Seconded — thank you for these continuing updates, and for always inviting conversation. Essential, even when it takes time for those seeds to sprout.
🌍🌏🌎🌑 On Tue., Sep. 6, 2022, 7:11 p.m. Craig Newmark, <craig.newm...@gmail.com> wrote: > Maryana, much appreciated! > > Craig Newmark, craigslist founder > craignewmarkphilanthropies.org > > On Tue, Sep 6, 2022, 9:53 AM Maryana Iskander <miskan...@wikimedia.org> > wrote: > >> This message is being translated into other languages on Meta-wiki. You >> can help with more languages. >> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Chief_Executive_Officer/Updates/Nine_month_update> >> >> >> >> Hi everyone, >> >> >> >> I’ve started my ninth official month as CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation. >> Based on feedback from this list and elsewhere, I am trying to proactively >> communicate every few months on my priorities and what I continue to learn. >> >> >> >> I regularly return to the five ‘puzzles’ >> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Chief_Executive_Officer/Maryana%E2%80%99s_Listening_Tour/The_Puzzles> >> I identified in my original letter to you. For me, these continue to pose >> big questions about our role in the world and our ways of working with each >> other. I’ve mentioned that one highlight of the year so far has been >> bringing colleagues together – volunteers, editors, affiliates, Foundation >> staff, board members – to reconnect at a human level. Many of you have >> shared with me the need for more spaces that can help us build (and >> rebuild) relationships and trust. >> >> >> >> As more communities return to in-person events, I have benefitted from >> spending time with volunteers at WikiCon Brasil and at the Wikimania meetup >> hosted in Cape Town. I look forward to participating in-person and >> virtually at many more regional gatherings in the months ahead. >> >> >> >> I am writing today to provide you with an update on the three priorities >> I identified in January. >> >> Priority 1: Strategy and Planning >> >> My first priority remains focused on strategy and planning. In June, we >> shared the successful adoption of the Wikimedia Foundation’s Annual Plan >> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Annual_Plan/2022-2023>. >> It is now anchored in the strategic direction of our movement – knowledge >> equity and knowledge as a service – and it identifies the Foundation’s >> strengthened focus on regions and on projects. This plan benefited from the >> contributions and feedback of hundreds of volunteers who provided input >> on-wiki and through other multilingual channels of communication. We’ll >> share updates on progress before the end of the calendar year on the Annual >> Plan meta page and in other forums. Our intention is to continue asking for >> guidance and input from volunteers, affiliates, and communities. >> >> I mentioned in my April message that the Wikimedia Foundation has grown >> very rapidly over the past 3 years as part of its medium term plan – >> increasing >> its budget by more than 30% in the past year with the addition of more than >> 200 new people since 2020. This growth will not continue as we stabilize >> and make sure that new resources are delivering maximum impact for our >> mission. The Foundation’s approved budget represents a 17% increase, most >> of this is inflationary and other year-on-year costs. Funding to other >> movement entities (individual and affiliate) grew by 24% percent. >> >> While the annual plan is an important start, it does not address all of >> the significant strategic issues facing Wikimedia – none of which can be >> solved in a single year. Within the framework of our movement strategy and >> emerging charter, I plan to continue partnering with Foundation >> stakeholders and communities in co-planning approaches to tackle strategic >> issues that an annual plan cannot fully address. The Board of Trustees will >> help kick this off with strategic planning engagements at the board’s >> upcoming meeting in Berlin. This will be followed by important >> conversations about strategy implementation at the Wikimedia Summit >> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Summit_2022> (returning for >> the first time since 2019). >> >> Priority 2: Leadership >> >> I highlighted in January that CEO transitions are disruptive for most >> organisations and change often continues after a new leader has arrived. I >> have been trying to build a broader leadership team at the Wikimedia >> Foundation as I focus on successfully onboarding new hires, investing >> more in internal talent management, undertaking succession planning for key >> roles, and providing stronger communications support for the Foundation’s >> senior team. >> >> Product/Technology >> >> My top priority when I joined was to actively step in and support the >> Foundation’s product and technology teams while we recruited executive >> leadership of these mission critical functions with a new Chief Product and >> Technology Officer. This goal has been achieved >> <https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2022/06/13/wikimedia-foundation-welcomes-selena-deckelmann/> >> as Selena Deckelmann is now officially on board at the Wikimedia >> Foundation after a successful nine-year career at Mozilla, most recently as >> the head of Firefox. She is reaching out to learn from our technical >> contributors and volunteers, and can be contacted directly at >> sdeckelm...