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María Sefidari
3 Jun
2021
3 Jun
'21
7:39 p.m.
Dear All,
There is one last bit of news I would like to share following the Board
meeting update.
After ~ 8 years on the Board of Trustees at the Wikimedia Foundation - a
long time! - I have notified the Board that I am stepping down as Chair and
trustee, effective end of day today.
As all of you know, the community-selected seats were due to expire last
year and were extended at the request of the Board to see through these
difficult and unprecedented times. Now, after chairing the last meeting of
the fiscal year and having the call for candidates for the upcoming
elections approved, it is the least disruptive moment for me to step down.
The Foundation has asked me to consider an advisory role to support
Movement Strategy and the onboarding of new trustees and the new CEO/ED, to
help support leadership and this strategic transition. Nataliia Tymkiv,
currently Vice Chair, will act as Chair until a new one is elected by the
Board ensuring continuity.
Hopefully this news will not come as too much of a surprise. I am grateful
to the community members who lent me their trust and support to become a
trustee on two different occasions, to the staff, and to the trustees for
their confidence in me in the different leadership positions I have held
within the Board - first as committee chair, then two terms as Vice Chair,
and two terms as Chair.
Together we have accomplished many things during this time, but if I had to
single out only a few they would be the following: launching the Movement
Strategy process, engaging in the most ambitious governance reform in the
history of the Board, and working to ensure the stability and
sustainability of the Foundation. It has been a time of change, of
discussing strategy and our future, and deciding together what the path
forward should be.
Of course, the work is never finished - it will be the task of the Board to
continue what has been done and face the newer and complex challenges that
will no doubt arise. I hope that we will see many of the women of the
movement and people from the Global South as candidates in the upcoming
community elections - I know there are many qualified people ready to step
into these important roles. I look forward to supporting an increasingly
capable and diverse Board.
Be safe and well everyone.
Tupananchiskama,
María
--
María Sefidari Huici
Chair of the Board
Wikimedia Foundation
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Nataliia Tymkiv
3 Jun
3 Jun
7:41 p.m.
Dear María,
First of all, thank you for all the work you have done over the past 8
years - it is not always easy to be a Trustee and sometimes the work is far
from gratifying. I know it was not a quick decision for you to stay on for
an additional year to help us see Wikimedia Foundation and the board
through some challenging times, and I am personally grateful for your
accepting the challenge and putting yourself on the line.
There was quite a bit of turmoil when I joined the Board - and no one
really had time to onboard me back then. And I *needed* onboarding and
support. You offered to mentor me if need be, invited me to shoot any
questions and concerns at you, any time of the day. Things like that -
going above and beyond when needed and really meaning it - are a pattern
with you. And I deeply appreciate your dedication to the cause.
You were in the room when the Board decided to embark on a long journey to
support the creation of the Movement strategy, and saw it through all the
hardships we had along the way. I do hope that being able to help in
implementing it will somehow account for all those mishaps on the way here,
and you will seriously consider the advisory role where you can support the
Movement Strategy from the trenches, so to say.
You have been one of the strongest voices for making sure our projects
diversify and are more equitable, helping direct the Wikimedia Foundation
to a direction of increasing readers and donors and raising editing numbers
from when they were declining. Your energy and readiness to participate in
hundreds, maybe thousands of conversations on the future of Wikimedia and
ensuring its stability and sustainability is really something, and I think
this deserves recognition on our part.
I believe you will remain involved in the movement with the same drive and
passion you have always shown. And our paths will cross again even though
we do edit different-language Wikipedias, but we still reside in the same
Wikiverse :)
With thanks and appreciation,
antanana / Nataliia Tymkiv
Vice Chair, Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees
*NOTICE: You may have received this message outside of your normal working
hours/days, as I usually can work more as a volunteer during weekend. You
should not feel obligated to answer it during your days off. Thank you in
advance!*
On Thu, Jun 3, 2021 at 10:40 PM María Sefidari
msefidari@wikimedia.org
wrote:
...
Dear All,
There is one last bit of news I would like to share following the Board
meeting update.
After ~ 8 years on the Board of Trustees at the Wikimedia Foundation - a
long time! - I have notified the Board that I am stepping down as Chair and
trustee, effective end of day today.
As all of you know, the community-selected seats were due to expire last
year and were extended at the request of the Board to see through these
difficult and unprecedented times. Now, after chairing the last meeting of
the fiscal year and having the call for candidates for the upcoming
elections approved, it is the least disruptive moment for me to step down.
