Kerry Swanson, station manager for Northwest Public Broadcasting in Pullman, Wash., will leave the organization in December.
In January, Swanson will join KUOW in Seattle for a temporary job that will research the creation of a new COO position, according to Michaela Gianotti, KUOW’s director of marketing.
“When I joined KUOW in 2014, the two positions of Assistant General Manager and General Manager were combined. KUOW’s growth over the years now necessitates a return to a division of labor between operational oversight and strategic leadership,” said KUOW GM Caryn Mathes in a statement to Current. “Our industry has changed a great deal, and there are numerous ways to structure operational leadership. Kerry’s work will be to research and design what would be best for KUOW.”
Swanson joined Northwest Public Broadcasting in 2008. He has also been director of radio for WABE in Atlanta and held several positions with KNKX in Tacoma, Wash., including COO and GM.
Swanson is also VP of the University Station Alliance and has been on NPR’s board of directors.
“It is a bittersweet decision for me,” Swanson said in a statement to Current. “… I am confident what has been built at NWPB has set the station up for more success in the coming years, and I am proud to have been part of building that foundation.”