Myrna Johnson, a former government relations associate for NPR who now directs a Boston nonprofit, has been named the next executive director of Iowa Public Radio.
The Iowa Public Radio Board of Directors announced Johnson’s appointment Nov. 5, ending a seven-month nationwide search for successor to Mary Grace Herrington, who was dismissed in February. Herrington contested the firing and both parties agreed to a $197,000 settlement in May.
Johnson departs the Boston Schoolyard Initiative, a public-private partnership that oversees renovation of schoolyards in Boston’s urban neighborhoods, where she has worked as executive director since 2009. Her previous experience in public radio includes eight years on NPR’s government relations staff and service on the board of directors at KUNC-FM, in Greeley, Colo.