Heather, While I agree in large part with Sam Klein's expression (I would characterize my feelings as quintuple joy or above) I have to ask: will this allow you more or fewer time and resources to focus on my outstanding request of you at https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Heatherawalls#Design-blocked_technical_community_wish ?
Best regards, Jim On Fri, Jan 5, 2018 at 10:55 PM, Samuel Klein <[email protected]> wrote: > Double joy. > > On Fri, Jan 5, 2018 at 4:57 PM, Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> This is great! Welcome Kui and Heather Congrats! I am excited about the >> direction the team is taking and look forward to working with you both! >> >> MFC:) >> >> >> -- >> ---- >> Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig >> Wordsmith | Communications >> Wikimedia Foundation >> 1 Montgomery St., Suite #1600 >> San Francisco, CA 94104 >> *[email protected] <[email protected]>* >> >> >> >> On Fri, Jan 5, 2018 at 12:58 PM, Katherine Maher <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >> > Hi everyone, >> > >> > I am excited to share with you all the results of our search for >> permanent >> > leadership of the Wikimedia Foundation's Communications department. >> > >> > Our own Heather Walls will transition from interim Chief of >> Communications >> > to leading the department full-time, in the newly created role of Chief >> > Creative Officer. She will be joined by a new Vice President of >> > Communications, Kui Kinyanjui, who will join us from her home in Nairobi, >> > Kenya in early March. Please join me in congratulating Heather and >> > welcoming Kui! >> > >> > *The new roles* >> > >> > As Chief Creative Officer, Heather will remain at the Leadership team, >> > with responsibility for the Communications department operations, and a >> > mandate that focuses on helping people better understand our values and >> > mission through our brand. She will oversee the organization and >> movement’s >> > voice, tone, and visual assets, and how they are incorporated into >> > everything from our recent awareness videos to our press statements. What >> > do we sound and look like? How do you feel when you interact with us, as >> an >> > editor, a reader, a donor? How do we spread and share our values? She >> will >> > be responsible for new and creative initiatives that seek to expand the >> way >> > people think about Wikipedia and Wikimedia, not only as an encyclopedia >> but >> > an essential part of the way we understand the world. >> > >> > As Vice President of Communications, Kui will report directly to Heather >> > and oversee our traditional and digital communications efforts. She will >> be >> > responsible for our overall media positioning and coverage, critical >> issue >> > management (also known as crisis communications), extending our digital >> > media strategy, products, and presence, and supporting organizational >> > leadership, such as myself, the Leadership team, and the Board, with >> > effective and clear public communications. Kui also brings new and >> valuable >> > skills that we’re sure to appreciate: first, a background in internal >> > communications, which should help with improved information flows in our >> > ever-more distributed organization, as well as a deep background in >> > communications, campaigns, and marketing for emerging markets -- sure to >> be >> > a critical skill for our efforts around improving awareness about >> Wikimedia >> > in places where we want to reach more people. >> > >> > *About Heather Walls* >> > >> > Since joining the Foundation in 2011, Heather has been a driving force in >> > our creative and brand efforts at the Foundation. Under her stewardship, >> > the Foundation has dramatically reduced barriers to community usage of >> the >> > trademarks under our care while also helping increase consistency in >> their >> > usage. A member of the team before Communications was its own department, >> > Heather was one of the first people I met and worked with when I joined >> as >> > Chief Communications Officer. She graciously stepped in as leader of the >> > department when I transitioned to Executive Director and has since grown >> > into the role while making it her own. During that time, she has helped >> > find the organization's place in the growing social media channels, >> > modernized the Foundation’s brand, bringing it into greater alignment >> with >> > our movement's values and workflows, and overseen pioneering >> > community-supported awareness campaigns. >> > >> > Prior to joining the Foundation, Heather worked in design roles at >> > organizations across California, Massachusetts, and the Midwest. She >> > developed a special collections room and exhibit for California Academy >> of >> > Sciences, and her work has been included in Architectural Record and >> > exhibited at Harvard as well as Detroit and New York. >> > >> > *About Kui Kinyanjui* >> > >> > Kui will join the Foundation in March after concluding her current >> > position as Head of Corporate Communications for Safaricom Limited in >> > Kenya. Safaricom is one of the leading mobile network operators in >> Africa, >> > and one of Kenya’s leading companies, providing mobile and banking >> services >> > to more than 28 million Kenyans. She brings deep communications skills, >> an >> > incredible wealth of knowledge around emerging markets, and a passion for >> > our efforts to reach beyond English-speaking audiences in our >> organization >> > and movement communications. >> > >> > Kui is from Nairobi, Kenya. Her background is as a journalist and has >> > worked for Business Daily and other platforms