2023 Annual General Meeting/Candidate Statements

This page will contain the statements of the candidates for the 2023 elections to the board of Wikimedia UK. Applications to the board of trustees open on 26th May 2023. If you have questions about the process of standing for election to the board, please get in touch at tellerswikimedia.org.uk. Please submit questions for the candidates at the 2023 Annual General Meeting/Candidate Questions.

Sammy Tarling

Becoming more involved with Wikimedia UK to help further our vision of high quality open knowledge for all has been a long-term goal for me — there is perhaps no higher commitment than standing as a board candidate, and I would like to take a moment to summarise why you should vote for me and what I ‘bring to the table’.

I’ve been a Wikimedian since 2008, serving as a functionary on the English Wikipedia and globally across Wikimedia projects as a Steward until late 2022. In early 2022 I was hired by the Wikimedia Foundation as a software engineer on the Community Tech team, which among other challenges taught me how to balance the position of volunteer and staff. As an aside, I do not foresee any significant conflicts of interest in being a paid member of Foundation staff and being elected to the board of Wikimedia UK.

I’ve advocated for increased support for volunteer developers (who contribute heavily to the success of the Wikimedia Movement), worked closely with communities to implement technical solutions to issues they face in building the sum of all human knowledge, and heard first-hand key areas the Foundation (and by extension, Wikimedia UK) should perhaps focus on.

Having previously been a company director and a founding director of a Community Interest Company in Wales, I have an understanding of the responsibilities of an elected director and trustee. I hope to pair my significant experience “on the front lines” of the global Wikimedia community with the significant skills already on the board to bolster and expand the mission of Wikimedia UK.