candidate_Packet_May_2018.pdf
> >
> > Best regards,
> > antanana / Nataliia Tymkiv
> >
> > *NOTICE: You may have received this message outside of your normal
> working
> > hours/days, as I usually can work more as a volunteer during weekend. You
> > should not feel obligated to answer it during your days off. Thank you in
> > advance!*
> > ___
> > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> > wiki/Wikimedia-l
> > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listi

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Board Recruitment: Updates

[Pine W]

Hello Antanana,

Thank you for this information.

I would like to bring the topic of WMF's financial transparency into the
conversation about who should be selected for a WMF Board seat based on
their knowledge of finance. I am dissatisfied with WMF's financial
transparency on topics such as severance payments to executives (see
https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-l/2017-May/087656.html),
and I fail to understand how WMF can claim to be a largely open and
transparent organization while providing the minimum legally required
disclosures about its payments to its executives.

Contrary to Jaime's statement, I am unaware of any laws which would
prohibit WMF from publishing the entirety of executives' compensation
details including their employment contracts, severance agreements, and the
circumstances in which their departures happen. Government agencies in the
United States publish this information routinely and/or are often required
to make the information available upon receiving public records requests.

Given Jaime's previous statement on this matter, and my general
dissatisfaction with WMF's level of financial transparency, I am
uncomfortable with his involvement with selecting a new WMF Board member
based on his or her finance expertise. I would encourage the Board to
reconsider Jaime's role in the selection process, and to place a strong
emphasis on identifying a new board member who has experience with
significantly increasing the financial transparency of organizations.

Pine
( https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Pine )

On Sat, May 12, 2018 at 12:31 AM, Nataliia Tymkiv 
wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> As you may know, the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees has two
> appointed Board members whose terms will expire during Wikimania 2018 -
> Kelly Battles and Alice Wiegand. We have been working to fill those seats
>  and our goal is for potential candidates to join us in Cape Town during
> Wikimania 2018.
>
> == Finance expert seat ==
>
> This is a very specific profile: we need a person with strong financial
> management background and auditing skills. The BCG (Board Governance
> Committee) is currently interviewing a short list of candidates prepared by
> Kelly Battles and Jaime Villagomez (the CFO of Wikimedia Foundation). Once
> interviews are complete, the BCG will send their recommendations  to the
> full Board.
>
> == Technology/organizational growth expert seat ==
>
> Over the last few months, we have conducted a series of conversations on
> Board  expertise needs. With the support of Katherine Maher (ED) and Josh
> Weinberg (Chief of Staff), the BGC developed a candidate profile for the
> soon-to-be-vacant seat and gave its recommendation to the Board during
> their meeting in Berlin. We need your help to identify potential candidates
> for this position who are interested in serving the Wikimedia community as
> a member of the Board of Trustees.
>
> We shall begin accepting applications and referrals for these positions
> today. A more detailed timeline of the full recruitment process is
> available on Meta here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/?curid=10176203 [1].
> You
> can find the candidate package here [2].
>
> Applicants may apply online at:
> https://boards.greenhouse.io/wikimedia/jobs/1162305?gh_src=
> 8b8yun5r1#.WvaOKPKMTCv.
> We will also accept applications and referrals by email at
> board-nominati...@lists.wikimedia.org.
>
> We look forward to hearing from you.
>
> [1]
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_
> Board_Governance_Committee/Board_Recruitment
> [2]
> https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Board_Recruiting_
> Candidate_Packet_May_2018.pdf
>
> Best regards,
> antanana / Nataliia Tymkiv
>
> *NOTICE: You may have received this message outside of your normal working
> hours/days, as I usually can work more as a volunteer during weekend. You
> should not feel obligated to answer it during your days off. Thank you in
> advance!*
> ___
> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> wiki/Wikimedia-l
> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> 
___
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https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l
New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, 

[Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Board Recruitment: Updates

[Nataliia Tymkiv]

Dear all,

As you may know, the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees has two
appointed Board members whose terms will expire during Wikimania 2018 -
Kelly Battles and Alice Wiegand. We have been working to fill those seats
 and our goal is for potential candidates to join us in Cape Town during
Wikimania 2018.

