| Presentación
|
I believe the role of the board of directors should be:
- To set up a decisionmaking structure rather than to make individual decisions itself
- To review financial, legal, and personnel matters on an ongoing basis
- To respect the independence of each project and language
- To refrain from major changes that could jeopardize the success we have already achieved
- To advise officers, paid staff, and volunteers working for the Foundation
I believe the role of the foundation should be:
- To provide a financial and legal framework for the operation of Wikipedia and its sister projects
- To serve as a single voice to the public in matters such as press and donor relations where unity is important
- To support and empower appropriate leadership within each project while maintaining our community-driven traditions
If elected, the first things I would advocate as a board member would be:
- Identification of one or more "foundation contacts" for each project in each language
- More extensive and more organized use of volunteers to deal with the daily work of the Foundation
- Increased focus on accurate and timely internal communications
With regard to non-English projects, I believe that:
- Most such projects should ultimately become independent of the U.S.-based foundation (in 5-10 years)
- Trusted leadership in each language should be cultivatived, that shares the core values of freely redistributable content, NPOV, and openness
The background I bring to the board includes:
- Three years of participation in the English Wikipedia including an ongoing interest in policy and governance
- Prior participation in the board of directors of the Wesleyan Broadcast Association, Inc., a non-profit corporation that operated radio station WESU-FM
- Prior paid employment as a corporate officer in a U.S. business which gave me a degree of familiarity with the legal, financial, tax, and corporate structure issues that face the Foundation
- Some prior international travel, mainly in Spain and Mexico since I speak some Spanish
- Technical background in software development and IT
Some things I wish I could bring to the board but can't:
- I respect the international nature of the Foundation and wish I could speak fluently in languages other than English
- I dislike travel and live in an out-of-the-way place. Though I am prepared to engage in some travel if elected, I may not be able to attend all board-related events in person
- As important as Wikipedia is to me, I cannot let it become my full time job.
|
