Geoff, I remember having the great pleasure of welcoming you to Wikimedia and helping introduce you to the culture and challenges of a very unusual organization, and later having the great pleasure of working with you as you served as a keystone of its leadership.
It would be impossible to thank you enough for everything you've done--all of the public work that has been justly recognized and applauded, and the iceberg of invisible work that comes with the role that will never be publicly recognized, but which deserves the recognition just as much. (And a particular thanks for all of your work with the board, which I know came with its own set of challenges!) The legal department is not always greatly loved in any organization, and frequently not one that gets to be a champion of the mission itself, but you have made this happen at WMF. Your insight and guidance, your legal experience, your leadership, and your dedication to the people and the principles of the movement have all been invaluable. And your commitment to building the organization and the people in it means you leave the legal department in good hands; congratulations to Michelle and Stephen on their new roles. And finally, for me personally, you have been a great mentor and a great friend. Best of luck in your new position; they are lucky to have you. -Kat On Wed, Jul 13, 2016 at 2:25 PM, Geoff Brigham <gbrig...@wikimedia.org> wrote: > Hi all, > > Over the past five years, I’ve been honored to serve as the General Counsel > and Secretary of the Wikimedia Foundation. This job has been amazing, and > I’m grateful to everyone who has made it so rewarding. It's now time for my > next step, so, in the coming days, I will be leaving the Foundation to > pursue a new career opportunity. > > I depart with such love for the mission, the Foundation, the Wikimedia > communities, and my colleagues at work. I thank my past and present bosses > as well as the Board for their support and guidance. I stand in awe of the > volunteer writers, editors, and photographers who contribute every day to > the Wikimedia projects. And I will hold special to my heart my past and > current teams, including legal and community advocacy. :) You have taught, > given, and enriched me so much. > > After my departure, Michelle Paulson will serve as interim head of Legal, > and, subject to Board approval, Stephen LaPorte will serve as interim > Secretary to the Board. I can happily report that they have the experience > and expertise to ensure a smooth and professional transition. > > The future of the Foundation under Katherine's leadership is exciting. > Having had the pleasure of working for her, I know Katherine will take the > Foundation to its next level in promoting and defending the outstanding > mission and values of the Wikimedia movement. Although I'm delighted about > my next opportunity, I will miss this new chapter in the Foundation's > story. > > My last day at the Foundation will be July 18th. After that, I will take a > month off to recharge my batteries, and then I start my new gig at YouTube > in the Bay Area. There, I will serve as Director of YouTube Trust & Safety, > managing global teams for policy, legal, and anti-abuse operations. As with > Wikimedia, I look forward to learning from those teams and tackling > together a new set of exciting, novel challenges. > > For those who want to stay in touch, please do! My personal email is: > geoffrey.r.brig...@gmail.com. > > With respect, admiration, and gratitude, > > Geoff > _______________________________________________ > 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>