== Finance expert seat ==

This is a very specific profile: we need a person with strong financial
management background and auditing skills. The BCG (Board Governance
Committee) is currently interviewing a short list of candidates prepared by
Kelly Battles and Jaime Villagomez (the CFO of Wikimedia Foundation). Once
interviews are complete, the BCG will send their recommendations  to the
full Board.

== Technology/organizational growth expert seat ==

Over the last few months, we have conducted a series of conversations on
Board  expertise needs. With the support of Katherine Maher (ED) and Josh
Weinberg (Chief of Staff), the BGC developed a candidate profile for the
soon-to-be-vacant seat and gave its recommendation to the Board during
their meeting in Berlin. We need your help to identify potential candidates
for this position who are interested in serving the Wikimedia community as
a member of the Board of Trustees.

We shall begin accepting applications and referrals for these positions
today. A more detailed timeline of the full recruitment process is
available on Meta here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/?curid=10176203 [1]. You
can find the candidate package here [2].

Applicants may apply online at:
https://boards.greenhouse.io/wikimedia/jobs/1162305?gh_src=8b8yun5r1#.WvaOKPKMTCv.
We will also accept applications and referrals by email at
board-nominati...@lists.wikimedia.org.

We look forward to hearing from you.

[1]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_Governance_Committee/Board_Recruitment
[2]
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Board_Recruiting_Candidate_Packet_May_2018.pdf

Best regards,
antanana / Nataliia Tymkiv

*NOTICE: You may have received this message outside of your normal working
hours/days, as I usually can work more as a volunteer during weekend. You
should not feel obligated to answer it during your days off. Thank you in
advance!*
___
Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l
New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Board Recruitment: Updates

[Samuel Klein]

Thank you all for the thoughtful search & updates.

On Nov 29, 2017 7:14 PM, "Nataliia Tymkiv"  wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> The Board Governance Committee (BGC) has been working on finalizing another
> potential candidate [1]. The results of the process were successful and the
> Board has unanimously appointed the candidate the BGC has recommended. The
> announcement is planned for December 1, 2017, so in two days the Wikimedia
> Foundation Board will be finally complete (ten members).
>
> But the Board recruitment is actually not over: we have two appointed Board
> members, whose terms expire next Wikimania - Kelly Battles and Alice
> Wiegand - so we are going to start working on filling those seats. The
> ideal timeline is to have potential candidates join us in time for
> Wikimania 2018.
>
> The Board Governance Committee and I personally are thankful to those
> people who were highly involved in the Board recruitment process: Anna
> Stillwell, Michelle Paulson and Michelle Muñoz, our Legal and
> Communications teams, and of course Katherine Maher. And many, many more.
>
> [1]
> https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-l/2017-October/088797.html
>
> Best regards,
> antanana / Nataliia Tymkiv
>
> *NOTICE: You may have received this message outside of your normal working
> hours/days, as I usually can work more as a volunteer during weekend. You
> should not feel obligated to answer it during your days off. Thank you in
> advance!*
> ___
> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/
> wiki/Wikimedia-l
> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> 
___
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[Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Board Recruitment: Updates

[Nataliia Tymkiv]

Dear all,

The Board Governance Committee (BGC) has been working on finalizing another
potential candidate [1]. The results of the process were successful and the
Board has unanimously appointed the candidate the BGC has recommended. The
announcement is planned for December 1, 2017, so in two days the Wikimedia
Foundation Board will be finally complete (ten members).

But the Board recruitment is actually not over: we have two appointed Board
members, whose terms expire next Wikimania - Kelly Battles and Alice
Wiegand - so we are going to start working on filling those seats. The
ideal timeline is to have potential candidates join us in time for
Wikimania 2018.

The Board Governance Committee and I personally are thankful to those
people who were highly involved in the Board recruitment process: Anna
Stillwell, Michelle Paulson and Michelle Muñoz, our Legal and
Communications teams, and of course Katherine Maher. And many, many more.

