Adrienne Brown was hired as VP of development operations and services for NPR.
In a news release, NPR said the position “was identified as mission critical as NPR continues the development and execution of the NPR Network donation option for its audience.” Brown will report to CDO Leora Hanser. Her first day is Feb. 27.
Brown most recently worked as assistant VP of annual giving and engagement strategy at New York University. She joined NYU in 2010 as a marketing manager and held several director roles.
Kara Kearns joined WAMU in Washington, D.C., as COO.
Kearns previously worked as director of management and budget for Emerson Collective’s media and journalism portfolio, where she also served as COO of The Meteor and EP for several audio programs.
Before that, Kearns was director of operations for Politico and held editor and producer roles for NBC News, MSNBC, the Associated Press and CBS News.
Tamisha M. Chestnut was hired as VP of human resources for the WNET Group in New York.
Chestnut most recently worked as director of diversity, equity and inclusion for the Ursuline School, a Catholic college prep school in New Rochelle. She was also director of human resources for the Nightingale-Bamford School and held additional HR leadership roles for BlackRock, Morgan Stanley, Deloitte, PwC and Mitchell Titus.
Chestnut succeeds Charlene Shapiro, who is retiring. Shapiro joined WNET in 2008 after working as VP of human resources for Pfizer.
Nykia Wright is stepping down from her role as CEO for the Chicago Sun-Times, which was acquired by Chicago Public Media last year.
Wright joined the Sun-Times in 2017 as COO and was appointed CEO the following year. During her tenure, the paper became a nonprofit, dropped its paywall, launched a membership program and hired Jennifer Kho as executive editor.
“Jennifer Kho has the right vision for the newsroom and the future of local news. Chicago is in very capable hands because of her leadership,” Wright said in a news release. “I will miss leading this storied institution, but all good things eventually must come to an end. I look forward to sharing my future plans soon.”
Matt Moog, CEO for Chicago Public Media and Sun-Times board chair, “will work directly” with the newspaper’s management team to oversee day-to-day operations, according to the news release. “I’m very grateful for Nykia’s leadership, especially as we brought together two outstanding and beloved news organizations,” Moog said. “I wish her all the very best in her next chapter.”
Marketing
Kyle Claude was named executive director of marketing for Houston Public Media. Claude joined HPM in 2020 and previously worked as executive director of content operations. “This organizational change will allow us to utilize Kyle’s 25 years of marketing and broadcast experience as we continue to grow our digital presence in the Houston community—meeting our audience where they are—regardless of the platform,” said Josh Adams, station manager, in a news release. In his new role, Claude will lead HPM as a Regional Digital Center of Innovation, a collaborative content partnership with PBS and PBS Digital Studios, and will also oversee news, content and radio operations.
Content
Eric Garwood was hired as executive editor of a journalism collaboration led by WUSF Public Media in Tampa, Fla. Garwood will oversee four reporters in the Community News Collaborative, which will expand news coverage in Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties. The initiative is supported by nearly $600,000 in funds from the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation. Garwood most recently worked as managing editor of the Observer Media Group in Sarasota. Before that, he held several editorial roles with Florida Today and has also worked for the Winston-Salem Journal and the Tampa Bay Times.
Catherine Komp announced that she is leaving her role as director of content for Blue Ridge Public Radio in Asheville, N.C. “What’s next? Rest, repair & reimagining. We love WNC & are excited to continue planting roots here,” she said on Twitter, adding that she will “spend some time exploring what I want my next chapter to look like.” Komp joined the station in 2020 after working as a senior editor for VPM in Richmond, Va.
Catherine Shen was named host of Where We Live, a morning talk show produced by Connecticut Public. Shen succeeds Lucy Nalpathanchil, who left the host seat to become the state network’s VP of community engagement. Shen joined Connecticut Public in 2021 as an education reporter. She previously worked as a reporter for the New Britain Herald.
Meg Dalton joined Connecticut Public as deputy director of storytelling for the state network’s radio station. Dalton said on Twitter that she’s “a lifelong listener of the station and am super pumped to help bring to life awesome podcasts” like Audacious, Disrupted and more. Dalton most recently worked as a producer for City Cast. She was also a producer for WNYC in New York City and a staff writer and EP for the Columbia Journalism Review.
Governance
Franz Joachim, CEO for New Mexico PBS, was elected board chair for America’s Public Television Stations. Joachim most recently served as professional vice chair. He succeeds Andrew Russell, CEO for the Public Media Group of Southern California. Dolores Fernandez Alonso, CEO for South Florida PBS in Miami, succeeds Joachim as professional vice chair. David Steward II, past board chair for Nine PBS in St. Louis, was reelected lay vice chair. APTS’ board also elected Anthony Padgett, CEO of South Carolina ETV, as a trustee.
Send news of “comings and goings” to [email protected]