Liwanag Ojala was appointed SVP and chief transformation officer for American Public Media Group, the parent company of Minnesota Public Radio, Southern California Public Radio and American Public Media.
Ojala has been on the organization’s board of trustees since 2016 and resigned to accept the position. Her first day is Jan. 10. She is tasked with increasing revenue and audience on online platforms.
“Liwanag is a highly respected collaborative partner and results-oriented change agent with more than two decades of experience leading digital transformation in both non-profit and for-profit sectors,” said APMG CEO Jean Taylor in a news release. “I am confident that her expertise in building teams to focus on expanding reach and driving digital innovation will position APMG to simultaneously deliver on our mission as a public media company and achieve our objectives for impact and growth.”
Ojala previously worked as COO and later CEO for CaringBridge, a nonprofit social network. She has also been VP of e-commerce for Meijer and was a lawyer for Briggs & Morgan and Spartan Nash.
“I’m both excited and energized by the opportunity to serve as APMG’s Chief Transformation Officer and help this organization continue to innovate and grow,” Ojala said in the news release. “I look forward to working with Jean and the dedicated APMG/MPR team to provide an exceptional listening experience and programming offerings for a broader, more diverse audience.”
What the hell is a “chief transformation officer?” Perhaps it is my addled brain, but I don’t remember seeing a posting with a job description for this position. Does anybody have the guts to suggest that the emperor has no clothes? Are there no people with actual public broadcasting experience who might be trusted for a leadership position in this august operation? I am sure this posting will make me even more a pariah in Minnesota circles, but jeez louise … somebody has just got to have the courage to say … WTF! Really makes me wonder about the level of respect being accorded to those who have toiled in the fields of public broadcasting all these years. Thank God, I am retired and can afford to call a spade a spade.
Jim — I say right on. You’ve said what I thought when I saw the story in CURRENT. WTF is a transformation officer? I shared your thoughts with Gary Eichten who’d love to hear from you. Get back to me with an E-mail address and I’ll pass it along to Gary.
Nice to hear from you, Dick. My email is: [email protected]