[1]
https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-l/2017-October/088797.html

Best regards,
antanana / Nataliia Tymkiv

*NOTICE: You may have received this message outside of your normal working
hours/days, as I usually can work more as a volunteer during weekend. You
should not feel obligated to answer it during your days off. Thank you in
advance!*
___
Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l
New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Board Recruitment: Updates

[Samuel Klein]

Thank you for this detailed update.

On Oct 5, 2017 5:24 PM, "Nataliia Tymkiv"  wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> Board recruiting has been demanding. We launched our first truly global
> search. It was far more work than we expected. But I am glad to say that we
> have significantly expanded our talent network and are engaged in
> conversation with four, uniquely talented finalists.
>
> We have missed some deadlines given our focus on movement strategy and the
> “all fronts” nature of the search for talent at the executive and board
> level.
>
> Now, I am able to present you with the new timeline and process, as we
> decide among final candidates. We hope they will be able to join the Board
> for our November meeting (the original plan was to have them join the Board
> for Wikimania 2017).
>
> Below is the last published timeline with comments and explanations at each
> stage.
>
> 1) Application and referral submission period (January 23 - August)
>
> We asked applicants to apply online:
> https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Work_with_us#Wikimedia_Careers. We
> accepted applications and referrals by email at
> board-nominati...@lists.wikimedia.org.
>
> The overview: We decided to start from our own networks and expand outward.
> We reached far and wide, proactively, looking in Africa, Latin America,
> Asia. In the course of our work, Katherine met a non-profit executive
> recruiter. She volunteered to look for us. She delivered many very strong
> and exciting candidates from multiple continents, one finalist. Slowly, our
> networks then also produced three, very strong finalists as well.
>
> Initially we planned for this stage to be over by March 6 [1], but the
> timeline was ambitious  It took us longer to find the right fit. We decided
> the right fit is worth the wait. So we extended the deadline to May 6 [2].
>
> It took us longer. The process required more networking.
>
> At the end of May, Katherine was introduced to a non-profit recruiter. They
> volunteered to look for us and they sourced a pool of very promising
> additional candidates - 23 people with very diverse backgrounds - for the
> BGC to evaluate on June 3.
>
> We accepted referrals until August 10. For the record: we should always be
> constantly looking for potential candidates, so it would not take so much
> time for us in the future.
>
> 2) Application and referral review, proactive candidate recruitment, and
> interviews (January - ongoing)
>
> 2a) Initial application review and screenings (January - August)
>
> This stage was entirely conducted by Wikimedia Foundation staff. By
> mid-April Katherine Maher and Anna Stillwell had spoken to 21 people,
> either potential candidates themselves or people who could recommend
> candidates. We also considered some of our former Trustees. They did not
> have capacity, and required travel time seemed to be an issue.
>
> We identified 4 candidates for the Growing a Global Movement and 4
> candidates for Engaging New Communities, and 2 candidates for Social Sector
> Governance.
>
> One of the tangible results for this stage was structuring an emerging
> talent network and gathering a pool of potential candidates, that we can
> reach out to in  future searches.
>
> 2b) Board Governance Committee
>  Board_Governance_Committee>
> (BGC) discussions with candidates
>
> The BGC (as a whole group) did not meet with the candidates. Instead,
> people spoke one on one.
>
> 2c) BGC meets and makes short list (May - June)
>
> We all agreed to reach out to candidates consecutively.We did not want to
> reach out to all of the potential candidates at once, because we do not
> want to incentivize unhealthy competition. If we are talking to someone, we
> are interested. We are not interested in playing people against each other.
>
>
> The BGC prioritized the list, Katherine reached out to them in that order
> to understand if they are interested, and take it from there. If they are
> not interested in working with us, or they do not fit, we shall move to the
> next candidate in the relevant pool.
>
> It turned out to require a lot more time than we planned for this stage: we
> had to wait some time before we could assess genuine commitment and
> interest in the position, so we could schedule further calls. And moving to
> the next candidate seemed justified only after enough time passed between
> our letters of offering this position and the response. This is not
> uncommon.
>
> 2d) Second-round interviews (May - August)
>
> This stage was not conducted as a group interview. Rather, we  organised
> one on one meetings for all voting members of the BGC with the finalists.
>
> The meetings with a candidate from Engaging New Communities took place from
> the end of May till the beginning of August, given the vacation / travel
> times for some of us.
>
> We are still scheduling interviews for our top candidate for Growing a
> Global Movement profile.
>
> After the meeti

[Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Foundation Board Recruitment: Updates

[Nataliia Tymkiv]

Dear all,

Board recruiting has been demanding. We launched our first truly global
search. It was far more work than we expected. But I am glad to say that we
have significantly expanded our talent network and are engaged in
conversation with four, uniquely talented finalists.

