Minutes:2024-08-5
Location: Katowice, Poland
Board of Trustees present: Nataliia Tymkiv (Chair), Kathy Collins (Vice Chair), Lorenzo Losa (Vice Chair), Shani Evenstein Sigalov, Luis Bitencourt-Emilio, Victoria Doronina, Dariusz Jemielniak, Raju Narisetti, Mike Peel, Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight, Jimmy Wales
Board of Trustees absent: Esra’a Al Shafei
Non-Board members present: Maryana Iskander (Chief Executive Officer), Jaime Villagomez (Chief Advancement Officer, Treasurer), Anusha Alikhan (Chief Communications Officer), Courtney Bass-Sherizen (Chief People Officer), Selena Deckelmann (Chief Product and Technology Officer), Nadee Gunasena (Chief of Staff), Margo Lee (Deputy Chief of Staff), Mayur Paul (Senior Director, Movement Communications), Chuck Roslof (Principal Legal Counsel), Lisa Seitz Gruwell (Chief Advancement Officer), Kaarel Vaidla (Lead Movement Process Architect), Yael Weissburg (Vice President, Community Growth)
Invited guests: Jon Huggett, Matt Thompson
The meeting was called to order at 1338 CEST. Chuck Roslof, acting as Secretary, confirmed the presence of a quorum.
Executive Session
Prior to the official Board meeting, the Board met with Maryana Iskander, Chief Executive Officer, in a session facilitated by Matt Thompson and Jon Huggett about matters related to the Talent and Culture Committee.
Welcome and Overview
Nataliia Tymkiv, Chair, welcomed everyone to the meeting and reviewed the meeting agenda. The consent agenda included the June meeting minutes and a resolution to dissolve the Talent and Culture Committee. There was a proposed amendment to the wording of the resolution about the Talent & Culture Committee, which the Board unanimously approved. After a motion made by Nat and seconded by Rosie, the Board unanimously approved the consent agenda. Nat reminded the Board that the committee reports, which were shared in advance of the meeting, will be published with the June meeting minutes.
Movement Charter Next Steps
Maryana Iskander, CEO, led a discussion on next steps with the three pilots related to grants distribution, the product and technology advisory council and affiliate strategy. Maryana noted that Wikimania is an opportunity for Trustees and staff to engage with the community and hear feedback directly from community members on the pilots.
Selena Deckelmann, Chief Product and Technology Officer, provided an update on the Product and Technology Advisory Council. Selena answered questions on the necessary skills volunteers need, which included things like being a team player, navigating strategic tradeoff discussions, and having a technical background.
Yael Weissburg, Vice President, Community Growth, spoke about the Global Resource Distribution Committee pilot, which is intended to oversee resource distribution. The draft proposal has been posted on meta. Yael and Kaarel Vaidla, Lead Movement Process Architect, will host a session at Wikimania to engage directly with affiliate Executive Directors and other interested participants.
Executive Session
Staff was excused except for Maryana; Chuck; Margo Lee, Deputy Chief of Staff; Matt Thompson; and Jon Huggett for an Executive Session where the Board discussed reappointing Nataliia Tymkiv as Board Chair. The appointment is for a regular three-year term (as specified in the Bylaws). It will effectively be for a term that's a little over a year, though, because Nat will not be eligible for reappointment due to the term limit for Trustees once her current term expires in 2025. Nataliia stepped out of the room while the Board had a confidential discussion without her present. After a motion made by Raju and seconded by Victoria, the Board unanimously approved renewing Nataliia’s appointment as Chair. Nataliia was called back to the meeting room and informed of her renewed appointment as Chair.
The Board continued in Executive Session.