Sue Gardner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sue Gardner
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Gardner in 2008
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| 2nd Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation | |
| In office 2007–2014 |
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| Preceded by | Brad Patrick |
| Succeeded by | Lila Tretikov |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 11, 1967 Barbados |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Alma mater | Ryerson Polytechnical Institute |
Sue Gardner was born on May 11, 1967. She is a Canadian journalist and a leader in non-profit and business organizations. She led the Wikimedia Foundation as its executive director from December 2007 to May 2014. Before that, she managed the website and online news for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
In 2012, Forbes magazine named her one of the world's most powerful women. In 2013, she joined the board of Global Voices. In 2015, she helped the Tor Project with their long-term plans. In 2018, she became the executive director of The Markup, a news organization. She left this role in May 2019. In November 2023, Gardner was appointed chair of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network.
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Early Life and Education
Sue Gardner was born in Barbados. She grew up in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. Her father was an Anglican priest, and her mother was a school principal. Gardner studied journalism at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.
Career in Journalism
Gardner started her career in 1990 at Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) radio. She worked for over ten years as a producer, reporter, and documentary maker. Her work focused on pop culture and social issues for CBC Radio One and Newsworld International.
In March 2006, she became the senior director of CBC.ca, the CBC's website. She helped grow the staff from 35 to 160 people.
Leading the Wikimedia Foundation
In May 2007, Gardner left the CBC. She then started advising the Wikimedia Foundation on how to improve its operations. In December 2007, she was hired as the foundation's executive director.
Over the next two years, she helped the staff grow. She also added a team to handle fundraising. The foundation's main office moved from St. Petersburg, Florida to San Francisco, California. In October 2009, The Huffington Post called Gardner one of the top "media game changers of the year." This was because of her important work for Wikimedia.
Addressing Gender Bias on Wikipedia
While at the Wikimedia Foundation, Gardner worked on the issue of gender bias on Wikipedia. She found several reasons why fewer women edited Wikipedia. These reasons came from comments by female Wikipedia editors:
- The editing tools were not easy to use.
- Women often did not have enough free time.
- Some felt a lack of self-confidence.
- Many wanted to avoid arguments and long "edit wars."
- They believed their work might be removed or deleted.
- Some found the overall atmosphere on Wikipedia to be unfriendly to women.
- The culture of Wikipedia was sometimes seen as off-putting.
- Being addressed as male was confusing for women whose language has gendered words.
- There were fewer chances for social connections compared to other websites.
Leaving Wikimedia
On March 27, 2013, Gardner announced she would leave the Wikimedia Foundation. She said the foundation was doing well, but she wanted to help improve the internet in other ways. She mentioned that her involvement in the 2012 Wikipedia blackout was a turning point. This protest was against the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect Intellectual Property Act. It made her think about the internet's future and her role in it.
In 2013, Ryerson University, her former school, gave Gardner an honorary doctorate degree. On May 1, 2014, it was announced that Lila Tretikov would take over as executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation. She started on June 1, 2014.
Work with Tor and First Look Media
Gardner joined The Tor Project, Inc to help create a plan for its future. This work was supported by First Look Media. The Tor Project is a non-profit group that helps maintain the Tor anonymity network. This network helps people use the internet privately. First Look Media is a news organization that focuses on independent journalism.
The Markup
In September 2018, Gardner helped start The Markup. She co-founded it with Julia Angwin and Jeff Larson. The goal was to report on "Big Tech" companies and their effects on the public. The project received $20 million in funding from Craig Newmark. Gardner was set to be the executive director.
In April 2019, Gardner and Angwin had disagreements. Gardner fired Angwin. Five out of seven journalists on the staff then resigned. Angwin stated that Gardner wanted The Markup to be more of a "cause" than a "publication." Gardner responded that the mission of The Markup had not changed. Gardner and Larson left The Markup the next month. Angwin was then brought back as the website's editor-in-chief in August 2019.
See also
In Spanish: Sue Gardner para niños
- List of Wikipedia people