We have missed some deadlines given our focus on movement strategy and the
“all fronts” nature of the search for talent at the executive and board
level.

Now, I am able to present you with the new timeline and process, as we
decide among final candidates. We hope they will be able to join the Board
for our November meeting (the original plan was to have them join the Board
for Wikimania 2017).

Below is the last published timeline with comments and explanations at each
stage.

1) Application and referral submission period (January 23 - August)

We asked applicants to apply online:
https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Work_with_us#Wikimedia_Careers. We
accepted applications and referrals by email at
board-nominati...@lists.wikimedia.org.

The overview: We decided to start from our own networks and expand outward.
We reached far and wide, proactively, looking in Africa, Latin America,
Asia. In the course of our work, Katherine met a non-profit executive
recruiter. She volunteered to look for us. She delivered many very strong
and exciting candidates from multiple continents, one finalist. Slowly, our
networks then also produced three, very strong finalists as well.

Initially we planned for this stage to be over by March 6 [1], but the
timeline was ambitious  It took us longer to find the right fit. We decided
the right fit is worth the wait. So we extended the deadline to May 6 [2].

It took us longer. The process required more networking.

At the end of May, Katherine was introduced to a non-profit recruiter. They
volunteered to look for us and they sourced a pool of very promising
additional candidates - 23 people with very diverse backgrounds - for the
BGC to evaluate on June 3.

We accepted referrals until August 10. For the record: we should always be
constantly looking for potential candidates, so it would not take so much
time for us in the future.

2) Application and referral review, proactive candidate recruitment, and
interviews (January - ongoing)

2a) Initial application review and screenings (January - August)

This stage was entirely conducted by Wikimedia Foundation staff. By
mid-April Katherine Maher and Anna Stillwell had spoken to 21 people,
either potential candidates themselves or people who could recommend
candidates. We also considered some of our former Trustees. They did not
have capacity, and required travel time seemed to be an issue.

We identified 4 candidates for the Growing a Global Movement and 4
candidates for Engaging New Communities, and 2 candidates for Social Sector
Governance.

One of the tangible results for this stage was structuring an emerging
talent network and gathering a pool of potential candidates, that we can
reach out to in  future searches.

2b) Board Governance Committee

(BGC) discussions with candidates

The BGC (as a whole group) did not meet with the candidates. Instead,
people spoke one on one.

2c) BGC meets and makes short list (May - June)

We all agreed to reach out to candidates consecutively.We did not want to
reach out to all of the potential candidates at once, because we do not
want to incentivize unhealthy competition. If we are talking to someone, we
are interested. We are not interested in playing people against each other.


The BGC prioritized the list, Katherine reached out to them in that order
to understand if they are interested, and take it from there. If they are
not interested in working with us, or they do not fit, we shall move to the
next candidate in the relevant pool.

It turned out to require a lot more time than we planned for this stage: we
had to wait some time before we could assess genuine commitment and
interest in the position, so we could schedule further calls. And moving to
the next candidate seemed justified only after enough time passed between
our letters of offering this position and the response. This is not
uncommon.

2d) Second-round interviews (May - August)

This stage was not conducted as a group interview. Rather, we  organised
one on one meetings for all voting members of the BGC with the finalists.

The meetings with a candidate from Engaging New Communities took place from
the end of May till the beginning of August, given the vacation / travel
times for some of us.

We are still scheduling interviews for our top candidate for Growing a
Global Movement profile.

After the meetings (interviews) with the voting members of the BGC, I wrote
a letter to the Board if there are any “red flags” they find in this
candidacy, and if they do not find any, the BGC recommends running a
background check.

2da) Background check conducted by BGC and Wikimedia Founda