Cheryl Bennett was promoted to GM for 88Nine Radio Milwaukee.
Bennett joined the station in 2015 and previously worked as its human resources manager and an accountant.
“Radio Milwaukee is lucky to have Cheryl Bennett,” Executive Director Kevin Sucher said in a news release. “Cheryl’s professionalism and commitment to our mission is unparalleled. I couldn’t think of anyone better to be in this position.”
Bennett previously worked as a financial secretary for the St. Mark African Methodist Episcoal Church in Milwaukee and a compliance administrator for U.S. Bank.
“Helping people and making a positive impact in their lives and the community inspires me,” Bennett said in the news release. “I’m fortunate to get the opportunity to work with people who inspire me every day.”
Kathy Reed was promoted to VP of development for WXXI in Rochester, N.Y.
Reed succeeds Laura Garrison, who is retiring after working for 22 years at the station. Reed joined the station in 2003 and most recently worked as assistant VP for major and planned giving.
Reed is vice chair of the PBS Development Advisory Committee and was part of a team that won the PBS Overall Development Award for Excellence in 2006.
Before WXXI, she was assistant dean and director of development at the University of Buffalo Graduate School of Education. She was also a corporate support associate for WNED in Buffalo.
Communications
Leif Brostrom is leaving his position as manager of station communications for PBS. He will become the senior product manager of website production for the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Brostrom joined PBS in 2016 as assistant director of station products and innovation. He previously worked as a social media and web specialist for Twin Cities PBS and as a marketing coordinator and social media manager for Rhymesayers Entertainment, a music label.
Mark Roy was hired as director of communications for the WNET Group in New York City. He previously worked as director of media relations for Duane Morris LLP, a law firm. Roy has also been VP of business communications for Thomson Reuters and held other public relations roles for more law firms, including Hogan Lovells, DLA Piper and Seyfarth Shaw.
Content
Nina Gregory, a senior editor for the Arts Desk at NPR, is leaving the position to become head of news and media publishers for Clubhouse, a live audio app. Gregory joined NPR in 2006 as an overnight editor for Morning Edition and has also been an associate editor. “This is the first job I applied for in 15 years outside of public radio. I never thought I would leave,” Gregory told CNN in an interview. “But [Clubhouse] aligns so much with not just our mission, but the audio nerd in me and in us.” Gregory also said one of her goals is to encourage NPR’s member stations to use Clubhouse more.
Savannah Maher joined Marketplace as a reporter. “I’m brand new to the economics beat, and hoping to bring in lots of stories from rural and tribal communities,” she said on Twitter. Maher previously worked as a tribal affairs reporter for KUNM in Albuquerque, N.M., on behalf of the Mountain West News Bureau. She has also been a tribal affairs reporter for Wyoming Public Radio and an associate producer for Here & Now.
Lyndsey McKenna was promoted to associate program manager for NPR. She will work in the organization’s programming division. “I’m so excited to be working on launches and campaigns with some of the very best in the game!” she said on Twitter. McKenna most recently worked as an assistant editor of audience strategy for NPR Music. She joined the organization in 2017.
Kelsey Proud is leaving her position as managing editor of audience for WAMU in Washington, D.C., to move to Indianapolis. “The universe has aligned to afford us an unmissable opportunity to center our lives near family and we’re thrilled to be able to take advantage. We’ll be there for good starting in mid-late October,” Proud said on Facebook. Proud joined the station in 2016. She previously held several producer and editor positions for St. Louis Public Radio.
Sophia Alvarez Boyd is leaving her position as an associate producer and celebrity booker for NPR’s Weekend Edition to become a producer for 1A, produced by WAMU in Washington, D.C. Boyd has held several roles for NPR since 2017, including intern, news assistant, production assistant and assistant producer. On Twitter, NPR host and colleague Lulu Garcia-Navarro said 1A is “lucky to have her!” Boyd replied “I’m still holding back tears thinking about how absolutely special it’s been to work with [Garcia-Navarro]. We’ve done some amazing interviews together from Brad Pitt to George Clooney … . Every time she’s taught me something.”
Natalie Delgadillo became managing editor for DCist, a news site operated by WAMU in Washington, D.C. She joined the organization in 2017 as a staff writer and most recently worked as interim managing editor.
Rahul Bali announced that he was hired by WABE in Atlanta as a politics reporter. Bali most recently worked as a news anchor for Oconee Radio Group. He has also been an editor and reporter for CNN and for WTOP in Washington, D.C.
Governance
Public Radio Satellite System representatives ratified the NPR board’s election of Patricia Cahill to a three-year term as a nonboard Distribution/Interconnection Committee member. Her term begins in November. Cahill was a CPB board member from 2009–20 and also served on the NPR board of directors from 1982–88.
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