Wikimedia Foundation/Chief Executive Officer/Around the puzzle globe
The Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees has appointed Bernadette Meehan as the new CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation. She will officially join on January 20, 2026. Current CEO Maryana Iskander will stay in her role until then for a seamless handoff.
Bernadette's questions
[edit]Starting January 20, she’ll be coming to a meeting near you around the puzzle globe online and in person with Wiki communities, Foundation staff, and other stakeholders.
In her introduction she said
To guide our early conversations, I’d love to know:
- What brought you to this movement?
- How do we stay relevant over the next 25 years?
- What three Wiki resources should I read first?
You know your communities best, and your insights will guide my path forward.
Twenty-five years ago, Wikipedia was just a dream. Today, it is the backbone of knowledge on the internet. Empowerment. Opportunity. Collaboration. Consensus. Hope.
Thank you for welcoming me. I look forward to getting to know each of you and building our future together.
Share your views
[edit]You can get in touch with her from 20 January onwards in many ways to share your views.
- On wiki, by leaving a message in any language on this page’s talk page. The movement communications team will pass on (and translate where needed) all messages to Bernadette.
- Joining one of the events listed below – we'll be getting in touch with different communities to organise these and populate this list after she joins on the 20th January.
- Directly by email at bmeehan
wikimedia
org (note she'll only be able to respond after starting on 20th January).
If you have an event suggestion email movementcomms
wikimedia
org or leave a comment on the talk page and we'll check the schedule.
Events list
[edit]| Name | Date | Time | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia 25 Virtual celebration | January 15, 2026 | 16:00 – 17:00 UTC | Register |
| Wikimedia Futures Lab | January 30, 2026 - February 1, 2026 | Participants | |
| List to be populated with many more events 20 January onwards | |||