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Tor Project announced on February 22, 2018, that executive director Shari Steele planned to retire at the end of that year. Steele had joined Tor in December 2015 after 15 years leading the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). Tor named Isabela Bagueros as her successor in April 2018 and outlined a gradual handover.
Why Shari Steele planned to leave Tor
Steele’s announcement was about a planned retirement, not an immediate departure: Tor said she would step down at the end of 2018. She had joined the organization in December 2015, following 15 years as EFF’s executive director. Tor described her appointment as part of an effort to make the organization more operationally sound.
Steele said her decision to join Tor had been driven by its mission: “I had intended to retire after my time with EFF, but I believed strongly in the Tor Project’s mission, and I felt I could help.” (Tor Project, February 22, 2018)
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On April 23, 2018, Tor announced Isabela Bagueros as its next executive director. Bagueros had joined Tor as a project manager in 2015. In that role, she had led teams working on collaborative strategy and roadmapping, as well as user-experience work. (Tor Project, April 23, 2018)
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How Tor planned the leadership handover
Bagueros was to take over after Tor hired a replacement project manager and she had time to get up to speed in the executive director role. Steele was expected to remain executive director until that transition. Afterward, the plan called for her to consult through the end of 2018 and join Tor’s board beginning in January 2019. These were the arrangements announced in April 2018, not confirmation of either person’s present-day role. (Tor Project, April 23, 2018)
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Steele said about Tor’s future
In the retirement announcement, Steele expressed confidence in the organization’s capacity to continue its work: “I look at the Tor Project organization today and feel quite confident that we’ve got the talent and the structure to continue to support the organization’s great work.” Tor’s announcement described the organization at the time as having around 35 engineers and operational support people, alongside volunteers around the world; that was approximate organizational context, not a count of people involved in the handover. (Tor Project, February 22, 2018)
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