Dear friends and CC affiliates,
After an extensive search, the Creative
Commons Board of Directors has approved Ryan Merkley as our new Chief Executive
Officer. He’ll start work on June 1, and I’m looking forward to an opportunity
to introduce you to him. Creative Commons will be publicly announcing this news
later today, May 14.
Ryan joins us after a career working to
advance social causes and public policy in nonprofits and government. As COO at
the Mozilla Foundation, Ryan contributed to the development of Mozilla products
and programs, and also established Mozilla’s successful individual fundraising program,
which raised $1.8M from over 44,000 new donors during his tenure . His past
work also included Managing Director and Senior Vice President of Public
Affairs at Vision Critical, and Senior Advisor to Mayor David Miller in
Toronto, where he initiated Toronto’s open data project. He was also seconded
to the City of Vancouver as Director of Corporate Communications for the 2010
Winter Games.
Much has changed on the web and in the commons
since we began our work over a decade ago. As the web has become more
stratified in a world of apps, and as new laws and court decisions stand to
dramatically extend terms of copyright and further restrict the ability of creators
of art, culture, and knowledge to share their work, our role has never been
more important.
Those who believe in the value of the commons
need to join together in a movement that supports collaboration, sharing, and
innovation. Even more than at CC’s inception, we need to make the case for the
value and potential of a public commons. For us, that means supporting, inspiring
and connecting the various communities that build the commons — from open education,
to science, to film and photography — and working to provide tools, solutions,
and policy on their behalf.
This is the broad outline of a vision that
Ryan expressed to the board during his candidacy. It fit well with our own
vision, and we are excited to work with Ryan to realize it. Over the coming months
I am sure you will be seeing and hearing from Ryan as we carry out the work of
the CC movement. Ryan is particularly excited to meet all of you, hear your
plans and strategies to support our mission, and share his views and plans for
our organization.
Ryan will be splitting his time as CEO between
his hometown in Toronto, Canada, and the Bay Area. He will be on the move
frequently, which I believe will mean increased opportunities to connect with
CC affiliates around the world.
Later today, Creative Commons will also be
sharing blog posts from Ryan, Larry Lessig, and me. In the next few days you’ll
be hearing from Creative Commons about an opportunity to meet with Ryan and
share your questions and ideas.
Once again, the board would like to voice our
appreciation for the work of outgoing CEO Cathy Casserly. She substantially
advanced CC’s mission over the past three years. Under Cathy’s leadership,
Creative Commons helped numerous governments around the world adopt open education
policies, and we saw considerable growth and engagement in the CC Affiliate Network.
And
now, please join me in welcoming Ryan to the Creative Commons community.
Sincerely,
Paul Brest
Board Chair, Creative Commons