Dawn Schmitt was appointed GM for WQPT PBS in the Quad Cities region of Illinois.
Schmitt joined the station in 2010 as a business manager. In 2019, she was named interim GM after Mary Pruess retired. WQPT PBS is licensed to Western Illinois University.
During her tenure as interim GM, Schmitt oversaw the completion of the “Aspire Higher” capital campaign, which began under Pruess and eventually raised $1.4 million, according to Schmitt.
The campaign helped fund the installation of a new transmitter and raised the station’s broadcast antenna 300 feet, allowing WQPT PBS to reach an additional 200,000 residents in Iowa and Illinois, according to a news release.
“As permanent director and general manager, Dawn will lead WQPT initiatives and collaborations that connect viewers in the region to national and local education, entertainment and cultural programming, and educational outreach to Quad Cities area youth, educators, and schools,” said Assistant VP of Academic Affairs and Quad Cities Campus Administrator-in-Charge Kristi Mindrup in the news release.