within Nation Media Group >> > (the largest independent media organization in Eastern and Central >> Africa), >> > PC World, EA Magazine, Executive Magazine in Kenya, and 360 Magazine in >> > Washington, DC. She has also worked in communications for IBM, Ogilvy PR >> > Worldwide, and Media Moguls. Kui will be relocating from Nairobi to the >> San >> > Francisco Bay Area in the summer of 2018. >> > >> > *How this came about* >> > >> > This outcome may come as a surprise after we began an external search for >> > a Chief Marketing and Communications Officer (CMCO), but like many >> > surprises, this outcome feels entirely obvious in retrospect. Heather and >> > Kui have essential skills and experiences that are highly complementary >> and >> > will serve to elevate and push the work of both the Communications >> > department and the Foundation overall. We will retain an accomplished and >> > intuitive advocate for our mission, community, and identity in Heather >> > while welcoming Kui’s fresh perspective and powerful communications skill >> > set. >> > >> > The evolution of my thinking, and this decision, was not hasty. Over the >> > process of looking for a CMCO, we conducted a long and thorough search >> with >> > an external firm Chaloner Associates. We reviewed applications from more >> > than 1200 applicants, from all sorts of backgrounds and experiences, and >> > brought three people through to the final rounds. While all of this was >> > going on, the Communications department was also undergoing a deep >> > consultation on its immediate and future needs, led by Heather, and with >> > the support of an external expert, Sabrina Hersi Issa. >> > >> > Over six months of the search and consultation, a few things became >> clear. >> > The first was that Heather was doing a great job as interim chief. The >> > department was producing excellent results, and the team was small but >> > strong, united under Heather’s leadership. Her contributions to movement >> > strategy and the Leadership team were pragmatic and valuable. She has an >> > astute but understated understanding of how Wikimedia should speak, >> sound, >> > and appear to many different audiences. Her knowledge of the community >> was >> > borne out of hard-won experience over many years, with the ability to >> push >> > when we need pushing, while never losing sight of who we are. >> > >> > The second was that we absolutely needed and wanted new skills and >> > experiences in service of our mission. We needed someone with deep >> > experience in traditional communications areas, from public relations to >> > internal communications. We wanted someone with experience in traditional >> > marketing and product marketing. The Communications team members who >> worked >> > in these areas were looking for someone to learn from, a strong manager >> and >> > mentor with a breadth and depth of experience. We were also committed to >> > finding someone who had worked serving audiences we still struggle to >> > reach. We wanted someone who would bring a fresh voice, an understanding >> of >> > emerging markets, and practical experience outside our current >> > competencies. >> > >> > Kui and Heather together bring the best of both worlds. Creative and >> > communications, deep experience, fresh perspective, and a strong sense of >> > our mission and community. Together, they will work in the year to come >> to >> > develop a plan for staffing our growing marketing efforts. >> > >> > *Next steps* >> > >> > We will be sharing this information publicly on the blog closer to Kui's >> > start in March, but I wanted to share this news with you all as soon as >> > possible. I want to offer my appreciation to hiring committee for their >> > dedication through the process, and insights that led to this surprising >> > and exciting outcome. Thank you Anna Stillwell, Joady Lohr, Zack McCune, >> > Juliet Barbara, and Mel Kramer, Amy Segelin of Chaloner Associates, the >> > travel team for getting Kui to San Francisco, and of course, Liz Verlade >> > for ensuring it all come together. >> > >> > Again, please join me in congratulating Heather and welcoming Kui! >> > >> > Cheers, >> > Katherine >> > >> > -- >> > Katherine Maher >> > >> > Executive Director >> > Wikimedia Foundation >> > >> > 1 Montgomery Street, Suite 1600 >> > San Francisco, CA 94104 >> > >> > +1 (415) 839-6885 ext. 6635 <(415)%20839-6885> >> > +1 (415) 712 4873 <(415)%20712-4873> >> > [email protected] >> > https://annual.wikimedia.org >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > -- >> > Katherine Maher >> > >> > Executive Director >> > Wikimedia Foundation >> > >> > 1 Montgomery Street, Suite 1600 >> > San Francisco, CA 94104 >> > >> > +1 (415) 839-6885 ext. 6635 <(415)%20839-6885> >> > +1 (415) 712 4873 <(415)%20712-4873> >> > [email protected] >> > https://annual.wikimedia.org >> > >> > >> > _______________________________________________ >> > Wmfall mailing list >> > [email protected] >> > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wmfall >> > >> > >> _______________________________________________ >> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ >> wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/ >> wiki/Wikimedia-l >> New messages to: [email protected] >> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, >> <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> >> > > > > -- > Samuel Klein @metasj w:user:sj +1 617 529 4266 > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > New messages to: [email protected] > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l New messages to: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe>