The Foundation has asked me to consider an advisory role to support
Movement Strategy and the onboarding of new trustees and the new CEO/ED, to
help support leadership and this strategic transition. Nataliia Tymkiv,
currently Vice Chair, will act as Chair until a new one is elected by the
Board ensuring continuity.
Hopefully this news will not come as too much of a surprise. I am grateful
to the community members who lent me their trust and support to become a
trustee on two different occasions, to the staff, and to the trustees for
their confidence in me in the different leadership positions I have held
within the Board - first as committee chair, then two terms as Vice Chair,
and two terms as Chair.
Together we have accomplished many things during this time, but if I had
to single out only a few they would be the following: launching the
Movement Strategy process, engaging in the most ambitious governance reform
in the history of the Board, and working to ensure the stability and
sustainability of the Foundation. It has been a time of change, of
discussing strategy and our future, and deciding together what the path
forward should be.
Of course, the work is never finished - it will be the task of the Board
to continue what has been done and face the newer and complex challenges
that will no doubt arise. I hope that we will see many of the women of the
movement and people from the Global South as candidates in the upcoming
community elections - I know there are many qualified people ready to step
into these important roles. I look forward to supporting an increasingly
capable and diverse Board.
Be safe and well everyone.
Tupananchiskama,
María
--
María Sefidari Huici
Chair of the Board
Wikimedia Foundation
_______________________________________________
Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines
at:
and
To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-leave@lists.wikimedia.org
attachment
attachment.htm
Gregory Varnum
8:20 p.m.
This information is also available (in growing number of languages) on Meta-Wiki and Diff:
María - thank you for your leadership and wisdom over the past several years. I look forward to seeing how you engage with the movement next! :)
-greg
-------
Gregory Varnum
Senior Strategist, Communications
Wikimedia Foundation
gvarnum@wikimedia.org
Pronouns: He/Him/His
...
On Jun 3, 2021, at 12:41 PM, Nataliia Tymkiv
ntymkiv@wikimedia.org
wrote:
Dear María,
First of all, thank you for all the work you have done over the past 8 years - it is not always easy to be a Trustee and sometimes the work is far from gratifying. I know it was not a quick decision for you to stay on for an additional year to help us see Wikimedia Foundation and the board through some challenging times, and I am personally grateful for your accepting the challenge and putting yourself on the line.
There was quite a bit of turmoil when I joined the Board - and no one really had time to onboard me back then. And I *needed* onboarding and support. You offered to mentor me if need be, invited me to shoot any questions and concerns at you, any time of the day. Things like that - going above and beyond when needed and really meaning it - are a pattern with you. And I deeply appreciate your dedication to the cause.
You were in the room when the Board decided to embark on a long journey to support the creation of the Movement strategy, and saw it through all the hardships we had along the way. I do hope that being able to help in implementing it will somehow account for all those mishaps on the way here, and you will seriously consider the advisory role where you can support the Movement Strategy from the trenches, so to say.
You have been one of the strongest voices for making sure our projects diversify and are more equitable, helping direct the Wikimedia Foundation to a direction of increasing readers and donors and raising editing numbers from when they were declining. Your energy and readiness to participate in hundreds, maybe thousands of conversations on the future of Wikimedia and ensuring its stability and sustainability is really something, and I think this deserves recognition on our part.
I believe you will remain involved in the movement with the same drive and passion you have always shown. And our paths will cross again even though we do edit different-language Wikipedias, but we still reside in the same Wikiverse :)
With thanks and appreciation,
antanana / Nataliia Tymkiv
Vice Chair, Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees
NOTICE: You may have received this message outside of your normal working hours/days, as I usually can work more as a volunteer during weekend. You should not feel obligated to answer it during your days off. Thank you in advance!
On Thu, Jun 3, 2021 at 10:40 PM María Sefidari
> wrote:
Dear All,
There is one last bit of news I would like to share following the Board meeting update.
After ~ 8 years on the Board of Trustees at the Wikimedia Foundation - a long time! - I have notified the Board that I am stepping down as Chair and trustee, effective end of day today.
