2024 Annual General Meeting/Candidate Statements

Caroline Ball

I am honoured to submit myself for consideration for another term as a trustee of Wikimedia UK. My three-year tenure, particularly my current role as Chair of the Community Development Group, has only deepened my commitment to the organisation's mission of fostering an inclusive and equitable knowledge ecosystem.

My commitment to open knowledge and information permeates not just my work with WMUK, but my professional career as well. In my role as academic librarian, I have championed initiatives that reflect the core values of knowledge equity and democratisation. I have spearheaded advocacy efforts for open access and copyright reform, ensuring broader access to information and educational resources; facilitated workshops and training sessions on critical information literacy, empowering individuals to navigate and challenge systemic biases in knowledge systems; championed libraries and their right to fair and reasonable print and digital book markets; and researched and published on Wikipedia, digital literacy and systemic bias.

These all underscore my dedication to dismantling barriers and creating opportunities for all members of our community to participate fully in the creation and dissemination of knowledge, which I firmly believe I can bring to my ongoing contributions to Wikimedia UK.

In my next term, I hope to work with Wikimedia UK staff, trustees and the wider Wikimedia community:

• Expand our community partnerships to reach even more marginalised groups and amplify their voices within our organisation.
• Advocate for policy changes that promote greater transparency and accountability in information systems, ensuring that they serve the public good.
• Develop and implement innovative programs that foster critical engagement with information and empower individuals to become active participants in shaping our knowledge landscape.

My extensive research and publications on knowledge equity, coupled with my experience, equip me with the skills and insights necessary to advance our organisation's mission. I am eager to continue serving and collaborating with fellow members to build a more just and equitable future for all.

Francis Grasso

Wikimedia provides a rare gift to humanity; information that is factual, unbiased and free to all on the internet, a medium which is sadly blighted by fake news and extreme opinion. Becoming a trustee would allow be to put something back into an organisation that has helped me many times in my private life and my professional career. I became a regular doner to Wikimedia UK in 2012 after Wikipedia helped me resolve a commercial import/export issue with information about INCOTERMS.

I have previous experience as a trustee and treasurer of a UK Charity; am the board advisor to an IT firm making software for the charity sector and am currently an IT Senior Programme Manager delivering multi-million-pound investments. My skills in programme management and understanding of IT will be of use helping Wikimedia to achieve its long-term goals.

A programme manager is leadership role that is entrusted by stakeholders to achieve their outcomes. To be successful, a programme manager needs to listen and learn from stakeholders and team members alike so that the best possible decisions are made with the right governance. I welcome the opportunity to contribute my experience as a programme manager to the Wikimedia board and to learn from the other trustees.

Having been a trustee of another charity I am aware of the commitment that is required, and it would be a source of great pride to be an advocate for the Wikimedia organisation.

Thank you for considering my nomination.

Andrew Russell

Whenever someone asks which organisation I admire most, Wikimedia is always my first answer. No organisation better encapsulates the spirit of collaboration, knowledge-building and openness so vital for public life, and it would be a privilege to help further its goals in the interests of all readers and Wikipedians.

Access to education and information resources has been a driving force in my career and volunteering work. As a Public Affairs & Communications professional working for education companies and charities, I have built extensive experience in the policy areas important to the future of Wikimedia UK.

The rapid rate of technological change and spread of misinformation are growing challenges faced by open societies and access to knowledge from checked and trustworthy sources needs to be continually fought for. In this context, Wikimedia UK should play a greater role in providing expertise to policymakers and, if elected to the Board, I would support further engagement with UK Government stakeholders so that the values of Wikimedia have a strong and tangible presence in the corridors of power.

I also have a background in Communications and partnership-building, having worked for global brands like McDonald’s and publisher Pearson, and have built commercial and charitable relationships with organisations including the BBC, Department for Education, the University of Oxford and LEGO.

I bring previous experience from serving as a trustee for other charities. From 2015 to 2022 I was on the Board of The Philosophy Foundation, a charity that promotes the teaching and practice of Philosophy across the UK, and am currently a trustee at Humanists UK.

My academic background is in Philosophy and I hold a BA and MA from the University of Cambridge and King’s College London, respectively. In my spare time I run two book clubs with a combined membership of over 5,000 readers

Monica Westin

I am honored to be considered for the Wikimedia UK board. First and foremost, I am a passionate Wikipedian who has been facilitating edit-a-thons since 2018– including most recently at Google UK in 2022 in collaboration with Wikimedia UK, which inspired me to apply for this role in order to give back to the movement and charity.

I am also a dedicated academic librarian and technologist who has devoted my career to promoting equitable access to information and cultural preservation. I am committed to breaking down barriers that hinder access to open knowledge.

In my current role as Associate Director of Content and Discovery at Manchester Metropolitan University, I manage our content and collections budget as well as drive our digital strategy for library and special collections, ensuring that they are as discoverable as possible by all. I also drive our strategy for investing in open access publishing initiatives.

Previously, as a Senior Product Manager on the web team at the Internet Archive, I worked on creating software for more inclusive digital knowledge spaces, mirroring Wikimedia UK's efforts to ensure diverse representation in open knowledge. Additionally, my experience as Copyright Policy Lead at Google UK equips me with a nuanced perspective on copyright, fair use, and fair dealing—critical areas that impact the open culture movement. In this role at Google, I also worked daily in the areas of risk management and balancing legal and business best practices. Prior to that, I spent several years working on the Google Scholar web index to ensure that anyone in the world could find open versions of scholarly papers they needed.

Combining my expertise in policy, budget management, open knowledge, and digital preservation with my dedication to the ideals of open knowledge, I am eager to contribute to Wikimedia UK's vision and help drive its strategic initiatives forward.