NPR announced leadership changes for its Collaborative Journalism Network.
Bruce Auster steps up from senior director to managing editor of collaborative journalism. He succeeds Kenya Young, who left NPR earlier this year to become SVP of WNYC Studios for New York Public Radio.
Auster joined NPR in 2004 and has been senior supervising editor for Morning Edition and senior editor of national security. From 2015–20 he led the design and implementation of the Collaborative Journalism Network before moving to overseeing investigative journalism projects, working across teams at NPR and member stations.
Kathy Goldgeier was promoted to director of collaborative journalism and will work alongside Auster. Goldgeier joined NPR in 2019 as network hub content manager. She previously worked for WAMU in Washington, D.C., as a producer for The Kojo Nnamdi Show, managing editor for broadcast and senior news producer.
Laura Dick was hired as senior manager of immersive learning for PBS.
“I’m really proud and humbled by the path that led me here, including the amazing people who cheered me on along the way. I’m honored to start this journey with an organization I’m so deeply passionate about!” Dick said on LinkedIn.
Dick most recently worked as senior manager of marketing communication for the Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation. She previously worked for Montana PBS as digital content and marketing manager and director of digital engagement.
New York Public Radio announced four appointments to its WNYC newsroom.
Ave Carrillo was named EP of local podcasts. She will report to Sean Bowditch, director of audio strategy, and will start later this summer. Carillo first joined the station in 2003 as an associate producer and rejoined in 2015 as senior producer of The New Yorker Radio Hour. She has also been a producer for Studio 360 and Radiolab.
Josefa Velasquez was hired as economics and equity editor. Her first day is Aug. 8, and she will report to Stephanie Clary, deputy editor in chief. Velesquez most recently worked as a senior reporter for The City. She has also been an investigative reporter for Sludge and a reporter for the New York Law Journal, Politico and the Associated Press.
Reece T. Williams became the station’s first visual editor. He previously worked as a multimedia producer and visual editor at Newsday, producing both daily and long-form image-based stories. Williams, who is also a photographer, starts July 25 and will report to Veronica de Souza, director of digital news and audience.
Arya Sundaram was hired as a race and justice unit reporter. She recently completed the 2021–22 New York Times fellowship as the inaugural investigative desk fellow, where she was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize for a series on deadly police traffic stops. She also reported on the sexual harassment allegations against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his relationship with the Time’s Up charity. Sundaram starts Aug. 22.
KUNC in Greeley, Colo., announced a leadership promotion as well as several hires and departures.
Mike Arnold was hired as chief audience and content officer. Arnold most recently worked as COO for Wisconsin Public Radio until resigning earlier this year. He has also held leadership positions for Public Radio International, New Hampshire Public Radio, Northwest Public Broadcasting, WWNO in New Orleans and WUNC in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Sean Corcoran was promoted to executive news director. Corcoran joined KUNC earlier this year as interim news director. He previously worked as senior managing editor of news for GBH in Boston and was also a news director, senior reporter and host for CAI, a GBH-owned station in Woods Hole, Mass.
Luke Runyon rejoined the station as managing editor and reporter for the Colorado River Reporting Project. He first joined the station in 2017 as a reporter and left last year to become a Ted Scripps Environmental Journalism Fellow at the University of Colorado Boulder. Runyon has also been a reporter for Aspen Public Radio in Colorado and Harvest Public Media, a collaborative network of journalists in the Midwest and Plains.
Stephanie Daniel was promoted to senior managing editor and will continue to host The Colorado Dream podcast. She joined the station as a reporter in 2017.
Erin O’Toole left her job as Colorado Edition host and senior producer to become an audio producer for City Cast Denver. O’Toole joined KUNC in 2009 as a Morning Edition host and reporter and previously worked as a host and reporter for KVCR in San Bernardino, Calif.
Rae Solomon rejoined KUNC as a rural and small communities reporter. She first joined the station in 2020 as a reporter and producer and most recently worked as a narrative podcast producer for Lemonada Media.
Kathleen George rejoined the station’s corporate support and underwriting team. She first joined the station as a corporate support associate in 2012 and left in 2016 to be a senior account executive and marketing consultant for Effectv. Christopher Clusen also joined the corporate support team.
Odaliz Gayton became a community engagement coordinator. Pamela Kurtz was hired as director of human resources. She previously worked in the HR departments for Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District and the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners.
Content
Gabrielle Howard, a media consultant, was named creative development manager for Fred Rogers Productions. In the newly created role, Howard will manage the company’s portfolio of intellectual property in development. She will report to Ellen Doherty, chief creative officer. Howard previously worked as a development executive for MTV Networks’ TeenNick. She was also a development associate at JP Kids Inc., producer of the Disney series The Famous Jett Jackson, and led the children’s casting department for Sesame Street.
Bridget Dowd was hired as a field correspondent for KJZZ in Phoenix. “I’m so honored to come back in this capacity and to see some familiar faces,” Dowd said on Twitter. Dowd first worked for the station in 2017 as a weekend reporter and was also a producer and reporter. She most recently worked as a reporter for KTOO in Juneau, Alaska, and was also a researcher for NBC’s Today.
Amy Mayer was hired as an editor for St. Louis Public Radio. Mayer previously worked as a part-time on-call reporter and producer for KQED in San Francisco. She has also been a reporter for Iowa Public Radio, New England Public Media and KUAC in Fairbanks, Alaska. She was also on the board of the Association of Independents in Radio.
KMUW in Wichita, Kan., hired two reporters. Celia Hack joined the station as a general assignment reporter who will also produce stories for The Range, KMUW’s weekly news program. Hack most recently worked as local government reporter for the Wichita Beacon. Rose Conlon will report on health issues for KMUW and the Kansas News Service, which is directed by KCUR in Kansas City, Mo., in partnership with KMUW and High Plains Public Radio in Garden City, Kan. Conlon most recently worked as an associate producer for Marketplace.
Marketing
Lindsey Ingram was named head of audience and senior director of content for Arkansas PBS. Ingram previously worked as SVP of digital marketing and design for Simmons Bank. She was also a digital content strategy manager and account manager at Stone Ward, an advertising firm.
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