As all of you know, the community-selected seats were due to expire last year and were extended at the request of the Board to see through these difficult and unprecedented times. Now, after chairing the last meeting of the fiscal year and having the call for candidates for the upcoming elections approved, it is the least disruptive moment for me to step down. The Foundation has asked me to consider an advisory role to support Movement Strategy and the onboarding of new trustees and the new CEO/ED, to help support leadership and this strategic transition. Nataliia Tymkiv, currently Vice Chair, will act as Chair until a new one is elected by the Board ensuring continuity.
Hopefully this news will not come as too much of a surprise. I am grateful to the community members who lent me their trust and support to become a trustee on two different occasions, to the staff, and to the trustees for their confidence in me in the different leadership positions I have held within the Board - first as committee chair, then two terms as Vice Chair, and two terms as Chair.
Together we have accomplished many things during this time, but if I had to single out only a few they would be the following: launching the Movement Strategy process, engaging in the most ambitious governance reform in the history of the Board, and working to ensure the stability and sustainability of the Foundation. It has been a time of change, of discussing strategy and our future, and deciding together what the path forward should be.
Of course, the work is never finished - it will be the task of the Board to continue what has been done and face the newer and complex challenges that will no doubt arise. I hope that we will see many of the women of the movement and people from the Global South as candidates in the upcoming community elections - I know there are many qualified people ready to step into these important roles. I look forward to supporting an increasingly capable and diverse Board.
Be safe and well everyone.
Tupananchiskama,
María
--
María Sefidari Huici
Chair of the Board
Wikimedia Foundation
_______________________________________________
Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
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, guidelines at:
and
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rnarisetti＠wikimedia.org
8:20 p.m.
Was a privilege to work with María Sefidari on the Wikimedia board these past four years. Thank you Maria for your work and service to Wiki communities globally, and so happy that you agreed for a one year-extension given Covid last year, and are able to find time to help WMF staff on Movement Strategy projects in coming months. Glad your knowledge and expertise will remain close to the Movement. Raju Narisetti
Victoria Coleman
5 Jun
5 Jun
1:09 a.m.
Maria,
You personify the movement. It has been an incredible privilege to get to know you and work with you. Thank you for being a free knowledge warrior!
Best regards,
Victoria Coleman
...
On Jun 4, 2021, at 2:06 PM, rnarisetti@wikimedia.org wrote:
Was a privilege to work with María Sefidari on the Wikimedia board these past four years. Thank you Maria for your work and service to Wiki communities globally, and so happy that you agreed for a one year-extension given Covid last year, and are able to find time to help WMF staff on Movement Strategy projects in coming months. Glad your knowledge and expertise will remain close to the Movement. Raju Narisetti
_______________________________________________
Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at:
and
To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-leave@lists.wikimedia.org
Florence Devouard
3 Jun
3 Jun
10:42 p.m.
Dear Maria,
I would like to thank wholeheartedly for all those years of service. You
provided great leadership and I am very grateful for all what you did.
Receive many many thanks.
Best - Flo
Le 03/06/2021 à 21:39, María Sefidari a écrit :
...
Dear All,
There is one last bit of news I would like to share following the
Board meeting update.
After ~ 8 years on the Board of Trustees at the Wikimedia Foundation -
a long time! - I have notified the Board that I am stepping down as
Chair and trustee, effective end of day today.
As all of you know, the community-selected seats were due to expire
last year and were extended at the request of the Board to see through
these difficult and unprecedented times. Now, after chairing the last
meeting of the fiscal year and having the call for candidates for the
upcoming elections approved, it is the least disruptive moment for me
to step down. The Foundation has asked me to consider an advisory role
to support Movement Strategy and the onboarding of new trustees and
the new CEO/ED, to help support leadership and this strategic
transition. Nataliia Tymkiv, currently Vice Chair, will act as Chair
until a new one is elected by the Board ensuring continuity.
Hopefully this news will not come as too much of a surprise. I am
grateful to the community members who lent me their trust and support
to become a trustee on two different occasions, to the staff, and to
the trustees for their confidence in me in the different leadership
positions I have held within the Board - first as committee chair,
then two terms as Vice Chair, and two terms as Chair.
Together we have accomplished many things during this time, but if I
had to single out only a few they would be the following: launching
the Movement Strategy process, engaging in the most ambitious
governance reform in the history of the Board, and working to ensure
the stability and sustainability of the Foundation. It has been a time
of change, of discussing strategy and our future, and deciding
together what the path forward should be.
