Matt Moog, CEO of Chicago Public Media since 2020, will step down, the organization announced Monday.
Moog, who led the organization’s acquisition of the Chicago Sun-Times, will stay on until his successor is hired. Chicago Public Media’s board of directors will begin the search for the organization’s next CEO in early 2024.
He served as a board member for 10 years before taking over as CEO, succeeding Goli Sheikholeslami, who left in 2019.
Moog will return to his “roots as a technology entrepreneur,” he said in the announcement. In 2011 he founded Built In, an online community for startups and tech companies. Earlier, he founded and led the tech company PowerReviews.
“I feel a great sense of gratitude for the Board, staff, and supporters who embraced the opportunity to combine two great news organizations in a bold effort to serve the greater Chicago community with independent local journalism,” Moog said.
“Matt’s experiences as a long-time Board member and technology entrepreneur uniquely qualified him to create one of the largest nonprofit newsrooms in the country,” Robert Pasin, chair of Chicago Public Media’s board, said in the announcement. “His impact spanned raising significant funds from major foundations and donors, developing a new strategic plan, and accelerating a digital transformation.
Under Moog’s leadership, the organization raised $61 million for the acquisition of the Sun-Times and five years of funding.
The acquisition “positioned Chicago Public Media to produce some of its most significant and important collaborative journalism,” CCO Tracy Brown said in the announcement. “As Matt transitions over the next several months, we are both committed to sustaining journalism excellence.”