Joanna Kail was hired as GM and CEO of WyomingPBS, the state network licensed to Central Wyoming College.
Kail starts the position Sept. 1. She succeeds Terry Dugas, who announced earlier this year that he would retire in the fall.
“I am so excited to have Joanna Kail as the new CEO,” said CWC President Brad Tyndall in a news release. “Her energy and passion to tell Wyoming’s stories and her ability to create partnerships will be great assets for Wyoming PBS.”
Kail has worked as executive director of the WyomingPBS Foundation, a nonprofit that raises money on behalf of the network, since 2017. She is EP of A State of Mind: Confronting Wyoming’s Mental Health Crisis, a series released last year.
“It’s hard to think of anything more fulfilling than working with an award-winning team of filmmakers on the stories of the greatest state in the union,” said Kail in the news release. “Get ready, because Wyoming PBS has only scratched the surface of the stories that are still waiting to be told! It’s truly an honor to continue to be a part of Wyoming’s only statewide public television network.”
Central Wyoming College publicly announced July 13 the three finalists for the GM/CEO position. The other two candidates were Matt Weesner, afternoon host and production manager for Colorado Public Radio Classical, and Reid Davis, who previously worked as VP and GM for commercial television stations in Los Angeles.
In July, the candidates delivered presentations about their vision for WyomingPBS to the public and the hiring committee. Kail said her focus would be to raise more money for original productions and to potentially build a fund for a new studio and headquarters.