Thanks Katherine for all you have done. All the best and good luck with
everything going forward.
Katie
On 04/02/2021 17:47, Katherine Maher wrote:
Hi everyone,
Earlier today, I announced to my colleagues at the Wikimedia Foundation
my intention to step down as CEO later this spring. April 15th will be
my last day, marking my seven-year anniversary with the Foundation and
the movement. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one.
For now, I want to share with you why I’m moving on, and what comes
next. I’ll save the customary email with deeper reflections, memories,
and thanks for later this spring!
In some ways, this was the easiest hard decision I’ve ever made. It’s
never exactly a good time to step away -- transitions always have some
rough edges -- but it’s always best to do so when the organization is
strong, and before you’ve overstayed your welcome. The movement is in a
good, strong place. Our communities are growing, our readership is too.
Our 20th birthday, the launch of our Universal Code of Conduct, and the
movement strategy recommendations are all milestone moments of solidity
and strength. I have great hopes and confidence in the upcoming plans
for strategy implementation, particularly the work on the movement
charter and interim global council. We are healthy and thriving.
While we will always have more work to do to become the Wikimedia that
we want to be, our movement and our organization is in a phase of
renewal and regeneration. We have deepened our practices of
consultation, collaboration, and inclusion that will be the foundation
of the next decade of our work. We have a deep and stable financial
position that will help us grow and protect us from any storm, and the
trust in our projects has never been higher. Our communities are poised
to take on deeper responsibilities of governance, accountability, and
leadership, populating a rich, representative, and leaderful movement
for free knowledge.
The Foundation is also strong, and filled with passionate,
values-aligned leaders at every level of the organization, deeply
committed to the work of our movement and mission. Although we don’t
always all perfectly agree on absolutely everything, we are working more
openly and cooperatively with our movement than ever before.
Collaborative strategic planning, sustainable programs to support
technical communities and tooling, co-development and consultation on
transformative new experiences welcoming newcomers, cooperative
partnerships on public health data, bibliographic data, and human rights
data -- all of these are signals of much great work to come. Even
difficult topics, such as brand and movement governance, continue to
bring people together in nothing less than feisty commitment.
Together, we have rich resources of brilliant people, deep passion, and
compassion. We are making progress on some of our greatest challenges,
from editor and readership growth, technical debt, representation and
participation, safety and knowledge equity. I am proud of what we’ve
done together and grateful for all the ways in which this movement has
made my life immeasurably richer: friendships that will last a lifetime,
intellectual curiosity and kinship, and so many memories of */so much
dancing/*, from Accra to Berlin to Chandigarh.
As for me, I’m going to take a break, and a research fellowship, as a
place to think about what’s next. It’s hard to think about your future
when you’re fully in your present, and for the past seven years, I’ve
been fully present for this movement. But as I look around, I see global
challenges such as polarization, inequality, and climate change, as well
as opportunities for generational renewal and optimism. As a Wikimedian,
I lean toward optimism, and plan to apply myself in that direction!
*What’s next*
* We announced this planned transition publicly on our communications
channels during a Foundation all-staff meeting today.
* A Board Transition Committee composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, who is
chair of HR Committee, Tanya Capuano, who is chair of the Audit
Committee, Raju Narisetti, and María Sefidari as Board Chair, will
launch the search for a new CEO. They’ll work closely with the
executive Transition Team on organizational operations, and with the
broader board on an open candidate call. The Board is working with
the goal of onboarding a new CEO by Q2 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
* We’ve been working on succession planning for the CEO role since
2019 as a matter of best practice, and the organization is
well-prepared for a thoughtful search for the next phase of our
mission. The Board has decided to work with Kathleen Yazbak of
Viewcrest Advisors[1] for the executive search: I’ve worked closely
with Kathleen on a number of occasions, and she is a true Wikimedian
at heart.
* I’ll be drawing back from day-to-day operational work to transition
interim responsibilities starting February 8th. A C-level Transition
Team of Jaime Villagomez, Amanda Keton, and Robyn Arville, our two
board officers and chief people leader, will take up key
responsibilities and decision making around planning, community, and
people, and work closely with the broader C-team and VP leadership
cohort.
* I’ll spend the next three months supporting the Foundation in
readying itself for a transition. I’ll spend February preparing with
this group and other organizational and community leaders on
movement strategy and institutional knowledge transfer, sharing
lessons learned, and supporting the organization in developing the
next year’s strategic plan.
* I look forward to celebrating with you in March and April!
I'll be around for a bit, so feel free to reach out, and after that,
I'll see you on the wikis!
Cheers,
Katherine
[1] https://viewcrestadvisors.com/ <https://viewcrestadvisors.com/>
--
Katherine Maher (she/her)
CEO
Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>
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