Arthur Ellis, a communications and marketing executive who joined WHYY in Philadelphia in 1987, retired Friday from his role as SVP and chief marketing officer.
Ellis started at the station as a publicist and worked in various roles in marketing, communications and fundraising, including stints as promotions director, communications director and VP of communications and member relations. He was promoted to SVP and CMO in 2021.
“It’s been a privilege to support so many great programs, including the transition of Fresh Air from a local show to a national cornerstone, along with so many local TV, FM and online programs,” Ellis said in a news release. “I will always be an admirer of all that public media provides.”
Stacy Wilson Margolis joins StoryCorps as chief development officer.
Wilson Margolis succeeds Lisa Kennedy, who left StoryCorps in April to become senior director of development and gift planning for Scripps Health.
Wilson Margolis most recently worked as CDO for the American Ballet Theatre in New York City. She previously led development for the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the City Parks Foundation and the League of American Orchestras.
Engagement
Southern California Public Radio announced changes to its audience engagement team. Kristine Malicse, a social media producer since 2022, stepped up to associate editor of audience engagement. Kenya Romero joined the station as associate producer of audience engagement. She previously worked as audience engagement editor of Latino Initiatives for the Los Angeles Times. Joshua Letona signed on as associate producer of social media. He previously worked as SEO producer for the Los Angeles Times.
Content
Paul Tuthill, Pioneer Valley bureau chief for WAMC in Albany, N.Y., is retiring after nearly five decades in radio. Tuthill joined WAMC in 2007 after working for commercial stations in Boston and Worcester, Mass. Tuthill explained his decision to retire in an interview published by the station. “I started thinking about this actually back late last year, when I got a postcard in the mail urging me to save the date for my 50th high school reunion. … And it dawned on me then that I have been doing … radio news for almost 50 years. …. I’ve enjoyed it tremendously. But I … want to step aside and, frankly, let somebody younger come in here with maybe a different perspective….”
Brian Bull announced on LinkedIn that he left his position as a senior reporter for KLCC to join the University of Oregon as an assistant professor of journalism. “After nearly 7.5 years, I’m putting the microphone aside and cozying up to a lectern,” he said. Bull, an enrolled member of the Nez Perce Tribe, joined the station in Eugene, Ore., as a reporter and producer in 2016. He previously worked for Ideastream Public Media in Cleveland, Wisconsin Public Radio and South Dakota Public Broadcasting. He served as president and chair of Vision Maker Media from 2004–2014.
Governance
Members of the Public Media Content Collective, the new brand adopted by the Public Radio Program Directors Association, elected Jenell Walton, VP of content for Cincinnati Public Radio, as chair of its board of directors. She succeeds Jeff Ramirez, former VP of radio for KERA in Dallas. Two board officers were reelected to new terms: Ele Ellis, content director for WUWM in Milwaukee, continues as secretary; and Matt Martinez, producer of The Assignment with Audie Cornish, as treasurer. In addition, four station PDs and content officers were newly elected to the board: Douglas Bell, PD for WAMU in Washington, D.C.; Jonathan Blakley, CCO for WYPR/WTMD in Baltimore; Gillian Coldsnow, PD for CPR News, overseen by Colorado Public Radio; and Linda Wei, CCO for Alaska Public Media in Anchorage. Departing the board after completing their terms of service are Todd Mundt, senior managing editor of Here & Now, produced by WBUR in Boston; and Christine Dempsey, SVP of radio for WLVR in Bethlehem, Pa.
Black Public Media announced changes to its board leadership: Deniese Davis, founder and CEO of Reform Media Group, succeeded Darryl Ford Williams, former VP of content for WQED in Pittsburgh, as board chair. The board also added three members: Travis Mitchell, SVP and CCO for Maryland Public Television; Jon C. Walls, CFO for PayRx, a healthcare company; and Adrena Ifill, director of history and culture for the National Park Foundation.
Fellowships
Rachel Treisman, associate editor and digital writer for NPR’s Morning Edition live blog, is one of 20 journalists selected by the National Press Foundation for the Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship’s 2024 class. In monthly sessions, fellows will learn about covering the White House, Supreme Court, Congress, the Pentagon, Justice Department and other key government institutions. Treisman joined NPR as a National Desk intern in 2019. She has also been a news assistant and production assistant.
Caitlin Thompson is one of five investigative journalists who will receive hands-on training with nonprofit media outlets through the Scripps Howard Fund’s Roy W. Howard Fellowship program. Thompson, who received her master’s degree in investigative journalism from Arizona State University in December, begins her fellowship with NPR this month. She most recently worked as a data reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The fellowship program is led by the E.W. Scripps Company in association with the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU.
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