Of course, the work is never finished - it will be the task of the
Board to continue what has been done and face the newer and complex
challenges that will no doubt arise. I hope that we will see many of
the women of the movement and people from the Global South as
candidates in the upcoming community elections - I know there are many
qualified people ready to step into these important roles. I look
forward to supporting an increasingly capable and diverse Board.
Be safe and well everyone.
Tupananchiskama,
María
--
María Sefidari Huici
Chair of the Board
Wikimedia Foundation
Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at:
and
To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-leave@lists.wikimedia.org
attachment
attachment.htm
Camelia Boban
4 Jun
4 Jun
6:23 a.m.
Thank you for all Maria 💚.
Camelia
On Fri, Jun 4, 2021, 12:43 AM Florence Devouard
fdevouard@gmail.com
wrote:
...
Dear Maria,
I would like to thank wholeheartedly for all those years of service. You
provided great leadership and I am very grateful for all what you did.
Receive many many thanks.
Best - Flo
Le 03/06/2021 à 21:39, María Sefidari a écrit :
Dear All,
There is one last bit of news I would like to share following the Board
meeting update.
After ~ 8 years on the Board of Trustees at the Wikimedia Foundation - a
long time! - I have notified the Board that I am stepping down as Chair and
trustee, effective end of day today.
As all of you know, the community-selected seats were due to expire last
year and were extended at the request of the Board to see through these
difficult and unprecedented times. Now, after chairing the last meeting of
the fiscal year and having the call for candidates for the upcoming
elections approved, it is the least disruptive moment for me to step down.
The Foundation has asked me to consider an advisory role to support
Movement Strategy and the onboarding of new trustees and the new CEO/ED, to
help support leadership and this strategic transition. Nataliia Tymkiv,
currently Vice Chair, will act as Chair until a new one is elected by the
Board ensuring continuity.
Hopefully this news will not come as too much of a surprise. I am grateful
to the community members who lent me their trust and support to become a
trustee on two different occasions, to the staff, and to the trustees for
their confidence in me in the different leadership positions I have held
within the Board - first as committee chair, then two terms as Vice Chair,
and two terms as Chair.
Together we have accomplished many things during this time, but if I had
to single out only a few they would be the following: launching the
Movement Strategy process, engaging in the most ambitious governance reform
in the history of the Board, and working to ensure the stability and
sustainability of the Foundation. It has been a time of change, of
discussing strategy and our future, and deciding together what the path
forward should be.
Of course, the work is never finished - it will be the task of the Board
to continue what has been done and face the newer and complex challenges
that will no doubt arise. I hope that we will see many of the women of the
movement and people from the Global South as candidates in the upcoming
community elections - I know there are many qualified people ready to step
into these important roles. I look forward to supporting an increasingly
capable and diverse Board.
Be safe and well everyone.
Tupananchiskama,
María
--
María Sefidari Huici
Chair of the Board
Wikimedia Foundation
Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at:
and
To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-leave@lists.wikimedia.org
Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines
at:
and
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attachment
attachment.htm
Olushola Olaniyan
7:56 a.m.
Dear Maria,
Yeah! Eight years seem to be a very long time but considering your
achievements and the excellent works that you've done as the Chair of the
Board of Trustees at the Wikimedia Foundation, it was like yesterday that
you were made the Chair of the Board.
Sincerely, I am proud of you!
I pray that you will continue to break the glass ceiling in all your future
endeavours.
Gracia.
Olushola
On Thu, Jun 3, 2021, 8:40 PM María Sefidari
msefidari@wikimedia.org
wrote:
...
Dear All,
There is one last bit of news I would like to share following the Board
meeting update.
After ~ 8 years on the Board of Trustees at the Wikimedia Foundation - a
long time! - I have notified the Board that I am stepping down as Chair and
trustee, effective end of day today.
As all of you know, the community-selected seats were due to expire last
year and were extended at the request of the Board to see through these
difficult and unprecedented times. Now, after chairing the last meeting of
the fiscal year and having the call for candidates for the upcoming
elections approved, it is the least disruptive moment for me to step down.
The Foundation has asked me to consider an advisory role to support
Movement Strategy and the onboarding of new trustees and the new CEO/ED, to
help support leadership and this strategic transition. Nataliia Tymkiv,
currently Vice Chair, will act as Chair until a new one is elected by the
Board ensuring continuity.