@wikimedia.org. >> >> Advancement >> >> Having assessed the Wikimedia Foundation’s leadership structure, I have >> decided not to create or resurrect any additional C-level roles at this >> time. Instead, we will add more organization-wide responsibilities to >> existing leadership roles in order to increase accountability, improve >> coordination, and reduce silos. I am pleased to share that Lisa Gruwell ( >> lgruw...@wikimedia.org) will assume additional responsibilities as a >> Deputy to the CEO while also remaining the Chief Advancement Officer. I >> believe this will provide the Foundation with further leadership >> stability as well as provide important institutional memory given Lisa’s >> 12+ years of Wikimedia experience. >> >> In that time, Lisa has delivered an unparalleled track record of results >> throughout every chapter of the Foundation’s history since its inception. >> She has supported communities around the globe and engaged allies in >> embracing the vision of Wikimedia. Lisa is always looking to the future and >> asking how we can deepen the impact of our work. She often channels the >> voices of our contributors, readers and donors – I have seen firsthand how >> deeply Lisa cares about this mission and the people who make it possible >> from those at the Foundation, in our movement, and around the world. >> >> Legal >> >> Working closely with General Counsel Amanda Keton, we recently appointed >> Stephen >> LaPorte (slapo...@wikimedia.org) as Deputy General Counsel. This is a >> key role that the Foundation’s legal team has had for several years. In >> addition to leading the Legal Affairs and Public Policy teams for the last >> decade, Stephen has built a track record of effective partnership with >> communities to support our technical aspirations, while seeing around the >> corners of the policy landscape to protect and expand free knowledge. We >> will all benefit from Stephen’s experience and wisdom in this role. >> >> Communications >> >> The Foundation’s communications department is led by Vice President Anusha >> Alikhan (aalik...@wikimedia.org) to support strategic efforts for >> external, movement, and Foundation audiences. Anusha joined Wikimedia in >> 2019 from the Knight Foundation and has prior experience as a freelance >> journalist, editor and lawyer. Her leadership of the communications team >> recognizes >> Anusha’s capabilities as a consummate communications professional, her >> embodiment of Wikimedia’s values, and her unwavering commitment to equity >> and inclusion. >> >> Finance & Administration >> >> Jaime Villagomez (jvillago...@wikimedia.org) remains our Chief Financial >> Officer, very capably overseeing the Foundation’s finance and >> administration teams to steward our finances, strengthen the operational >> infrastructure of our movement, and enable the Foundation to better meet >> its strategic objectives. >> >> Talent & Culture >> >> Alongside an experienced team of leaders, I am temporarily heading up our >> Talent & Culture department in order to learn more about what is needed at >> this time – I plan to make further leadership decisions by the end of the >> year. >> >> Chief of Staff >> >> Finally, I have redefined the Chief of Staff role to support the broader >> organization and movement, not only the CEO. Communicating regularly and >> effectively, not just to relay information but to create shared >> understanding across diverse stakeholders, is one of the most important >> capabilities we need at the Foundation, and this role is intended to help >> us all. Nadee Gunasena (ngunas...@wikimedia.org) recently became Chief >> of Staff after four years of executive communications support at the >> Wikimedia Foundation. Many of you may already know Nadee as someone who >> stands ready to help affiliates and community members with communications >> and other needs. >> >> Priority 3: Values and Culture >> >> Strategy, planning and leadership are necessary ingredients for success. >> My experience has taught me that values and culture often matter more. I >> have been on a journey seeking to understand how the Wikimedia >> Foundation’s organizational values >> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Values> are lived >> in practice. And how values can clarify what others should expect of us. >> This feels like an important question now, especially given how much has >> changed at the Foundation since these were first penned in 2016. We are >> beginning those conversations between now and December following input from >> employee >> groups, our Board of Trustees, as well as data from a recent all-staff >> survey. I am always interested to hear from others who also think about >> values and how they shape organizational culture and performance. >> >> I haven’t stopped asking for time to keep learning from all of you - >> thank you to those who have reached out for more conversations and to share >> perspectives. I can always be reached directly at miskan...@wikimedia.org >> . >> >> >> >> Maryana >> >> >> >> Maryana Iskander >> >> Wikimedia Foundation CEO >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines >> at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >> Public archives at >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/ZC4R63OMDY6IVGHEZFFBBTOOM4O7O7X5/ >> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines > at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > Public archives at > https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/KNSH6MBEK322BMMX7ETJGIM6Q3F2XFU2/ > To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org
_______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l Public archives at https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/message/P5OGHUJB7W5VZI4XTCJ53YPIRO6YS447/ To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-le...@lists.wikimedia.org
