I am delighted to share an update about the leadership team at the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that supports Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia projects. Joady Lohr, interim Chief of Talent & Culture, has been appointed as permanent Chief Talent & Culture Officer. Anna Stillwell, Director of Culture, has been appointed Chargée d’Affaires (Vice President). Throughout the past year, Joady and Anna have worked together to lead the efforts of the Foundation’s Talent & Culture department. These appointments solidify that arrangement, and provide greater clarity on their unique and complementary roles.
As Chief Talent & Culture Officer, Joady will lead the Talent & Culture department and continue to develop a strong, diverse team, with the capacity and clarity to support the many people working for the Wikimedia Foundation. She will work with others on the Foundation’s leadership team to advance a clear and comprehensive vision for how we serve and support people working for the Foundation throughout their time with the organization. She will also partner with Anna in her new role (more on that below) to ensure our culture and philosophy are reflected in our internal policies, procedures, and programs.
During her five years with the Wikimedia Foundation, Joady has demonstrated her commitment to building an effective organization in support of the Wikimedia mission, to fostering greater inclusion in the organization, and to building a supportive, healthy workplace. She has led our efforts to more consistently collect qualitative data on diversity and engagement, led the introduction of industry-leading parental leave, vacation, and sick time benefits, and supported creative experiments around remote work and staff well-being. Prior to joining the Wikimedia Foundation, Joady was the Director of Human Resources and part of the executive team for Business for Social Responsibility, a global nonprofit focused on improving social and environmental responsibility for corporations. Previously she worked in lead human resources roles at IDEO and the San Francisco Opera.
“From the very beginning of building Talent & Culture at the Wikimedia Foundation, we wanted to do something different, break human resources stereotypes. Every person on the team cares deeply about our staff and wants to make a difference. It can be a lot like cat herding, but we love it,” said Joady.
Our Wikimedia culture is unique, so it makes sense that we would find unique people to fill unusual roles. I am thrilled that Anna Stillwell has agreed to take on the challenge of a new role, Chargée d’Affaires (Vice President), collaboratively building our culture and organization for the future. She will serve as a strategic partner to departments and the Leadership Team in regards to recruiting high-level roles, developing our internal leaders, and acting as an ambassador and catalyst for the Wikimedia Foundation as a cultural leader and employer.
Anna has been with the Wikimedia Foundation for three and a half years. She most recently served as Director of Culture in the Talent & Culture team, has been a consistently passionate defender and champion of Wikimedia Foundation’s values. She is an invaluable part of our efforts to recruit highly qualified leaders for our work, including successfully identifying people for our Endowment Board, and working with the Board of Trustees and our Interim General Counsel, Michelle Paulson, recruiting for the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. Prior to joining the Wikimedia Foundation, Anna worked with senior leaders of Fortune 100 companies, sovereign wealth funds, start-ups, nonprofits, and small governments building strategies and pulling off cultural and performance transformations.
“I am honored to serve my brilliant colleagues and the free knowledge movement,” said Anna. “Our potential is far greater than our substantial, socially significant past accomplishments. I think the force is with us. I can feel it.”
I want to thank the members of the Chief of Talent & Culture search panel for their diligent work and quality outcome—Amy Elder, Liz Verlade, Elena Goliy, Lisa Gruwell, Katie Horn, Ryan Kaldari, Angel Lewis, Toby Negrin, and Joseph Seddon, as well as Kathleen Yazbak of Viewcrest Advisors who provided additional perspective and support.
The Wikimedia movement’s greatest resource is our community—individuals from around the world who contribute to the creation and sharing of free knowledge. Similarly, our colleagues are the greatest resource of the Wikimedia Foundation. Recruiting, nurturing, and protecting our talented teams is essential to our mission. I am confident that Joady and Anna are the right people to lead these efforts.
Please join me in offering congratulations and appreciation to Joady and Anna!
Katherine Maher, Executive Director
Wikimedia Foundation