Hopefully this news will not come as too much of a surprise. I am grateful
to the community members who lent me their trust and support to become a
trustee on two different occasions, to the staff, and to the trustees for
their confidence in me in the different leadership positions I have held
within the Board - first as committee chair, then two terms as Vice Chair,
and two terms as Chair.
Together we have accomplished many things during this time, but if I had
to single out only a few they would be the following: launching the
Movement Strategy process, engaging in the most ambitious governance reform
in the history of the Board, and working to ensure the stability and
sustainability of the Foundation. It has been a time of change, of
discussing strategy and our future, and deciding together what the path
forward should be.
Of course, the work is never finished - it will be the task of the Board
to continue what has been done and face the newer and complex challenges
that will no doubt arise. I hope that we will see many of the women of the
movement and people from the Global South as candidates in the upcoming
community elections - I know there are many qualified people ready to step
into these important roles. I look forward to supporting an increasingly
capable and diverse Board.
Be safe and well everyone.
Tupananchiskama,
María
--
María Sefidari Huici
Chair of the Board
Wikimedia Foundation
_______________________________________________
Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines
at:
and
To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-leave@lists.wikimedia.org
attachment
attachment.htm
María Sefidari
4:23 p.m.
Thank you all!
El vie, 4 jun 2021 a las 9:57, Olushola Olaniyan (
olaniyanshola15@gmail.com
escribió:
...
Dear Maria,
Yeah! Eight years seem to be a very long time but considering your
achievements and the excellent works that you've done as the Chair of the
Board of Trustees at the Wikimedia Foundation, it was like yesterday that
you were made the Chair of the Board.
Sincerely, I am proud of you!
I pray that you will continue to break the glass ceiling in all your
future endeavours.
Gracia.
Olushola
On Thu, Jun 3, 2021, 8:40 PM María Sefidari
msefidari@wikimedia.org
wrote:
...
Dear All,
There is one last bit of news I would like to share following the Board
meeting update.
After ~ 8 years on the Board of Trustees at the Wikimedia Foundation - a
long time! - I have notified the Board that I am stepping down as Chair and
trustee, effective end of day today.
As all of you know, the community-selected seats were due to expire last
year and were extended at the request of the Board to see through these
difficult and unprecedented times. Now, after chairing the last meeting of
the fiscal year and having the call for candidates for the upcoming
elections approved, it is the least disruptive moment for me to step down.
The Foundation has asked me to consider an advisory role to support
Movement Strategy and the onboarding of new trustees and the new CEO/ED, to
help support leadership and this strategic transition. Nataliia Tymkiv,
currently Vice Chair, will act as Chair until a new one is elected by the
Board ensuring continuity.
Hopefully this news will not come as too much of a surprise. I am
grateful to the community members who lent me their trust and support to
become a trustee on two different occasions, to the staff, and to the
trustees for their confidence in me in the different leadership positions I
have held within the Board - first as committee chair, then two terms as
Vice Chair, and two terms as Chair.
Together we have accomplished many things during this time, but if I had
to single out only a few they would be the following: launching the
Movement Strategy process, engaging in the most ambitious governance reform
in the history of the Board, and working to ensure the stability and
sustainability of the Foundation. It has been a time of change, of
discussing strategy and our future, and deciding together what the path
forward should be.
Of course, the work is never finished - it will be the task of the Board
to continue what has been done and face the newer and complex challenges
that will no doubt arise. I hope that we will see many of the women of the
movement and people from the Global South as candidates in the upcoming
community elections - I know there are many qualified people ready to step
into these important roles. I look forward to supporting an increasingly
capable and diverse Board.
Be safe and well everyone.
Tupananchiskama,
María
--
María Sefidari Huici
Chair of the Board
Wikimedia Foundation
_______________________________________________
Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines
at:
and
To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-leave@lists.wikimedia.org
Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines
at:
and
To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-leave@lists.wikimedia.org
attachment
attachment.htm
Lukas Mezger
7:21 p.m.
Dear María,
At the end of the working week, I would like to join in to thank you for
your years of service to the Wikimedia Movement. In addition to what others
have already said on this list and elsewhere, I want to emphasise your
great leadership in helping us grow to be more open and inclusive, bringing
us closer to our strategic goals.
