Florence Devouard
Encyclopedia
Florence Jacqueline Sylvie Devouard, née Nibart (born 10 September 1968) was the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation
between October 2006 and July 2008, succeeding Jimmy Wales
.
Devouard was born in Versailles
, France
. She grew up in Grenoble
and studied in Nancy, and later lived in Antwerp in Belgium
and in Arizona
in the United States
. , she resides in the village of Malintrat
, near the city of Clermont-Ferrand
in France.
She joined the board of Wikimedia Foundation in June 2004 and was a founder of Wikimedia France in October 2004. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Foundation since July 2008. On 9 March 2008, she was elected member of the municipal council of Malintrat. On 16 May 2008, she was made a knight
in the French National Order of Merit
, proposed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as "chair of an international foundation".
She is married to Bertrand Devouard and has three children, William (born 1996), Anne-Gaëlle (born 1998) and Thomas (born 2006).
Devouard holds an engineer
ing degree in agronomy
from ENSAIA
. She also holds a DEA
in genetics and biotechnologies from INPL. She worked in public research, first in flower plant genetic improvement, and second in microbiology to study the feasibility of polluted soil bioremediation. She was employed until 2005 in a French firm to design decision-making tools in sustainable agriculture
and now is a consultant in Internet Communication Strategy. At times, she has disagreed with the notion of "verifiability, not truth" as the basis for building consensus via collaboration.
She is a member of Wikimédia France's board.
Wikimedia Foundation
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. is an American non-profit charitable organization headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States, and organized under the laws of the state of Florida, where it was initially based...
between October 2006 and July 2008, succeeding Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales is an American Internet entrepreneur best known as a co-founder and promoter of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia and the Wikia company....
.
Devouard was born in Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. She grew up in Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
and studied in Nancy, and later lived in Antwerp in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. , she resides in the village of Malintrat
Malintrat
Malintrat is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme département in Auvergne in central France.Malintrat is located at east of Clermont-Ferrand between autoroutes A710 and A720, north of the Clermont-Ferrand/Auvergne airport in Aulnat...
, near the city of Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
in France.
She joined the board of Wikimedia Foundation in June 2004 and was a founder of Wikimedia France in October 2004. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Foundation since July 2008. On 9 March 2008, she was elected member of the municipal council of Malintrat. On 16 May 2008, she was made a knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
in the French National Order of Merit
Ordre National du Mérite
The Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
, proposed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as "chair of an international foundation".
She is married to Bertrand Devouard and has three children, William (born 1996), Anne-Gaëlle (born 1998) and Thomas (born 2006).
Devouard holds an engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
ing degree in agronomy
Agronomy
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. Agronomy is the application of a combination of sciences like biology,...
from ENSAIA
École nationale supérieure d'agronomie et des industries alimentaires
The École Nationale Supérieure d'Agronomie et des Industries Alimentaires is a French grande école located in Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy near Nancy in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département that specialises in biological and agricultural engineering.-External links:...
. She also holds a DEA
DEA (former French degree)
A Master of Advanced Studies is a non-consecutive postgraduate degree awarded predominantly in European countries. A MAS program offers comprehensive training in a specific field and can either give access to higher qualification in one's profession or lead to a new profession...
in genetics and biotechnologies from INPL. She worked in public research, first in flower plant genetic improvement, and second in microbiology to study the feasibility of polluted soil bioremediation. She was employed until 2005 in a French firm to design decision-making tools in sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is the practice of farming using principles of ecology, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment...
and now is a consultant in Internet Communication Strategy. At times, she has disagreed with the notion of "verifiability, not truth" as the basis for building consensus via collaboration.
She is a member of Wikimédia France's board.
External links
- Anthere Consulting website
- Wikimedia Foundation and sustainability
- 2005 Board candidacy presentation
- Video-Interview on 10 February 2007 at the Lift07 conference in Geneva Interview with Florence Devouard.
- 'Madame Wikipedia' runs web giant from village HQ 2007 AFP article
- A Life in the Day: Florence Devouard 2007 Times article