It can be surprising that one company that aims to amass the greatest collection of information on the Internet - Wikimedia foundation can neglect one supposed to be common management practice - the running a thorough background check on its employees.
It was reported that Carolyn Bothwell Doran, a 45-year-old accused of hit and run, drunken-driving, theft and who knows what other crime was able to work as a bookkeeper and was promoted as a chief operating officer of the company that runs one of the most popular wiki encyclopedia in the online world - Wikipedia.
Before she left in July, Carolyn Bothwell Doran, 45, had moved up from a part-time bookkeeper for the Wikimedia Foundation and spent six months as chief operating officer, responsible for personnel and financial management.
In March, she signed the small nonprofit's tax return, which listed more than $1.3 million in donations.
It's a technology site called The Register that uncovered Carolyn Bothwell Doran's background. No loss of money handled by Carolyn Bothwell Doran was discovered yet since the recent audit wasn't completed yet.
Apparently, Wikipedia should not only worry about the rumors on the reliability of the content contributed to the site, but the reliability of its management as well. The foundation's getting millions of donations, definitely, the foundation should have now learned the risks of skimping on (or nonexistence of?) employee background check. The risk of losing money, the time and effort it takes to hire and train and employee, not to mention the bad publicity will be reason enough to stop neglecting proper employee background check.
"Let he/she who is without sin, cast the first stone".
What is it you are implying here?
If she is guilty of wrong doing or been charged with wrong doing- OK.
Whatever she did in the past has nothing to do with her achievments today; does it?
You would have no-one in an American top job that hasn't some sort of shadey background. Take a look at half of the mayors in the USA. Governors with a past. Most of the pastors.Exxon Corp. Merril Lynch, The list is endless
Leave the woman alone. This trial by opinion is a very dangerous trait. The Baldchemist
Posted by: The Baldchemist | March 27, 2008 12:50 AM | Permalink to Comment