<Trying to imagine if he could be any more excited about this news.> Nope - even with my wild imagination - it is simply not possible for me to be more pleased and excited by this news!!!
Congratulations, Katherine! I think this is fantastic news for the Foundation and movement! -greg (User:Varnent) > On Jun 24, 2016, at 4:56 PM, Peter Southwood <peter.southw...@telkomsa.net> > wrote: > > Looks like a good choice. > > Good luck, Katherine > > Cheers, > > Peter > > > > From: WikimediaAnnounce-l > [mailto:wikimediaannounce-l-boun...@lists.wikimedia.org] On Behalf Of > Patricio Lorente > Sent: Friday, 24 June 2016 11:16 AM > To: wikimediaannounc...@lists.wikimedia.org > Subject: [Wikimedia Announcements] Board appointment of Executive Director > > > > Dear all, > > > > It is our great pleasure to share that during the Board meeting at Wikimania > 2016 in Esino Lario, we unanimously voted to appoint Katherine Maher as > Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation. This is effective as of our > resolution dated Thursday, 23 June. > > > > Katherine served as interim Executive Director for the past three months, > during which time she consistently and repeatedly demonstrated the kind of > leadership our organization needs. She is deeply committed to our movement’s > values, and brings expertise in civic technology and international > development that will be an asset to the Wikimedia Foundation and the > movement. > > > > We came to this conclusion after an intensive discovery process led by the ED > search committee. Our decision was also informed by direct feedback from > staff and community, and our own experience working closely with Katherine. > > > > In March, we assembled an Executive Director search committee[1] consisting > of four Board members¹ who were chosen to represent different perspectives > and capacities.² Additionally, the Board asked the Foundation’s Chief > Advancement Officer Lisa Gruwell to represent the executive team, and > Foundation staff member Katie Horn was selected by her peers as someone who > could represent staff perspectives. The committee was charged with keeping > the process on track and on time, engaging important stakeholders, and > facilitating transparency in communications. Their first tasks were to > identify a search firm, and define the position description. You can review > the committee’s updates on Meta.[2] > > > > The committee recruited Viewcrest Advisors,³ to identify our leadership needs > and design a hiring process. Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest worked with the > committee to conduct interviews with every Foundation department, the > executive, the Board, and nearly 20 additional one-on-one interviews with > staff. Kathleen attended the Wikimedia Conference in Berlin, collecting > feedback from community members and affiliates. The committee launched a > community survey in June, receiving more than 1,600 responses about the > qualities needed in the next ED; they also asked for feedback on Meta.[3] > Taking all of this into account, the transition team developed a profile and > requirements for the next Executive Director that reflect our values and our > communities. > > > > Throughout this process, the Board and the transition team received very > clear and often unsolicited feedback from both staff and community members > that Katherine embodies the values of our movement and the traits needed in > our next ED. This feedback was only reinforced by the latest Foundation > engagement survey results, which showed a strong shift toward renewed trust > in leadership. After taking this all into account, and considering what the > organization needs at this moment of transition, we moved to appoint > Katherine now. > > > > In just three months as interim ED, Katherine worked with the organization > and community to make huge strides in management, execution, and > transparency. She brought much-needed clarity to our strategic direction, and > mobilized the organization to clearly communicate that direction through this > year’s annual plan. > > > > After her appointment, she worked with the leadership team to swiftly > identify the organization’s priorities during the transition period and > execute against them, setting ambitious but reachable targets. Under > Katherine’s leadership, the Foundation submitted its annual plan to the Funds > Dissemination Committee, leaving ample time for community feedback and > discussion. > > > > Katherine is an excellent fit for our movement. She is longtime advocate for > global open communities, culture, and technology. She was the Foundation’s > Chief Communications Officer from April 2014 until she was appointed interim > ED in March. Throughout her career she has focused on freedom of expression, > access to information, and digital rights; supporting the efforts of people > around the world to deepen participation, advance transparency, and > strengthen their communities through her work with UNICEF, National > Democratic Institute for International Affairs, and the World Bank. If you > don’t already know Katherine, you can learn more about her on Meta.[4] > > > > With this appointment, we feel strongly that the Foundation has the > leadership and clarity to move forward. We wish Katherine the very best in > this role, and the Board looks forward to continuing to work with her. > > > > We would also like to thank the many community members and Foundation staff > who actively shared thoughtful, highly valuable feedback. Without that, we > would not have been able to come to this decision. > > > > Please join us in congratulating Katherine! > > > > Patricio Lorente, outgoing Board Chair > > Christophe Henner, incoming Board Chair > > > > 1. Alice Wiegand (Committee Chair), Dariusz Jemielniak, Guy Kawasaki, > Kelly Battles. > > 2. For example, community and governance experience, appointed and > community-selected seats, and US and non-US perspectives. > > 3. The committee reviewed 7 different firms and unanimously picked > Viewcrest. > > > > _____ > > > > [1] > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Executive_Director_Transition_Team/2016> > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Executive_Director_Transition_Team/2016 > > [2 ] > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Executive_Director_Transition_Team/2016/Updates> > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Executive_Director_Transition_Team/2016/Updates > > [3] > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Executive_Director_Transition_Team/2016/Community_input> > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Executive_Director_Transition_Team/2016/Community_input > > [4] <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Katherine_(WMF)> > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Katherine_(WMF) > > -- > > > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>