I just want to split out a concept that came up in the big threads of the last few days:
Some members of the WMF Board of Trustees are giving strong signals (like, saying it outright) that the BoT can't fully take on the role of movement leadership or community representation. Not because they think it shouldn't happen, but because structurally and legally and practically the board of Wikimedia Foundation Inc has different roles to fill. I think we should consider what roles and structures we *do* want as members of the Wikimedia movement community. And I think we should think about that and talk about that carefully before rushing into details like board reform. Perhaps we should explicitly accept WMF as a "first among equals" org within the movement, with specific roles like tech development and fundraising (or other emphases as well) while other orgs concentrate on different specific issues. Or even just "one among equals" that happens to have specialized in those roles. This probably means we should think about "umbrella" structures to coordinate and represent and look forward. And that's something we should *definitely* not rush into. If a mismatch in hopes for what the WMF BoT can and should do has been a factor in communication and leadership issues in the past, then it's very important we not make the same kinds of mistakes in any new structures that might be needed. Dream big. Act with passion. Talk with thought. Don't run with scissors. -- brion _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>
