Candidates for the Board of Directors

Robert Fernandez

Mandatory Disclosures:

(a) Conflict of Interest: none

(b) Conflict of Duty: none

(c) Felony Convictions: none (no misdemeanors either!)

(d) Relationship with Wikimedia Organizations: I have never been employed by the Wikimedia Foundation or any other affiliate. I was employed by WikiEdu in a temporary paid position from October to December 2016. I have formerly worked on behalf of the WMF as a volunteer for the Wikimedia library circa 2013. I have signed a Wikimedia Foundation confidentiality agreement in regards to private user data for both the Wikimedia Library and for the English Wikipedia Arbitration Committee.

(e) Relationship with Wikimedia Projects: I have millions of edits on numerous projects, mostly Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and English Wikipedia. I have no current blocks on any projects. I was blocked for an hour once on Commons, it's a very boring story involving Pattypan uploads.

I am Robert Fernandez, and I have been an appointed member of the board of Wikimedia District of Columbia from 2015 to 2021 and an elected member since 2021. I have been active on Wikimedia projects since 2004. I hope to help continue the work we have done over the last couple of years and to help recruit new members for the board.

Kevin Li

Mandatory Disclosures:

(a) I do not have a direct or indirect financial interest in any ongoing or planned transaction or arrangement undertaken by Wikimedia District of Columbia, to the best of my knowledge.

(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 that would require me to excuse themselves from such deliberations in circumstances, to the best of my knowledge.

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

(d) I am not an employee, director, officer, or agent of the Wikimedia Foundation, or of any Wikimedia chapter other than Wikimedia District of Columbia; nor do I otherwise hold a fiduciary duty to said organizations.

(e) I have participated in the Wikimedia projects actively as described in my nomination statement. I have never been subject to disciplinary action on any such project.

Hi, I'm Kevin Li (User:L235). Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects must be one of humanity's finest creations, and I'm delighted to be running for the chance to serve alongside so many dedicated DC Wikimedians to help build up Wikimedia DC and the Wikimedia movement more broadly for the long run, sustainably and equitably.

I've been an editor on the Wikimedia projects for over nine years, and currently serve as an English Wikipedia administrator, functionary, and Arbitration Committee member. I've also been a member of the Wikimedia Foundation's Conference Grants Committee since 2020. These days, much of my wikitime is spent trying to build up editor capacity (which I think is Wikipedia's most important long-term challenge, as I write at https://w.wiki/8Cxy), attempting to streamline administrative processes, addressing organized disinformation campaigns and bad-faith undisclosed paid editing operations, improving our anti-abuse infrastructure, and coordinating with the WMF's technical teams to improve the editing experience.

I enjoy organizing Wikimedia events, including Wikipedia Day talks and celebrations in the San Francisco Bay Area (where I last lived) as well as the August 2023 Wiknic here in DC. My hope is for Wikimedia DC to host more regular WikiSalons, editathons, and other chances to connect, with in-person components whenever possible. Consistently offering engaging and substantive chances to engage can help build a strong community of editors, both new and experienced, and it's something that our chapter is well positioned to do. My vision is for Wikimedia DC to serve as an example and a resource for other affiliates on community-building, both informally and through the Wikimedia hubs, as the global Wikimedia community transitions toward a new Movement Charter.

Here in DC, I live near Columbia Heights — please say hi if you're in the area. Outside of Wikimedia, I work in policy within the federal government and hold a graduate degree in public policy from Stanford.

We have a lot of work ahead of us, and I hope to be able to help shoulder some of it during the next two years.

Sara Snyder

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, whether as a condition of employment by a party other than Wikimedia District of Columbia or otherwise, that would prevent me from taking full part in the deliberations of the Board, or that would require me to excuse myself from such deliberations in circumstances other than those related to a financial conflict of interest.

(c) I have had no felony convictions.

(d) I am not an employee, director, officer, or agent of the Wikimedia Foundation, or of any Wikimedia chapter other than Wikimedia District of Columbia; nor do I otherwise hold a fiduciary duty to said organizations.

(e) I have participated in projects operated by the Wikimedia Foundation as well as the Wikimedia DC chapter. This includes being a contributor to several Wikimedia projects, primarily English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikidata. I have never been subjected to disciplinary action with regard to my participation in Wikimedia projects (including, but not limited to, the imposition of any restriction on my ability to fully and freely participate in said project) by the community of said project, or by any body convened for the purpose of undertaking such disciplinary action on said project.

I am Sara Snyder, User:sarasays on Wikimedia. I have served as Treasurer for the Board of Directors for the past two years. I made my first edit on Wikipedia in 2006, and have spent many years learning about and connecting with the Wikimedia community and advocating for greater collaboration with galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAMs). I have given talks, written articles, and organized numerous GLAM-Wiki programs in my professional capacity as a digital practitioner. I have been a member of Wikimedia DC for more than 7 years, and have organized collaborative events and projects with the chapter through my professional affiliation with the Smithsonian Institution.

I am a strong believer in open knowledge and an advocate for greater cooperation between the Wikimedia community, subject matter experts, and the government agencies operating in our nation’s capital and beyond. I believe that working together is the best way to ultimately achieve our mission of free, high quality access to the sum of all human knowledge.

My first face-to-face, offline contact with the Wikimedia community came via some members of what would eventually become the District of Columbia chapter, and over the years the chapter members’ friendly support and care in creating a safe environment have been the secret to dozens of successful events and collaborations. It is my honor to give back to this outstanding organization by volunteering my time to serve on the Wikimedia DC Board of Directors.