Kind regards, and hoping to see you around,
Lukas
--
Dr. Lukas Mezger
Vorsitzender des Präsidiums / chair of the Supervisory Board
Wikimedia Deutschland e.V. | Tempelhofer Ufer 23-24 | 10963 Berlin
Tel. (030) 219 158 260 – (0151) 268 63 931
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Am Fr., 4. Juni 2021 um 20:07 Uhr schrieb María Sefidari <
raystorm82@gmail.com>:
...
Thank you all!
El vie, 4 jun 2021 a las 9:57, Olushola Olaniyan (<
olaniyanshola15@gmail.com>) escribió:
...
Dear Maria,
Yeah! Eight years seem to be a very long time but considering your
achievements and the excellent works that you've done as the Chair of the
Board of Trustees at the Wikimedia Foundation, it was like yesterday that
you were made the Chair of the Board.
Sincerely, I am proud of you!
I pray that you will continue to break the glass ceiling in all your
future endeavours.
Gracia.
Olushola
On Thu, Jun 3, 2021, 8:40 PM María Sefidari
msefidari@wikimedia.org
wrote:
...
Dear All,
There is one last bit of news I would like to share following the Board
meeting update.
After ~ 8 years on the Board of Trustees at the Wikimedia Foundation - a
long time! - I have notified the Board that I am stepping down as Chair and
trustee, effective end of day today.
As all of you know, the community-selected seats were due to expire last
year and were extended at the request of the Board to see through these
difficult and unprecedented times. Now, after chairing the last meeting of
the fiscal year and having the call for candidates for the upcoming
elections approved, it is the least disruptive moment for me to step down.
The Foundation has asked me to consider an advisory role to support
Movement Strategy and the onboarding of new trustees and the new CEO/ED, to
help support leadership and this strategic transition. Nataliia Tymkiv,
currently Vice Chair, will act as Chair until a new one is elected by the
Board ensuring continuity.
Hopefully this news will not come as too much of a surprise. I am
grateful to the community members who lent me their trust and support to
become a trustee on two different occasions, to the staff, and to the
trustees for their confidence in me in the different leadership positions I
have held within the Board - first as committee chair, then two terms as
Vice Chair, and two terms as Chair.
Together we have accomplished many things during this time, but if I had
to single out only a few they would be the following: launching the
Movement Strategy process, engaging in the most ambitious governance reform
in the history of the Board, and working to ensure the stability and
sustainability of the Foundation. It has been a time of change, of
discussing strategy and our future, and deciding together what the path
forward should be.
Of course, the work is never finished - it will be the task of the Board
to continue what has been done and face the newer and complex challenges
that will no doubt arise. I hope that we will see many of the women of the
movement and people from the Global South as candidates in the upcoming
community elections - I know there are many qualified people ready to step
into these important roles. I look forward to supporting an increasingly
capable and diverse Board.
Be safe and well everyone.
Tupananchiskama,
María
--
María Sefidari Huici
Chair of the Board
Wikimedia Foundation
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attachment
attachment.htm
Natacha Rault
9:54 a.m.
Dear Maria,
Thank you for your engagement and commitment to the movement and good luck in your future endeavours.
Warm regards,
Nattes à chat
...
Le 3 juin 2021 à 21:39, María Sefidari
msefidari@wikimedia.org
a écrit :
Dear All,
There is one last bit of news I would like to share following the Board meeting update.
After ~ 8 years on the Board of Trustees at the Wikimedia Foundation - a long time! - I have notified the Board that I am stepping down as Chair and trustee, effective end of day today.
As all of you know, the community-selected seats were due to expire last year and were extended at the request of the Board to see through these difficult and unprecedented times. Now, after chairing the last meeting of the fiscal year and having the call for candidates for the upcoming elections approved, it is the least disruptive moment for me to step down. The Foundation has asked me to consider an advisory role to support Movement Strategy and the onboarding of new trustees and the new CEO/ED, to help support leadership and this strategic transition. Nataliia Tymkiv, currently Vice Chair, will act as Chair until a new one is elected by the Board ensuring continuity.
Hopefully this news will not come as too much of a surprise. I am grateful to the community members who lent me their trust and support to become a trustee on two different occasions, to the staff, and to the trustees for their confidence in me in the different leadership positions I have held within the Board - first as committee chair, then two terms as Vice Chair, and two terms as Chair.
Together we have accomplished many things during this time, but if I had to single out only a few they would be the following: launching the Movement Strategy process, engaging in the most ambitious governance reform in the history of the Board, and working to ensure the stability and sustainability of the Foundation. It has been a time of change, of discussing strategy and our future, and deciding together what the path forward should be.
