User:L235/GRDC draft

Kevin Li (L235)

Preferred name	Kevin Li
Language capabilities (native or professional / advanced / basic)	English, native
Region and country you identify with	United States, North America
Interim GRDC seats you are running for and why (regional volunteer/thematic volunteer)	Regional volunteer seat, North America
Do you have any topic or area of specialization within the Wikimedia movement? (max 1000 characters)	In the course of my 10+ years as an active contributor within the Wikimedia projects, I've explored different ways of contributing my skills and efforts. The most personally fulfilling, and hopefully meaningful, way in which I've contributed is system design: thinking carefully about how the projects function, where the opportunities and pain points are, and what can be done to seize the opportunities and address the pain points. For example, as a member of the English Wikipedia Arbitration Committee, I spent several years improving both the Committee's internal functioning (see, e.g., my ArbCom workflow and capacity motions for a public example) as well as how the Committee serves and sets processes for the broader community (see, e.g., the 2021-2022 discretionary sanctions reform process. Separately, I am also particularly proud of the work I have done in building out the movement's leadership capacity; I take great delight in mentoring volunteers, some of which has been borne out in the administrators I have nominated.
Have you ever held any role or position, either current or past, in the Wikimedia movement? (max 1000 characters)	I have served in a range of roles: English Wikipedia Arbitration Committee (Jan 2021-Dec 2024) – I served for four years on the English Wikipedia's highest community-elected dispute resolution body. Before that, I served as a committee clerk for almost six years (Feb 2015-Dec 2020), in which capacity I helped streamline and support the adoption of policy. Member, Wikimedia Foundation Conference Support Committee (2020-2024) – in this role, I assessed, gave feedback on, and helped award conference grants (~$1 million annually) over the course of nearly half a decade of funding rounds, often as one of only three active committee members. Board member, Wikimedia DC (January 2024-Present) – in which role I participated in the chapter's planning and ran the chapter's election. Additional English Wikipedia roles include: CheckUser and Oversight, English Wikipedia (2019-2024) SPI clerk, English Wikipedia (2015-2019) Additionally, I once was the grantee for a small Wikimedia Foundation Rapid Grant.
Why are you interested in the interim GRDC and what can you contribute? (max 1000 characters)
Please share any volunteering or professional experience relevant for the interim GRDC (role, organization, years) (max 1000 characters)	In addition to the Wikimedia volunteer experience laid out above, I have served as a policy advisor within the U.S. government (executive and legislative branches), in which roles I have developed short- and long-range strategic planning on program and policy ideation and implementation.
Describe your skills and experience relevant to the interim GRDC (max 1500 characters)
Describe your understanding of the Wikimedia Movement's current resource distribution process. (max 1500 characters)
How do you think the GRDC could improve the current situation and which priorities do you think it should have? (max 1500 characters)
By the end of the pilot in two years, what should the GRDC have accomplished and how should we measure its success? (max 1500 characters)