Minutes:2014-12-22
 | These are official minutes from a meeting of the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees. Please note that in the event of any differences in meaning or interpretation between the original English version of this content and a translation, the original English version takes precedence. |
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December 22, 2014
- Location: San Francisco and web conference
- Board of Trustees Present: Jan-Bart de Vreede (Board Chair), Patricio Lorente (Vice-Chair, present for a portion of the meeting), Phoebe Ayers, Frieda Brioschi, Sam Klein, María Sefidari (present for a portion of the meeting), Jimmy Wales, Stu West, and Alice Wiegand (present for a portion of the meeting).
- Non-Board members present: Lila Tretikov (Executive Director), Geoff Brigham (Secretary and General Counsel), Stephen LaPorte (Legal Counsel)
Jan-Bart called to order a special meeting of the Board of Trustees at 12:30 PM PST. Lila and Stephen were present in San Francisco, and Jan-Bart, Phoebe, Phoebe, Frieda, Sam, Jimmy, Stu, and Geoff joined remotely via web conference. Stephen called roll and confirmed that a quorum was present and able to simultaneously hear the meeting. During the course of the meeting, additional members of the Board joined via web conference.
Funds Dissemination Committee decision
The Board discussed the recommendations of the Funds Dissemination Committee ("FDC") for the first half of 2014-2015. Each part of the recommendation was discussed. Regarding the recommendations for Wikimedia Switzerland, the value of Kiwix for offline Wikipedia access, and ways to support technical development across the movement, were discussed. Board members highlighted that technical development by many parts of the community is important for Wikimedia, and may not be best supported by current grant options. Lila described how the Wikimedia Foundation currently supports technical work funded through chapters, such as Wikidata, and what other grant mechanisms have been considered.
The Board asked Lila to provide a recommendation on how to adapt the grantmaking program to ensure continued funding of medium-term high-priority projects. Jan-Bart made a motion to vote, seconded by Jimmy, and the Board approved the FDC recommendation.
Board candidate search update
María provided an update on the Board Governance Committee's search for a new Board member. A round of interviews had just been completed, and the committee aimed to have final candidates for approval before the next in-person meeting.
Executive Session
The Board excused Lila from the meeting, and held a confidential executive session. At the conclusion of this portion of the meeting, the Board invited Lila to return.
Strategy
Lila provided a brief update on the strategy process, after conversations about the strategic direction with the Board and the Wikimedia Foundation's senior staff. She confirmed previous input from the Board on a proposed consultation with the community, focusing on the strategic future of Wikimedia. Lila shared plans to present the immediate strategy for the Wikimedia Foundation, through an annual call to action. This call to action will focus on technical execution, content and community, and innovation and new knowledge.
The Board thanked Lila for the update and wished everyone happy holidays. The meeting closed at 2:00 PM PST.