Wikimedia names seven to official positions
The growth of Wikipedia and the other projects of the Wikimedia Foundation has led to several members of the community being given responsibilities and formal recognition, in order to help the Board of Trustees better manage the affairs of the organization.
Last Thursday, Wikimedia Foundation President Jimmy Wales announced the appointment of seven people to official positions in the Foundation. They include:
- Brion Vibber as Chief Technical Officer
- Domas Mituzas as Hardware Officer
- Jens Frank as Developer Liaison
- Erik Möller as Chief Research Officer
- Danny Wool as Grants Coordinator
- Elisabeth Bauer as Press Officer
- Jean-Baptiste Soufron as Lead Legal Coordinator
Wales said the appointments are "a reflection of the work these people are already doing in these areas". The first four are all MediaWiki developers, for example, and Wool has been spearheading the Foundation's initial efforts in applying for grants.
Most of the positions are newly created, except for that of Developer Liaison, which was previously filled by Tim Starling (see archived story). Wales also confirmed that Daniel Mayer would continue in his role as Chief Financial Officer. All of the positions remain volunteer (although Vibber is employed by the Foundation for other duties).