Candidates for the Board of Directors

Peter Meyer

Mandatory Disclosures:

(a) I do not have a financial interest in ongoing or planned transactions or arrangements of Wikimedia District of Columbia.

(b) I am not subject to laws, regulations, agreements, or covenants that prevent me from taking full part in the deliberations of the Board of Directors.

(c) I have not been convicted of a felony.

(d) I am not an employee, director, officer, or agent of the Wikimedia Foundation or any chapter besides Wikimedia DC.

(e) I have participated in Wikimedia Foundation projects for nine years. I am active on English Wikipedia and English Wikisource, and sporadically active on other projects and sites as User:Econterms. I have not been subject to disciplinary actions on these projects.

I'm Peter Benjamin Meyer, and User:econterms on Wikimedia. I have been an active member of Wikimedia DC and on its Board of Directors since 2013. Over time I've organized many editing events and ran the finance side of WikiConference North America in 2021 and this year.

This year I've been President of the Board, mainly focused on learning how to keep things running and recruit for help as needed. We've taken on some very exciting research work to address online misinformation. In the future I think it will be best if the small North American user groups and chapters team up under some kind of US or North American umbrella organization, so each group does not have to handle every administrative aspect of an organization. The District of Columbia chapter has been successful in encouraging new and diverse editors, on diverse topics, and keeping high morale and a friendly safe environment for its events. Continuing on this path we can succeed further.

I'd also like for our chapter to continue to coordinate with open source software developers, academic researchers, and good-government advocates. We can advocate for public policy that is aligned with open-source opportunities, and for the use of MediaWiki in government agencies, Let's help build the best online reference works that we can imagine in many contexts, and connect them together in an easy-to-use way. Wikimedia's works include historical source materials, equations, footnotes, maps, photos, sounds, moving images, and text in many languages. It's wonderful, and there's a lot more to do.

As for my background and distinctive interests, I worked as a software developer for 6 years, then went to graduate school, and now I'm a research economist at a US federal government agency. My main research is on how new inventions and industries arise. I can show with statistics how information-sharing institutions like wikis, conferences, journals, and clubs help these things happen. I created a wiki for research on the history of aeronautics and aviation, and started Wikidata's WikiProject Patents. Someday all patents from every country and time period should be indexed in Wikidata.

I ask for your votes. With your support, I will continue on the Board of Directors doing the good work of the chapter.

Kevin Payravi

Mandatory Disclosures:

(a) I have no direct or indirect financial interest in any ongoing or planned transaction or arrangement undertaken by Wikimedia District of Columbia.

(b) I am not subject to any law, regulation, agreement, or other covenant that would prevent me from taking full part in the deliberations of the Board or would require me to excuse myself from such deliberations in circumstances other than those related to a financial conflict of interest.

(c) I have not been convicted of any felony.

(d) I am currently working as a part-time contractor through the end of the year for the Wikimedia Foundation, through a grant from the Structured Data Across Wikimedia initiative. I am currently a Board member of Wikimedia District of Columbia, as well as an organizer for the Ohio Wikimedians User Group, organizer for WikiConference North America, and a reviewer for the WikiCred team (all unpaid positions). I have received grants from the Wikimedia Foundation in the past for projects that have since concluded, and am likely to apply for and receive more grants in the future.

(e) I have participated in projects operated by the Wikimedia Foundation as well as Wikimedia chapters. This includes being an active contributor to several Wikimedia projects, primarily the English Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons. I have also participated or organized several offline and online Wikimedia events through Wikimedia DC, the Ohio Wikimedians User Group, and WikiConference North America. I have never been subject to disciplinary action in any of these contexts.

My name is Kevin Payravi (User:SuperHamster on Wikipedia). I have been on the Board of Wikimedia District of Columbia since 2018, and am running again for the opportunity to continue my service to help ensure the organization's continued impact, programming, and success.

I joined the English Wikipedia in 2007 and have since been an active contributor to the project and the Wikimedia movement at-large. In addition to typical day-to-day editing, I have organized many online and offline initiatives, such as founding the Ohio Wikimedians User Group; serving as a core organizer for WikiConference North America since 2017; being a primary organizer for Wiki Loves Monuments in the United States since 2016; and helping organize Wikipedia Asian Month, a global online edit-a-thon.

My focus in the last year in Wikimedia DC has been to support WikiCred, the grants program that supports research, software projects and Wikimedia events that explore information reliability and credibility. I am also supporting WikiConference North America 2022, which Wikimedia DC has been a part of for many years. I also organized the 2022 Wikimedia Hackathon meet-up in DC, bringing Wikimedians from the DC-area and beyond together to focus on technical initiatives to support the movement.

I believe I have a diverse mix of projects and engagement with the Wikimedia community, and hope that this will help me be a positive asset to Wikimedia DC. Thank you for your consideration!

Diane Shaw

Mandatory Disclosures:

(a-b, d) I have no potential conflicts of interest, relationships with other Wikimedia movement organizations or any other factors that would adversely affect my ability to serve fairly as a member of the Board of Directors of Wikimedia DC

(c) I have no felony convictions

(e) I have never been subject to any disciplinary action with regards to my participation in any Wikimedia project, and i am able to fully and freely participate in such projects

I have been serving as the Secretary for the Wikimedia District of Columbia Board of Directors for several years already, and I consider it an honor to be a part of this organization which is dedicated to supporting collaborative efforts to create and sustain free open knowledge both locally and globally. As a former librarian and museum employee, I enjoy being a part of the thriving GLAMWiki community the Washington, D.C. area, and I hope to play a more active role through Wikimedia DC now that I am retired. I greatly admire Wikimedia DC's commitment to fostering knowledge equity and its continuing efforts to reach out to diverse populations and organizations through virtual as well as in-person programs, building upon the Wikimedia movement's values and mission. I look forward to renewing my service to the Board of Directors if re-elected, and I thank you as members for your interest and support of Wikimedia DC.