Michael Kim—the founder and Managing Partner of Cendana Capital, an investment firm focused on early stage venture capital, and former trustee of the Asian Art Museum and San Francisco Employee Retirement System—has been appointed to the Wikimedia Endowment Advisory Board.
Michael joins Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, venture capitalist Annette Campbell-White, philanthropist and professor Peter Baldwin, and business leader Niels Christian Nielsen as the fifth member of the board that is entrusted with overseeing the Wikimedia Endowment, a permanent source of funding to ensure Wikipedia thrives for generations to come.
In addition to his expertise in investment strategy and venture capital, Michael is actively involved in arts and public service in San Francisco, where he and his family reside. In 2004, he was appointed by then San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom to a five year term as a Trustee of the San Francisco Employee Retirement System, a $20 billion pension fund, and served as the President of the board and the Chairman of the Investment Committee.
“Wikipedia is one the most important cultural assets and public trusts of our time” says Michael Kim. “Building lasting support for Wikipedia and its sister projects ensures and sustains innovation, growth and learning for generations to come, and I’m thrilled to do my part to help.”
Michael served as a Trustee of the Asian Art Museum Foundation for ten years, where he also was a member of the investment committee that oversaw the Museum’s $100 million endowment. He is the former Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Symphonix League of the San Francisco Symphony. Michael formerly served on the boards of Lead21, an organization that enables entrepreneurs to advocate free market public policy, and the Pacific Research Institute, a San Francisco-based think tank that champions freedom, opportunity and personal responsibility for all individuals by advancing free market policy solutions.
“Michael is an ideal candidate for the Board, given his deep experience in the management and governance of institutional assets with the highest level of fiduciary duty and stewardship, coupled with his long standing commitment to help global non-profit organizations,” says current Endowment Board Member Annette Campbell-White. “His thoughtfulness and strategic acumen will be a tremendous addition to the long term sustainability of Wikipedia, which means continued access to free knowledge for all.”
Michael is an honors graduate of Cornell University, where he served on the Cornell Council. He also has an MS from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service—where he serves on the MSFS Advisory Board—and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business.
Lisa Seitz-Gruwell, Chief Advancement Officer
Wikimedia Foundation
Endowment Board members are selected based on active involvement in philanthropic endeavors, prior nonprofit board experience, fundraising and investment expertise, and a strong commitment to the Wikimedia Foundation’s mission.
