Sheikholeslami
Goli Sheikholeslami, president and c.e.o. of WBEZ in Chicago, and LaFontaine E. Oliver, president and g.m. of WMFE in Orlando, were elected to the NPR board of directors, the network announced Thursday.
The two station leaders will fill vacant Member Director positions on the board. The vacancies came about after an amendment to the NPR Bylaws last fall expanded the board to 23 members, 12 of whom must represent member stations. Nine are from the public, and the board also includes NPR’s president and the chair of the NPR Foundation.
Oliver (Photo: Kim Chase)
Sheikholeslami joined WBEZ in 2014 after leading the digital strategy at The Washington Post as v.p. and g.m. for eight years and holding upper-level positions at Condé Nast and Time Warner.
Oliver has led WMFE since 2013. Before that he was g.m. at WEAA-FM in Baltimore for seven years. Oliver is also president of the Central Florida Association of Black Journalists, a member and secretary of the Florida Public Broadcasting Service Board, and vice chair of Eastern Region Public Media.
Sheikholeslami and Oliver will both serve partial terms. Oliver’s will expire in November, and Sheikholeslami’s extends to November 2018. After those terms end, both will be eligible to serve two full terms of three years each.