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Y ... has a title defined. Meet the 12 candidates running in the WMF Board of Trustees election
Y ... has a blurb defined.
Who are they, why are they running and what are they bringing to the Board?
Active wikis: Wikipedia in the languages en, ss, zu, xh, st, Wikimedia Commons, Meta, Wikidata, Incubator.
Why are you running for the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees? What would you contribute? What would you like to learn more about?
I am running for the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees to bring a unique perspective and advocate for greater representation and inclusivity within the global Wikimedia community. I also believe that my experience from South Africa ( with diverse languages, economic make up and a constitution that is focused on human rights) enables me to understand the unique challenges and opportunities faced by contributors from underrepresented regions as well as those from the global north regions. I aim to contribute my expertise in community building, capacity development, and strategic planning to advance the Movement Strategy 2030 goals. Additionally, I am eager to learn more about effective governance practices and global collaboration strategies to better support and empower Wikimedians worldwide.
Languages: German, English, some French and Italian, smatterings of other languages like Greek, Farsi and Bengali
Wikimedian since: 2014
Active wikis: de.Wp, Commons, Wikidata
Why are you running for the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees? What would you contribute? What would you like to learn more about?
I know the Wikiverse as a volunteer and I love it. I have experienced the perspective of a Foundation staff member and it was probably the most fulfilling professional role I held. Taking this journey of the exploration of the best place on the internet a bit further and bringing all I learnt in my previous (and ongoing) roles to the next level is something I see as challenging and rewarding at the same time. The Wikiverse has given me many amazing gifts - knowledge, friendship, inspiration and lots of happy memories. I hope I can give back some things as a Trustee. But I also expect to get knowledge, inspriration and more in this role, should you trust me to become a Trustee.
Why are you running for the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees? What would you contribute? What would you like to learn more about?
As a totally outsider, the Afrikaans Wikipedia has met only one permanent staff member in the past four years, I will add a new perspective. Being well education in business I will make a difference. I want to fight for the rights of the smaller Wikipedias. Eg. at the Mexico City Wikimania (2015) I asked for assistance on two matters, never got any answers nor solutions.
Why are you running for the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees? What would you contribute? What would you like to learn more about?
I am running for the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees out of a desire to serve and support an organization that I deeply believe in. I would bring my experience as a nonprofit expert and as a science fiction author keenly interested in technology and open projects. I have been a near-daily user of Wikimedia projects for more than twenty years. And I’m a regular donor to the cause, who believes in supporting important services I use.
The most important thing to call out is that I am the author of “The Little Book of Boards” and three other books for nonprofit leaders, which have collectively sold more than 60,000 copies over the past 15 years. With a long history of nonprofit board experience and nonprofit staff leadership roles, I believe I have a lot to contribute to the Wikimedia board, its culture, and its systems. Additionally, I served as a local elected official on a nonpartisan government board for more than 12 years, and I bring that board experience as well.
Currently, I serve as the Director of Audience Development for my local NPR affiliate radio station, where I focus on promoting nonprofit and nonpartisan news. I also view my nonfiction books similarly, where I spread knowledge and sharing my experience with other nonprofit leaders.
Finally, my science fiction is particularly attuned to technology, information, and how it shapes society. My series “The Lattice Trilogy” looks at a world with perfect information and its implications. Whether personally or professionally, I am interested in these questions at all levels, and Wikimedia is at the forefront of addressing them for the future.
I bring an understanding of nonprofit boards, a desire to build systems and culture that outlast the people who created them, and a deep love of Wikipedia and the mission and projects of the Wikimedia Foundation.
Why are you running for the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees? What would you contribute? What would you like to learn more about?
I am running for a seat on the Board first and foremost to bring much needed diversity in its makeup. I bring to the Board years of experience in the different facets of the Wikimedia Movement: as a Wikipedia volunteer, a user group leader, and an advisor on several Wikimedia Foundation committees. My leadership in the Wikimedia Movement in the “Global South” brings a much needed perspective to the Board that gives a voice to the marginalized, especially in handling crises that I experience first hand as a member of the Palestinian community. I have first-hand experience in and understand the needs of underserved language communities and smaller affiliates. My professional experience will undoubtedly prove important when discussing and making decisions about the Foundation's investment in technology and ensuring keeping up with the rapid evolution in technology and harnessing its power to support the Wikimedia platforms and facilitate access to them. By joining the Board, I’m also hoping to grow and learn more about the challenges of aligning different stakeholders across the movement.
At Wikimedia Summit 2024 the Wikimedia movement affiliates decided that the new Movement Charter and Global Council will transfer power from the Wikimedia Foundation to the user community. This power transfer may not happen without strong advocacy, but I will negotiate for the resources the community needs to be successful. This includes sustaining current community programs and increasing funds to the Spanish-speaking world, India, and African countries. Because currently only members of wiki organizations get access to some governance rights, we also must create governance participation options for the 99% of editors and readers who have no such membership.
