Terry Gildea announced that he is leaving the Public Media Journalists Association to become PD for WUNC in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Gildea, whose last day with PMJA is April 16, has led the organization since 2018, when it was known as Public Radio News Directors Inc. He was elected to the PRNDI board as a representative in 2013 when he was news director for KUER in Salt Lake City. In 2016, he was named board president.
Gildea led the creation of the PMJA Editor Corps, a program that pairs public media editors with stations that have faced increased workloads related to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new release. He has also led a partnership with the Freedom Forum Institute that focuses on workforce training.
“We are a better organization because of the work of Terry Gildea,” said PMJA Board President Johnathan Reaves in the release. “I am grateful for the way he has led PMJA, especially during a very challenging 2020. The pandemic actually brought us amazing opportunities that Terry helped create and partnerships that will place us in a good position for the future. I can’t thank Terry enough for his work and his friendship. I wish him nothing but the best at WUNC.”
“When I was elected to the board nearly eight years ago, I couldn’t have imagined I’d have a chance to play such a significant role in the growth of this organization,” Gildea said in the release. “It has been a privilege to support my fellow journalists in public media while building an organization that serves their needs more effectively. I am very excited to join WUNC as their next program director. It’s a station I’ve admired my entire career.”
Gildea replaces David Brower, who announced in 2019 that he would leave the station.
The PMJA board appointed Christine Paige Diers, business manager, as interim executive director. Page Diers joined PMJA, then PRNDI, in 1997 as a part-time worker and has been full-time since 2018. She previously worked as community development manager for the American Cancer Society and was executive director for the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame in South Dakota. Before that she was a reporter and news director for KFJM in Grand Forks, N.D.
“I am sad to see Terry go, but excited for him in this new opportunity,” said Paige Diers. “As interim executive director, I am committed to keeping the organization moving forward through the transition.”
“PMJA is in great hands with Christine as the interim Executive Director,” said Reaves in the release. “I am thankful that she has agreed to take on this role and I look forward to continuing working with her during this transition.”
The PMJA board will conduct a search for the next executive director in coming months, according to the release.