The WNET Group in New York promoted Joe Harrell to managing editor of integrated initiatives and digital studios.
Harrell joined WNET in 2011 as director of online product management and has also been senior director of digital strategy, senior director of All Arts and EP of All Arts. He was also EP of First Person, a shorts program.
In addition to leading cross-company projects, he will lead a production team focused on digital programs.
The creation of the position follows staff reductions at WNET earlier this year. At the time, CEO Neal Shapiro authorized a restructuring and consolidation of WNET’s Interactive Engagement Group into WNET Digital Studios, a new unit that includes the IT department and the editorial/content team.
“Joe has been instrumental in the success of ALL ARTS as an executive producer, co-producing and acquiring content for all platforms,” said Shapiro in a news release. “In this new position, we will work together to create and manage ‘tent pole projects’ that showcase the diverse breadth of programming and community initiatives that The WNET Group produces.”
NPR announced two hires focused on religion and spirituality.
Sarah Ventre joined as senior producer. Ventre most recently worked as managing producer for Eureka Street Productions. She was also senior producer and editor for Critical Frequency, a podcast network led by women journalists, and director of operations for the Religion News Association. Her prior experience in public media includes work as a contract producer for WHYY in Philadelphia, senior producer for KJZZ in Phoenix and an associate producer for NPR.
Daniel Burke was hired as senior editor. Burke most recently worked as director of communications at the Center on Faith and Justice at Georgetown University. He was also religion editor for CNN and an associate editor and national correspondent for the Religion News Service.
Ventre and Burke will work with correspondent Jason DeRose. They also will work with the Religion News Service as an editorial partner and subject matter expert.
Vincent Stehle will step down from his position as executive director for Media Impact Funders, a nonprofit that supports media and journalism projects.
Stehle was named MIF’s leader in 2011 when the organization was named Grantmakers in Film and Electronic Media. A news release said he will remain in his role until MIF’s board of directors appoints a new leader. A national search for a successor will begin in the fall.
Marketing
Anna Ste. Marie announced that she’s leaving her role as a social media specialist for Vermont Public to become a senior social media strategist and content producer for Middlebury College. “For the moment, I’m stepping away from news,” she wrote on LinkedIn. “Anyone who works in this field knows: the highs are high, but the lows become increasingly low. My 8 years at Vermont Public happened to fall during an exceptionally harrowing and relentless news cycle, and to even the most dedicated among us, it takes a toll.” She added, “I’m so excited to have a role that allows me to take the next step up in my career while also exploring more creativity and lightness and fun in the day to day work.” Ste. Marie first joined the organization as an intern for Vermont Public Radio in 2016. She has also been an audience services associate and a marketing and engagement coordinator.
Content
Ameera Butt was appointed as an editor on NPR’s engagement team. Butt first joined NPR as a temporary hire last year. She previously worked as multiplatform editor for the Los Angeles Times and has been a reporter for the Los Angeles Daily Journal, a content manager for the Baltimore Sun and an audience engagement editor and senior digital writer for KNX in Los Angeles.
NPR promoted Luke Garrett to work as an editor for its Network Booking Team. Garrett fills a vacancy left by Carol Klinger, who retired. He joined the organization last year as an elections associate producer after working as a reporter, producer and podcast host for commercial radio station WTOP in Washington, D.C. In his new role, he will continue to oversee election-related bookings through November and help with special coverage.
Adriana Gallardo announced on X that she joined NPR as a books editor for Morning Edition. Gallardo previously worked as an engagement reporter for ProPublica. She has also been a network manager for the Association of Independents in Radio, a mobile facilitator for StoryCorps and a storytelling workshop lead for Vocalo at Chicago Public Media.
Josie Taris, a staff writer with Aspen Daily News, began filing stories for Aspen Public Radio as part of a collaboration between the organizations. “Josie is joining our newsroom to report on important community issues involving the Town of Basalt, Pitkin County, and our local airport,” said Aspen Public Radio News Director Kelsey Brunner in a news release. “Not only is she an outstanding and hardworking reporter, but we’re also excited for this collaboration to deepen our relationship with the Aspen Daily News.”
Blue Ridge Public Radio in Asheville, N.C., hired Katie Myers as a reporter in a partnership with Grist to cover climate change and energy in Western North Carolina and the Blue Ridge mountain region. Myers previously worked as a climate solutions reporting fellow for Grist. She has also been a production assistant for East Tennessee PBS, a reporting fellow for West Virginia Public Broadcasting and a reporter and producer for the Ohio Valley ReSource and Appalshop, which oversees WMMT in Whitesburg, Ky.
Natalie Y. Moore is leaving her position as race, class and communities editor for WBEZ in Chicago to begin teaching full-time at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism this fall. She will also lead its audio program. “I’ve been an adjunct there for 8 years and while I love WBEZ and my 17 years there, I’m ready to take on a new adventure and help a new generation of journalists,” Moore said on LinkedIn. “I will still keep my Sun-Times column and I will find ways to collaborate with WBEZ.” She joined WBEZ in 2007 and has been a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times since 2016.
Governance
The Association of Independents in Radio announced its 2024 New Voices Scholars, a five-month program that starts in August. Cohort members who have experience in public media include Ana De Almeida Amaral, an intern for KQED in San Francisco; Brandon Gates, a freelancer for NPR; Britny Cordera, a 2022 NPR Next Generation Radio Project participant; Chandra Thomas Whitfield, co-host of Colorado Matters for Colorado Public Radio; Elize Manoukian, a former reporter and producer for KQED; Sarah Liese, an Indigenous affairs reporter for KOSU in Oklahoma City; Shaylyn Martos, a 2019 NPR Next Generation Radio Project participant and production assistant for KQED; and Vanessa Handy, a former intern for NPR and WNYC in New York.
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