I have 12 years of experience as a "Wikimedian in Residence", which is a professional Wikimedian role. I am at the School of Data Science at the University of Virginia, and my institution is ready to back me in my Board work with legal, accounting, ethical, and other expert academic support.
Languages: Italian (native), English (fluent), Spanish (basic)
Wikimedian since: 2004
Active wikis: Italian Wikipedia, Wikidata
Why are you running for the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees? What would you contribute? What would you like to learn more about?
In the past three years serving on the board, I've learned a lot, but one thing stands out: the realization of our global nature.
I wasn't a newbie: my first edit on Wikipedia was in 2004, and I already had governance experience. I had engaged in the international community for a decade. Yet, I didn't fully grasp our global nature. In my first board meeting, I remember a slide telling a story about the Taliban's capture of Kabul - a recent event at the time. This is not something I was used to! It's an important global event, in every newspaper - but I wasn't used to thinking that what I do impacts, or is impacted by, these events.
The same goes with our communities, which have the full breadth and diversity of a global movement; and all the challenges of different cultures, languages, timezones working together. Being on the board widened my perspective on our communities - and the opportunity to serve them better.
I look forward to continuing to learn from our communities around the world, and to supporting them in any way possible.
Active wikis: plwiki, enwiki, Commons, small wikis via Small Wiki Monitoring Team
Why are you running for the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees? What would you contribute? What would you like to learn more about?
Wikipedia’s readership is growing less than the internet use rate; editor numbers are stagnant. GenAI tools are taking over the internet, while Wikipedia is still in the Web 2.0 era. We need to focus so that our Wikimedia 2030 Strategic Direction won’t change to “By 2030, Wikimedia will still be relevant”.
I am running for the Board of Trustees because:
With new governance structures still mainly in the planning stages (Movement Charter/Global Council), the BoT is in a unique position to ensure that WMF's priorities stay focused on Legal and Technology; and it means WMF abandoning some of its existing programs.
Well-funded local organizations (affiliates/hubs) should lead the programmatic activities and use their local expertise to support users.
I want to decrease the distance between users and the WMF. It is essential to contact users in their native languages and avoid complicated corporate speech.
I bring in the perspective of the first digital generation, major Wikimedia governance experience, and the conviction to cooperate with all who wish to further the Wikimedia mission.
Active wikis: Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata, MediaWiki
Why are you running for the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees? What would you contribute? What would you like to learn more about?
I have a passion for volunteering and when I first heard that there was an Internet space where volunteers could promote their languages and make the knowledge shared on that platform freely accessible to all, I never hesitated to learn how to become a member. I quickly created my Wikimedia User Account as a digital Dagbani language Activist. I later discovered several other Wikimedia projects aside from Wikipedia, which increased my interest in getting more involved in the Movement Activities, including availing myself of volunteer roles.
Languages: English (native); Serbian (childhood native; now basic); Spanish, French (basic)
Wikimedian since: 2007
Active wikis: English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata
Why are you running for the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees? What would you contribute? What would you like to learn more about?
I believe serving on the Board is the best way for me to ensure that the 2030 Movement Strategy's Recommendations and Initiatives receive strategic commitment (e.g., Annual Plan Process). I will continue to be a deeply committed Wikimedian, listening and participating in conversations, campaigns, and conferences to ensure community points of view are addressed in strategic conversations with the CEO, staff, and the Board, championing shifts in direction or priorities when it benefits or impacts the Movement.
Languages: English, Yoruba, Arabic (Basic), French (Beginner), German (Beginner)
Wikimedian since: 2021
Active wikis: En.wikipedia.org, Yo.wikipedia.org, Wikiquote, Wikibooks
Why are you running for the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees? What would you contribute? What would you like to learn more about?
I am running for the board of trustee as I would like to be more practical about my contribution to free knowledge. Before now, I have been contributing to the wikimedia projects however been elected as one of the Wikimedia board of trustees will make it easier to do more than just editing, I will be able to proffer solutions and help the Foundation directly.
Also, I am an enthusiastic individual who put in the best in whatever she does. I will be bringing my energetic vibe to the board which is very contagious, of course!.
Languages: English (professional), Russian (native), Belarusian, Ukrainian, French (beginner)
Wikimedian since: 2006
Active wikis: Russian Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Russian Wikinews
Why are you running for the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees? What would you contribute? What would you like to learn more about?
I'm running for the Board to continue the pivotal work I started when I was elected in 2021. At this turning point in our movement's history, we crucially need trustees with experience rather than those who are learning the ropes. If we fail to adjust to the new reality over the next 2-3 years, Wikipedia may become a quaint artefact of an earlier Internet age like MySpace.
As a person from the Global South, with experience living in a totalitarian regime and a seasoned scientist, I hope to offer an important perspective to the Board.
Over the last three years, as part of the Board, I have communicated with the Movement, collaborated with the CEO, and provided strategic guidance to the WMF. I want to build on this experience further to improve the relationship between the WMF and the Movement.
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