Press releases/New Consultant and Special Advisor to the Wikimedia Board of Trustees

The Wikimedia Foundation Announces New Consultant and Special Advisor to the Wikimedia Board of Trustees
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. – June, 27, 2007 – The Wikimedia Foundation, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the growth, development and distribution of free, multilingual content, is delighted to announce today it has engaged digital media executive Sue Gardner as a consultant and special advisor to the board.

“This is an important step for Wikimedia, as we continue to professionalize and evolve,” said Florence Devouard, Wikimedia Foundation Chair. “Sue is an accomplished senior manager with the skills and characteristics that we need right now. She’s experienced at leading change, she’s oriented towards consensus, which is important for a community-centered group such as ours, and she is experienced with helping organizations develop out of youth and into maturity.”

Gardner’s engagement is a critical part of the Foundation’s continued efforts to ensure sustainability and reliability, and to set the stage for future growth. Her responsibilities will include assessing and improving all aspects of the Foundation’s operations, in support of that goal. She will also support the board in its efforts to further develop the governance model.

Gardner is a nonprofit internet executive who was most recently head of CBC.CA, the website of Canada’s national public broadcaster, and that country’s largest and most popular news site. Under her leadership, CBC.CA more than doubled its audience, and won dozens of international awards. Prior to running CBC.CA, Gardner was a journalist for 10 years, producing documentaries and talk programming primarily for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and also for media organizations such as the British Broadcasting Corporation and National Public Radio.

“I have an enormous amount of respect for Wikimedia, and I find its mission deeply inspirational,” Sue Gardner said. “Launching Wikipedia was brilliant and gutsy. And now it –along with the other projects- has grown into a huge and undeniable success. I admire what the community has managed to create in just a few years, and I want to help it to achieve even more.”

For more information

 * In the United States, contact Sandra Ordonez via email at sordonez@undefinedwikimedia.org or by phone at (727) 231-0101.
 * In Europe, contact Jan-Bart de Vreede via email at jan-bart@undefinedwikimedia.org or by phone at +31-648938014