Of course, the work is never finished - it will be the task of the Board to continue what has been done and face the newer and complex challenges that will no doubt arise. I hope that we will see many of the women of the movement and people from the Global South as candidates in the upcoming community elections - I know there are many qualified people ready to step into these important roles. I look forward to supporting an increasingly capable and diverse Board.
Be safe and well everyone.
Tupananchiskama,
María
--
María Sefidari Huici
Chair of the Board
Wikimedia Foundation
_______________________________________________
Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at:
and
To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-leave@lists.wikimedia.org
attachment
attachment.htm
Dariusz Jemielniak
12:26 p.m.
Dear Maria,
your insight has been super useful on the board, and I am grateful for all
of your contributions.
This is not a farewell, as I'm confident you will stay in the movement in
different roles, be they formal (like the one you're transitioning to) or
informal, like always.
Can't wait to reunite at some in-person event, once we have them back :)
dj "pundit"
On Thu, Jun 3, 2021 at 9:40 PM María Sefidari
msefidari@wikimedia.org
wrote:
...
Dear All,
There is one last bit of news I would like to share following the Board
meeting update.
After ~ 8 years on the Board of Trustees at the Wikimedia Foundation - a
long time! - I have notified the Board that I am stepping down as Chair and
trustee, effective end of day today.
As all of you know, the community-selected seats were due to expire last
year and were extended at the request of the Board to see through these
difficult and unprecedented times. Now, after chairing the last meeting of
the fiscal year and having the call for candidates for the upcoming
elections approved, it is the least disruptive moment for me to step down.
The Foundation has asked me to consider an advisory role to support
Movement Strategy and the onboarding of new trustees and the new CEO/ED, to
help support leadership and this strategic transition. Nataliia Tymkiv,
currently Vice Chair, will act as Chair until a new one is elected by the
Board ensuring continuity.
Hopefully this news will not come as too much of a surprise. I am grateful
to the community members who lent me their trust and support to become a
trustee on two different occasions, to the staff, and to the trustees for
their confidence in me in the different leadership positions I have held
within the Board - first as committee chair, then two terms as Vice Chair,
and two terms as Chair.
Together we have accomplished many things during this time, but if I had
to single out only a few they would be the following: launching the
Movement Strategy process, engaging in the most ambitious governance reform
in the history of the Board, and working to ensure the stability and
sustainability of the Foundation. It has been a time of change, of
discussing strategy and our future, and deciding together what the path
forward should be.
Of course, the work is never finished - it will be the task of the Board
to continue what has been done and face the newer and complex challenges
that will no doubt arise. I hope that we will see many of the women of the
movement and people from the Global South as candidates in the upcoming
community elections - I know there are many qualified people ready to step
into these important roles. I look forward to supporting an increasingly
capable and diverse Board.
Be safe and well everyone.
Tupananchiskama,
María
--
María Sefidari Huici
Chair of the Board
Wikimedia Foundation
_______________________________________________
Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines
at:
and
To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-leave@lists.wikimedia.org
--
________________________________________________________________________________
*Please, note, that this email will expire at some point. Bookmark
dariusz.jemielniak@fulbrightmail.org
dariusz.jemielniak@fulbrightmail.org
as a more permanent contact
address. *
attachment
attachment.htm
Itzik - Wikimedia Israel
5 Jun
5 Jun
9:46 a.m.
Maria,
I can only join the other kind words about your huge contribution to the
movement and to the board in general. Thank you for raising the
affiliations and the community voice within those discussions over the
years.
Thank you <3
*Itzik Edri*
Chairperson (volunteer)
itzik@wikimedia.org.il
+972-54-5878078
On Thu, Jun 3, 2021 at 10:40 PM María Sefidari
msefidari@wikimedia.org
wrote:
...
Dear All,
There is one last bit of news I would like to share following the Board
meeting update.
After ~ 8 years on the Board of Trustees at the Wikimedia Foundation - a
long time! - I have notified the Board that I am stepping down as Chair and
trustee, effective end of day today.
As all of you know, the community-selected seats were due to expire last
year and were extended at the request of the Board to see through these
difficult and unprecedented times. Now, after chairing the last meeting of
the fiscal year and having the call for candidates for the upcoming
elections approved, it is the least disruptive moment for me to step down.
