Big changes at the Wikimedia main office this week. Danny Wool (sort of a "#2" at Wikipedia, under Jimmy Wales, and one of the prime opposers of my own adminship nomination, as well as the individual who nominated my Wikipedia bio for deletion) has resigned. (resignation letter)

And a new Volunteer Coordinator, Cary Bass (aka Bastique) has been hired.

These are both great changes, IMHO. Danny had been in the middle of several controversial / incidents in the past. I wish him well at his next job, but he just wasn't a good fit at Wikipedia.

Bastique, on the other hand, is a fantastic choice. He's someone who worked his way up from the trenches, to become one of the highest-ranking volunteers at the Wikimedia Commons. He's thoughtful and level-headed, and has the respect of everyone I've talked to. Because of his experience as a volunteer, he's got excellent context with which to manage the ever-growing team of wiki-editors. Plus I think his professionalism and sense of ethics will be a very useful ingredient at Wiki-HQ in Florida.

Congrats, Bastique!

Elonka :)

P.S. Another update: Brad Patrick, the Wikimedia general counsel, is also resigning, effective March 31st.

Wikipedia staff changes