Jimmy Wales Biography and Photos

Jimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales (born August 7, 1966)is an American Internet entrepreneur known for his role in the creation of Wikipedia, a free, open-content encyclopedia launched in 2001. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation, holding the board-appointed "community founder" seat. In 2004, he co-founded Wikia, a privately owned, free Web-hosting service, along with Angela Beesley.

Although Wales has long been cited as the co-founder of Wikipedia, he disputes the "co-" designation, asserting that he is "the sole founder of Wikipedia".Wales helped lay the foundation for Wikipedia, which subsequently enjoyed rapid growth and popularity. As Wikipedia expanded and its public profile grew, Wales took on the role of the project's spokesman and promoter through speaking engagements and media appearances.

His work with Wikipedia, which has become the world's largest encyclopedia, prompted Time magazine to name him in its 2006 list of the world's most influential people.[12] Wales is the de facto leader of Wikipedia, and his role in the project has gained broad media attention and has led to controversy

Wales was born in Huntsville, Alabama, United States. His father, Jimmy,worked as a grocery store manager while his mother, Doris, and his grandmother, Erma, ran a small private school, in the tradition of the one-room schoolhouse, where Wales received his early education. He and only four other children were placed in the same grade, so the school grouped together the first through fourth grade students and the fifth through eighth grade students. After eighth grade, Wales attended Randolph School, a university-preparatory school in Huntsville. Wales has said that the school was expensive for his family, but that education was regarded as important: "Education was always a passion in my household … you know, the very traditional approach to knowledge and learning and establishing that as a base for a good life."He received his bachelor's degree in finance from Auburn University and entered the Ph.D. finance program at the University of Alabama before leaving with a Master's degree.He then took courses offered in the Ph.D. finance program at Indiana University. He taught at both universities during his postgraduate studies, but did not write the doctoral dissertation required to earn a Ph.D., something which he ascribes to boredom