Stephen George, CEO of Louisville Public Media, was elected to NPR’s board of directors.
George was elected to the board Feb. 15 to fill an unexpired term vacancy created by former member director John Decker, senior director of content development for KPBS in San Diego. George will complete the remainder of Decker’s term, which expires in November.
According to KPBS, Decker is stepping down from the board early in part because his new role at the station as senior director of content development does not include day-to-day oversight of radio. Decker also wanted to give his replacement on NPR’s board the opportunity to participate in the network’s strategic planning work in May.
George became Louisville Public Media’s CEO in 2018 after working as executive editor.
Johnathan Reaves is stepping down as board president of the Public Media Journalists Association.
Reaves, who became president in 2020, is leaving the board because he is also leaving his position as news director for KASU in Jonesboro, Ark., to become an academic advisor in the School of Media and Journalism at Arkansas State University, KASU’s licensee.
“I am excited about being able to work directly with students and helping promote the work that public media does. A lot of students may not be thinking about jobs in public media, but I plan to change this very quickly,” Reaves told Current in an email. “I hope to continue working with the board through serving on a committee and judging competitions,” Reaves added.
Priska Neely, managing editor of the Gulf States Newsroom and VP of PMJA’s board, will serve as president until an election in June.
Content
Ryan Benk announced that he was hired as a producer for NPR’s Weekend Edition. Benk most recently worked as a senior producer and editor for WAMU in Washington, D.C. Before that he was a producer for NPR’s Morning Edition and was a reporter and host for WJCT in Jacksonville, Fla.
Brandon Carter left his position as an associate producer of social media for NPR’s politics team to join the Washington Post as social team assignment editor. “Brandon will lead our Instagram team, which curates our @washingtonpost, @coveringpolitics and @postclimate accounts,” the Post said in a news release. Carter joined NPR in 2018 as a production assistant for social media and was also an assistant producer of social media for NPR Politics.
St. Louis Public Radio hired Ashley Lisenby as news director. Lisenby most recently worked for NPR as a news producer and editor for Weekend Edition and also edited the network’s Up First podcast. Before that, she was senior news producer and editor for WAMU in Washington, D.C., and a race, identity and culture reporter for St. Louis Public Radio.
Jared Marcelle joined WNYC in New York as a reporter and producer for the newsroom’s podcast team. Marcelle previously worked as a producer for Audible. Before that he was an assistant producer for WNYC’s Radio Rookies program in 2016 and later reported for the WNYC Studios podcast Caught, which focused on the juvenile justice system.
Morgan Baskin became a housing and urban development reporter for WAMU in Washington, D.C. Baskin succeeds Ally Schweitzer, who left the station last year to become an editor for NPR’s Morning Edition. Baskin previously worked as a freelance reporter and editor for WAMU and DCist. She was also a reporter for Vice and the Washington City Paper.
Patrick Fort is leaving his positions as a producer and co-host for the food podcast Dish City, produced by WAMU in Washington, D.C. “I’m taking a bit of time off, and then I’ll get back to making podcasts! I’ll be sharing more about my next professional adventure soon!” Fort said on Twitter. He joined WAMU as a news producer in 2017 after working as a producer for Slate and a arts and culture reporter for Aspen Public Radio.
Shane German was hired as an afternoon host and special projects coordinator for The North 103.3 FM in Duluth, Minn. German most recently worked as PD and music director for WYCE in Grand Rapids, Mich. “Shane is a wonderful on-air talent and will fit in nicely alongside our excellent staff of music nerds and crate diggers,” said Station Manager Brian Rickman in a news release.
Liz Adeola, a television host and producer for PBS Utah, will be a faculty associate for the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. Adeola, who will teach courses online, joined the public TV station in 2018.
Nicole Garcia joined GBH in Boston as a radio production assistant for Boston Public Radio. “I’ve grown to love the city of Boston throughout my years living here and can’t wait to connect with the community while also learning about production!” Garcia said on LinkedIn. She graduated from Boston University last year.
Governance
Two leaders from WQED in Pittsburgh joined the PBS Advisory Council. Molly Held, director of on-air fundraising, joined the development advisory committee, and Cathy Cook, director of education, will serve on the children’s media and education leadership committee.
Gaddi Vasquez was elected as an at-large member of the board of America’s Public Television Stations. Vasquez previously served as director of the Peace Corps from 2002–06. He was also ambassador to the United Nations under president George W. Bush from 2006–09. More recently, he was SVP of government affairs for Edison International and Southern California Edison. Vasquez was also a board member for PBS SoCal.
Current reporter Tyler Falk and digital editor Mike Janssen contributed reporting to this column.
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Correction: A previous version of this column incorrectly said Stephen George was elected to a three-year term on NPR’s board. He will complete the remainder of John Decker’s term which expires in November.