The U.S. Senate confirmed three of President Joe Biden’s nominees to the CPB board of directors Tuesday night, two of whom will join the board for the first time, according to a news release.
Ruby Calvert, CPB vice-chair who has served on the board since 2018, was confirmed for a new six-year term that expires in 2028. A former president of the Wyoming PBS Foundation, Calvert was also GM and director of programming for the state network.
New directors joining the board are Diane Kaplan, CEO of the Rasmuson Foundation, which is based in Anchorage, Alaska; and Kathy Im, director of journalism and media for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, headquartered in Chicago.
Kaplan’s term on the board expires in 2026. Her nomination has been pending since July. Kaplan, a former CEO of the Alaska Public Radio Network, plans to leave her foundation job next year.
Im’s board term expires in 2024. She was nominated last year alongside three other nominees. The Senate confirmed those nominees in February and postponed action on Im’s appointment.
Im’s previous jobs have included working at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Bank of America Foundation. She has also served on the boards of Media Impact Funders and the Center for Asian American Media, which receives support from CPB.
With the confirmations, one seat on CPB’s board will open later this month, when Robert Mandell leaves the board at the expiration of his term.