Wikisource:News/2006-11-02/Jimbo Wales resigns amidst restructuring

Jimbo Wales has resigned from his position as chairman of the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees. The resignation follows a decision to restructure the Foundation finalised at a planning retreat held in Frankfurt last month. He remains a member of the board with the honorary title of Chairman Emeritus. The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit corporation that operates the Wikisource project.

Florence Nibart-Devouard was nominated by Jimbo Wales and unanimously elected to his former position. Jimmy Wales stated: "I nominated Florence to be the Chair of the Foundation in recognition of her outstanding service for the past few years and her unsurpassed passion for our goals. Having such a trusted community representative elected as our new chair demonstrates the growth and strength of our organization." Devouard was the first board member elected by the Wikimedia community as member representative in 2004, followed by Erik Möller in 2006.

The remaining official roles on the board were also filled, with Tim Shell chosen as Vice-Chair, Erik Möller as Executive Secretary, and Michael E. Davis as Treasurer. Brad Patrick was hired earlier this year as legal counsel and interim Executive Director. The planning retreat was held October 20–22 and involved the Board of Trustees, representatives of local chapters, and over twenty members of the Wikimedia community.