Bernadette Meehan is Chief Executive Officer of the Wikimedia Foundation. She joined the Foundation on 20  January 2026.

Meehan most recently served as U.S. Ambassador to Chile from 2022 to 2025, where she was recognized for her expansive public engagement, open communication style, and numerous diplomatic achievements. These included passage of a bilateral tax treaty and advancement of major technology and scientific infrastructure initiatives, such as the first subsea cable connecting South America and Asia, and astronomical research projects. Prior to her ambassadorship, she served as Executive Vice President for Global Programs at the Obama Foundation, where she designed and led leadership development programs spanning Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and South Asia.

Her commitment to public service was shaped over more than a decade as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer. Her diplomatic assignments included Special Assistant to the President and Spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, Special Assistant to the Secretary of State, and postings in Colombia, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates. Meehan began her career in the private sector, as a Vice President at J.P. Morgan Chase and later Lehman Brothers, building a foundation in global markets, financial strategy, and technology.

Meehan holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Boston College, speaks Spanish and Arabic, and has served on advisory boards for Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy and Hostage US.

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