Welcome, Valerie! I'm thrilled you're joining us and looking forward to working with & learning from you!
Warm regards, Kate -- Kate Zimmerman (she/they) Head of Product Analytics Wikimedia Foundation On Tue, Dec 11, 2018 at 10:32 AM Katherine Maher <kma...@wikimedia.org> wrote: > Hi everyone, > > Just over a month ago, we let you know that we had the reached the final > stages of our search for a new Chief of Community Engagement.[1] Today, I > am thrilled to let you know that we have appointed Valerie D’Costa to the > role. Born and raised a citizen of Singapore, Valerie speaks fluent Malay > and Indonesian, in addition to English. She will join the Foundation > starting January 22, 2019, working remotely from Washington, DC. > > Valerie joins us after a decade at the World Bank Group, where she was > charged with leading international initiatives to support communities of > entrepreneurs in emerging markets around the world. Most recently, she led > the Bank’s Women’s Economic Empowerment Program, where she helped female > entrepreneurs and women-led businesses in developing countries grow and > gain access to new market opportunities. Previously, she was the program > director of infoDev, a Bank program that supported innovation hubs and > technology incubators for entrepreneurs in developing countries. Prior to > the World Bank, Valerie spent 15 years working with the government of > Singapore on issues of international information and communications > technology (ICT) policy and trade. > > Valerie has worked her whole career in the intersection between technology > and improving people's lives around the world. She brings a deep > understanding of the importance of local ownership, collaboration and > communication, and program sustainability. She emphasizes the importance of > collaboration with local communities in designing programs and approaches, > believing that local voices represent the best understanding of their own > needs. > > We were looking for someone with a global perspective, international > experience, fluency in technology, and a deep empathy for community. We > wanted a diplomat: Valerie has struck the fine balance between being an > advocate for the people and communicating their needs to governments and > partners. We hoped for an ambassador: Valerie brings with her years of > experience in creating meaningful conversations with communities around the > world on behalf of those who have been traditionally excluded from > development planning. We found a dedicated leader who is keen to work in > service to our community and who understands the uniquely global, > multicultural nature of collaboration in our movement. Valerie knows that > we can not attempt achieve our 2030 strategic direction unless we bring > everyone along, and so she will be charged with building on our approach to > community engagement, and ensuring that we meet our aspirations for our > community growth, health, diversity, values, and program outcomes. > > This means that Maggie Dennis, our current Chief of Community Engagement, > will now transition to her role as Vice President of Support & Services, > having set a (reluctant) personal best and Foundation record as the > longest-serving CCE! I truly love working with Maggie and am so glad she is > staying close by in such a critical position. After nearly three years (!) > of collaboration and cooperation, I’d like to once again express my deep > appreciation for Maggie’s understanding, friendship, support and dedication > as she patiently curated this essential role in our movement. > > I am truly excited as we embark on this new journey. We are deeply > fortunate to now have two community leaders who are purpose-driven and > inspirational on a number of levels. Please join me in congratulating both > of these phenomenal women! > > Katherine > > [1] > https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-l/2018-October/091259.html > -- > Katherine Maher > > Executive Director > Wikimedia Foundation > 1 Montgomery Street, Suite 1600 > San Francisco, CA 94104 > > +1 (415) 839-6885 ext. 6635 > +1 (415) 712 4873 > kma...@wikimedia.org > https://annual.wikimedia.org > _______________________________________________ > 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, > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> _______________________________________________ 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, <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>