The Foundation has asked me to consider an advisory role to support
Movement Strategy and the onboarding of new trustees and the new CEO/ED, to
help support leadership and this strategic transition. Nataliia Tymkiv,
currently Vice Chair, will act as Chair until a new one is elected by the
Board ensuring continuity.
Hopefully this news will not come as too much of a surprise. I am grateful
to the community members who lent me their trust and support to become a
trustee on two different occasions, to the staff, and to the trustees for
their confidence in me in the different leadership positions I have held
within the Board - first as committee chair, then two terms as Vice Chair,
and two terms as Chair.
Together we have accomplished many things during this time, but if I had
to single out only a few they would be the following: launching the
Movement Strategy process, engaging in the most ambitious governance reform
in the history of the Board, and working to ensure the stability and
sustainability of the Foundation. It has been a time of change, of
discussing strategy and our future, and deciding together what the path
forward should be.
Of course, the work is never finished - it will be the task of the Board
to continue what has been done and face the newer and complex challenges
that will no doubt arise. I hope that we will see many of the women of the
movement and people from the Global South as candidates in the upcoming
community elections - I know there are many qualified people ready to step
into these important roles. I look forward to supporting an increasingly
capable and diverse Board.
Be safe and well everyone.
Tupananchiskama,
María
--
María Sefidari Huici
Chair of the Board
Wikimedia Foundation
_______________________________________________
Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines
at:
and
To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-leave@lists.wikimedia.org
attachment
attachment.htm
Jan-Bart de Vreede
6 Jun
6 Jun
3:36 p.m.
Hi Maria
I would like to join all the others in thanking you for volunteering your time in challenging times for our movement. 8 years is a long time to serve on the board, not even taking into account all the topics that have been on the agenda over the past years.
Hopefully you will be around in another capacity in the coming years to see the the Movement Strategy Process come to fruition. But first: wishing you a relaxing Wikibreak enjoying family time!
Thank so much!
Jan-Bart
...
On 3 Jun 2021, at 21:39, María Sefidari
msefidari@wikimedia.org
wrote:
Dear All,
There is one last bit of news I would like to share following the Board meeting update.
After ~ 8 years on the Board of Trustees at the Wikimedia Foundation - a long time! - I have notified the Board that I am stepping down as Chair and trustee, effective end of day today.
As all of you know, the community-selected seats were due to expire last year and were extended at the request of the Board to see through these difficult and unprecedented times. Now, after chairing the last meeting of the fiscal year and having the call for candidates for the upcoming elections approved, it is the least disruptive moment for me to step down. The Foundation has asked me to consider an advisory role to support Movement Strategy and the onboarding of new trustees and the new CEO/ED, to help support leadership and this strategic transition. Nataliia Tymkiv, currently Vice Chair, will act as Chair until a new one is elected by the Board ensuring continuity.
Hopefully this news will not come as too much of a surprise. I am grateful to the community members who lent me their trust and support to become a trustee on two different occasions, to the staff, and to the trustees for their confidence in me in the different leadership positions I have held within the Board - first as committee chair, then two terms as Vice Chair, and two terms as Chair.
Together we have accomplished many things during this time, but if I had to single out only a few they would be the following: launching the Movement Strategy process, engaging in the most ambitious governance reform in the history of the Board, and working to ensure the stability and sustainability of the Foundation. It has been a time of change, of discussing strategy and our future, and deciding together what the path forward should be.
Of course, the work is never finished - it will be the task of the Board to continue what has been done and face the newer and complex challenges that will no doubt arise. I hope that we will see many of the women of the movement and people from the Global South as candidates in the upcoming community elections - I know there are many qualified people ready to step into these important roles. I look forward to supporting an increasingly capable and diverse Board.
Be safe and well everyone.
Tupananchiskama,
María
--
María Sefidari Huici
Chair of the Board
Wikimedia Foundation
_______________________________________________
Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at:
and
To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-leave@lists.wikimedia.org
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13 comments
14 participants
tags
(0)
participants
(14)
Camelia Boban
Dariusz Jemielniak
Florence Devouard
Gregory Varnum
Itzik - Wikimedia Israel
Jan-Bart de Vreede
Lukas Mezger
María Sefidari
María Sefidari
Natacha Rault
Nataliia Tymkiv
Olushola Olaniyan
rnarisetti＠wikimedia.org
Victoria Coleman