NPR COO Will Lee will leave NPR Aug. 1, CEO John Lansing announced to staff.
“Will Lee has been a terrific leader within the NPR network,” Lansing wrote in a July 14 note to staff obtained by Current. “We will miss him, and we know he will continue to be a listener and supporter of public radio.”
Lee is leaving “for an opportunity he could not pass up in NY,” Lansing wrote. An NPR spokesperson declined to disclose the opportunity.
Lee began in the COO role in March 2022. He oversees teams including technology, product, content operations, member partnership, change management and transformation, and Research, Archives & Data Strategy.
“I’ve loved every minute of every day of my time at NPR, and it will always be a highlight of my career, chiefly because of all of you, my incredible colleagues, at NPR and stations,” Lee said in the announcement. “The work we’ve done to ignite the promise of the NPR Network has been inspiring and energizing and I look forward to seeing that work and NPR’s next strategic plan flourish in the months and years ahead.”
Prior to Lee, NPR had been without a COO since 2020, when Loren Mayor left the organization.
Ugh. Sorry to hear this. Enjoyed interacting with Will. Also hoped for more continuity.