[Wikimedia-l] Appointment of María Sefidari to Wikimedia Foundation Board

Dear all, I am happy to announce the Board intends to fill the open community Trustee seat at our meeting this weekend. On Saturday, María Sefidari will accept an appointment to the Board of Trustees, stepping into the third community-nominated seat. The appointment will last the remainder of the two year term, until Wikimania 2017. Many of you know María. She previously served as a community-selected Trustee from August 2013 to July 2015. In the most recent 2015 community elections, she received the next highest support percentage, and highest number of support votes. She was born and lives in Madrid, Spain, and has been a contributor to the Wikimedia projects since 2006. She was a founding member of Spanish Wikipedia's LGBT Wikiproject, Wikimedia España, and Wikimujeres Grupo de Usuarias. She has also served on the Affiliations and Individual Engagement Grants committees. María is passionate about the role of diversity in our strategic efforts to retain and increase editorship, and improving channels for community participation in Foundation governance and policymaking. We consulted with the 2015 Wikimedia Foundation Elections Committee before deciding how to proceed in identifying a new Trustee. They offered thoughtful feedback on the possible available options, and we’re grateful for their considerations. ( https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_Foundation_elections_2015 <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_Foundation_elections_2015#2015_Foundation_Elections_Committee_thoughts_on_how_to_fill_the_vacancy_in_the_Board_after_the_removal_of_James_Heilman> ) We are certain many of you are wondering why we decided against holding another election. We did consider the option, but the disadvantages outweighed the benefits. The last election was well-attended, and still quite recent. Holding a new election would take considerable time, and we have important issues to address in the near future. It was important to us that the community perspective is fully represented in these conversations, without delay. We also didn’t want to distract from the affiliate Trustee selection process, which is coming up soon. I am excited by the dedication, compassion, and experience María brings to the Board at a crucial time. We are confident she will serve our mission with wisdom and grace. Please join me in congratulating our friend María, and thanking her service to our movement. Patricio --