Jimmy Wales Jimmy Wales Jimmy Donal Wales (born August 7, 1966), also known by the online moniker , is an American Internet entrepreneur, best known as the co-founder of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia and the for-profit web hosting company Wikia. Wales was born in Huntsville, Alabama, where he attended Randolph School, a university-preparatory school. Later, he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in finance from Auburn University and the University of Alabama respectively. While in graduate school, Wales taught at two universities; however, he departed before completing a PhD to take a job in finance and later worked as the Research Director
Wales Co-operative Centre Business in the Community. He was replaced by Derek Walker, coming from Director of External Affairs at the Big Lottery Fund. In 2015, the Centre begins delivery of the Social Business Wales project which provides online and face-to-face support to social businesses seeking to expand and increase employment. It also wins the contract to deliver Digital Communities Wales the Welsh Government's digital inclusion programme to get people in Wales online. 2016 sees the start of two new projects, Care to Co-operate (which supports the development of social care and well-being co-ops) and Community Shares Wales, which helps communities raise investment