Schwarzes Brett des Kuratoriums der Wikimediastiftung/24. Juni 2016 - Bestellung der Geschäftsführerin der Wikimediastiftung durch das Kuratorium
Nachricht von Patricio Lorento
- Diese Nachricht, "Bestellung der Geschäftsführerin durch das Kuratorium", wurde von Patricio Lorente am 24. June 2016 gesendet.
Liebe Leser,
Es ist uns eine Freude Euch mitzuteilen, dass wir während der Kuratoriumssitzung auf der Wikimania 2016 in Esino Lario als Kuratorium einstimmig die Bestellung von Katherine Maher als neue Geschäftsführerin der Wikimediastiftung beschlossen haben. Diese tritt mit dem Zeitpunkt des Beschlusses am Donnerstag, dem 23. Juni 2016, in Kraft.
Katherine war bereits in den letzten drei Monaten Interimsgeschäftsführerin, und hat in dieser Zeit konsequent und andauernd die Art der Führung verkörpert, die unsere Organisation braucht. Sie ist von den Werten unserer Gemeinschaft zutiefst überzeugt und bringt Erfahrungen in den Bereichen Bürgertechnologie und internationale Entwicklung ein, die ein Gewinn für die Wikimediastiftung und die Gemeinschaft sein werden.
Wir kamen zu diesem Entschluss nach einem ausführlichen Suchprozess, der vom GF-Suchausschuß geleitet wurde. Unsere Entscheidung wurde auch durch die direkten Rückmeldungen von den Mitarbeitern und der Community beeinflusst, sowie von unserer Erfahrung der engen Zusammenarbeit mit Katherine.
In March, we assembled an Executive Director search committee consisting of four Board members[1] who were chosen to represent different perspectives and capacities.[2] Additionally, the Board asked the Foundation’s Chief Advancement Officer Lisa Gruwell to represent the executive team, and Foundation staff member Katie Horn was selected by her peers as someone who could represent staff perspectives. The committee was charged with keeping the process on track and on time, engaging important stakeholders, and facilitating transparency in communications. Their first tasks were to identify a search firm, and define the position description. You can review the committee’s updates on Meta.
The committee recruited Viewcrest Advisors,[3] to identify our leadership needs and design a hiring process. Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest worked with the committee to conduct interviews with every Foundation department, the executive, the Board, and nearly 20 additional one-on-one interviews with staff. Kathleen attended the Wikimedia Conference in Berlin, collecting feedback from community members and affiliates. The committee launched a community survey in June, receiving more than 1,600 responses about the qualities needed in the next ED; they also asked for feedback on Meta. Taking all of this into account, the transition team developed a profile and requirements for the next Executive Director that reflect our values and our communities.
Throughout this process, the Board and the transition team received very clear and often unsolicited feedback from both staff and community members that Katherine embodies the values of our movement and the traits needed in our next ED. This feedback was only reinforced by the latest Foundation engagement survey results, which showed a strong shift toward renewed trust in leadership. After taking this all into account, and considering what the organization needs at this moment of transition, we moved to appoint Katherine now.
In just three months as interim ED, Katherine worked with the organization and community to make huge strides in management, execution, and transparency. She brought much-needed clarity to our strategic direction, and mobilized the organization to clearly communicate that direction through this year’s annual plan.
After her appointment, she worked with the leadership team to swiftly identify the organization’s priorities during the transition period and execute against them, setting ambitious but reachable targets. Under Katherine’s leadership, the Foundation submitted its annual plan to the Funds Dissemination Committee, leaving ample time for community feedback and discussion.
Katherine is an excellent fit for our movement. She is longtime advocate for global open communities, culture, and technology. She was the Foundation’s Chief Communications Officer from April 2014 until she was appointed interim ED in March. Throughout her career she has focused on freedom of expression, access to information, and digital rights; supporting the efforts of people around the world to deepen participation, advance transparency, and strengthen their communities through her work with UNICEF, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, and the World Bank. If you don’t already know Katherine, you can learn more about her on Meta.
With this appointment, we feel strongly that the Foundation has the leadership and clarity to move forward. We wish Katherine the very best in this role, and the Board looks forward to continuing to work with her.
We would also like to thank the many community members and Foundation staff who actively shared thoughtful, highly valuable feedback. Without that, we would not have been able to come to this decision.
Please join us in congratulating Katherine!
Patricio Lorente, outgoing Board Chair
Christophe Henner, incoming Board Chair