Company: Mozilla, Mountain View, CA, USA
Company Description: Mozilla is a thriving community of intelligent, principled and passionate individuals who build software to preserve choice, openness and innovation on the Internet. As part of this mission, Mozilla develops and distributes the popular free open source Firefox web browser to over 450M users, and develops a number of leading-edge projects dedicated to improving the web.
Nomination Category: Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Lifetime Achievement – Government or Non-Profit

Nomination Title: Mitchell Baker, Chairperson, Mozilla Foundation and Mozilla Corporation

Describe for the judges the nominated individual's lifetime of accomplishments (up to 500 words):

Mitchell Baker has lead a lifetime of innovation by spearheading a movement to keep the Internet open and participatory. As perhaps the most visible leader of the Mozilla Project, Mitchell Baker is responsible for organizing and motivating a massive, worldwide collective of employees and volunteers who advocate for a free and open Web.

Mozilla and Firefox are among the most successful examples of open source projects and arguably the most recognizable. The Mozilla Foundation and the Mozilla Corporation represent the most successful hybrid model of its kind. By combining the venture start-up methods and spirit of Silicon Valley with the grassroots community participation approach to Open Source, Mozilla represents an example of the future of innovation and community in the Internet era. It melds the best from business best practices and non-profits to produce a hugely successful and socially beneficial product and organization.

Mitchell provides the leadership and vision necessary to ensure the Mozilla project continues to flourish, develop great products, and adheres to the principles of openness and transparency. The success of Firefox is largely due to Mozilla community members who contribute code and play a role in promoting the browser - inspired by Mitchell’s leadership focus on opportunity, distributed authority, shared input and democratic design.

Mitchell has been involved with the Mozilla Project since it was a part of Netscape and has been a Mozilla leader and executive since 1999. She drafted the Mozilla Public License as the governing open source license for the project. While there were other open source licenses, Mitchell’s MPL found a balance between proprietary code licenses and the public domain. The MPL has been so successful that few changes have occurred over the past 13 years. Netscape Navigator, the Mozilla Application Suite and Firefox have evolved from this while the governing principles drafted through the MPL remain the same.

Mitchell continues her commitment to innovation today in her role as “Chief Lizard Wrangler” at Mozilla (Chairperson of the Mozilla Foundation and the Mozilla Corporation). Over the past year, Mitchell has lead the push for further advancement at Mozilla with such projects as WebFWD, a three-month “boot camp” for startups, and Firefox OS, the new Mozilla mobile operating system to be released in early 2013. This year Mitchell also championed the free web in the face of SOPA and PIPA legislation in the US and against ACTA legislation in the EU – legislation that would surely limit the scope of openness on the web.

In 2005, TIME Magazine profiled Mitchell under “Scientists and Thinkers” in its TIME 100. In 2009, Mitchell was honored as winner of the Anita Borg Institute's 2009 Women of Vision Award. In 2010 she was the recipient of the Aenne Burda Award for Creative Leadership and was honored as the recipient of Frost & Sullivan’s 2010 Growth, Innovation and Leadership Award. She is also a part of the Henry Ford Museum's Innovator Program. In 2012, Mitchell was inducted into the Internet Society’s Internet Hall of Fame as an Innovator.

Provide a brief biography of the nominated individual (up to 100 words):

Mitchell was born and raised in Berkeley, California, receiving her BA in Asian Studies from UC Berkeley and her JD from the Boalt Hall School of Law. Mitchell has been the general manager of the Mozilla project since 1999. She served as CEO of Mozilla until January 2008, when the organization’s rapid growth encouraged her to split her responsibilities and add a CEO. Mitchell remains deeply engaged in developing product offerings that promote the mission of empowering individuals. She also guides the overall scope and direction of Mozilla’s mission. As Chairperson, Mitchell continues her commitment to an open, innovative Web and the infinite possibilities it presents.