Wikimedia Conference 2016/Program/4

4: Meet the WMF Interim ED and WMF staff

How to move forward

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  Geoff Brigham answering a question regarding legal support for affiliates

What was this session about?

“Get the executive team talking more with the community/community members.”

What are the next steps to be taken?

• Search for a permanent ED
• Fill critical vacancies (HR, CTO, CE)
• Deliver annual plan + FDC process
• Finalize the strategy for 2016–2018
• Address issues that were raised in the staff survey

Who is the person to reach out to?

Generally, Katherine Maher, interim ED. For specific issues (communications, fundraising, legal, etc.) you can contact the other C level managers.

Photos

see the Commons category

Original Description

Introduction of the WMF Interim ED, Katherine Maher, conversation and exchange between the Interim ED, members of WMF staff, and Affiliates. Topics can be the plans for the interim phase, next steps as well as opportunities for closer collaboration between WMF and its affiliates.

Desired Outcome

Affiliates know the next steps for the upcoming months and know how they can support the WMF in its transition phase. “Get the executive team talking more with the community/community members.”

Session Format

Conversing

Speaker(s)

Katherine Maher, Geoff Brigham, Lisa Seitz Gruwell, Katy Love, Danny Horn, Heather Walls, Ryan Kaldari

Summary of the session

After the speakers introduced themselves, participants could start asking questions.

A participant expressed happiness that so many Foundation staff were present in the session and asked how they have been coping with the stress at their workplace in recent times. Katherine answered that all teams in the Foundation have consciously tried to take it a little easier and the Talent & Culture team has been fantastic and supportive by setting up programs to give employees more time for spending with their friends. Being at the Wikimedia Conference was also helpful, she said.

Another participant asked how to move forward now. Katherine answered that the leadership team has had an 8 hour meeting where they discussed what they want to achieve during the transition period. They came up with following things:

1. Search for a permanent ED
2. Fill critical vacancies (HR, CTO, CE)
3. Deliver annual plan + FDC process
4. Finalize the strategy for 2016–2018
5. Address issues that were raised in the staff survey

In the last 6 weeks they have been doing these things. Katherine said that they have given attention to improving transparency. She said that she does not have all the answers and this session and conference is a good place to have conversations.

Lisa emphasized that the leadership team has put a lot of time and effort into the process. The annual plan and strategy were ready and there was going to be another engagement survey. A committee has been put together for finding the permanent ED. In the committee are Kelly Battles, Alice Wiegand, Dariusz Jemielniak, Lisa herself and Katy Horn (engineering director, elected to the committee by staff). The committee welcomes questions and advice, Lisa said.

Heather Walls (acting Communication’s director) stressed that there were many projects, people, and initiatives that haven't stopped moving forward. Asaf Bartov said that in his opinion the Foundation was in good hands now and a lot would have been achieved.

A participant expressed concerns that there were structures and processes in our movement that were not optimal but we – as Movement – still exist. When someone wanted to change them, it was exhausting and frustrating because there was no clarity of the mandate. People who would have the power to make the change were not part of the conversation, or when they wanted to be, the matter was not on the agenda. Another participant added a question about how the community could help the staff to do their job better.

Katherine closed the session.