Erika Aguilar, EP of NPR’s Morning Edition and Up First, will leave the network.
Aguilar will leave her position Dec. 6, according to a Thursday newsroom memo by Eric Marrapodi, VP of news programming.
“Erika Aguilar has let us know she is ready for her next adventure,” he wrote. “Please join me in wishing Erika the best of luck.”
Aguilar joined NPR in 2021 after working as director of podcasts for KQED in San Francisco. She has also been a reporter for KPCC in Pasadena, Calif., and KUT in Austin, Texas.
Marrapodi wrote that the search for Aguilar’s succession has begun. In December, Kelly Dickens, deputy EP for Morning Edition, will work as interim EP during the transition.
Kristen Muller, CCO for LAist in Los Angeles, announced that she is leaving her position.
Muller joined the organization in 2010 and has previously worked as PD, managing editor and senior producer. She was promoted to her current role in 2017.
Before LAist, she was an editor for Marketplace. She also held producer roles with CBS News and KCRW in Santa Monica, Calif.
“I’m excited about my next chapter (details to come) because I know many people and organizations are also feeling urgency about this moment we’re in,” she wrote on LinkedIn. “If you care about the future of our country—whether it’s increasing levels of civic engagement, mitigating the worst effects of climate change or battling mis/disinformation—there is no sitting on the sidelines. Too many systems are failing at the same time for me to be Bridgerton-ing away my time (tempting as it is).”
Marketing
Marguerite Celeste joined Southern Oregon PBS as director of marketing and communications. Celeste most recently worked as CMO and SVP of marketing for Lithia Motors, a car dealership company. She has also been VP of operations for NBCUniversal, global head of operations for DreamWorks Animation and director of global creative operations for Disney.
Content
Alejandro Cohen was hired as music director for KCRW in Santa Monica, Calif. Cohen is co-founder of dublab, a nonprofit radio operation where he has served as executive director. The organization operates KLDB-LP in Los Angeles, and Cohen was also GM of the station. Before that, Cohen worked as a consultant for Pacifica’s 90.7 KPFK. “KCRW is one of the defining voices of our community,” Cohen said in a news release. “Today, I am grateful for the opportunity to join the organization, and be part of that voice that informs, inspires, and connects the people of Los Angeles and the world.”
Josh Sanburn was hired as a producer for The Center for Investigative Reporting, which produces Reveal and merged with Mother Jones magazine last year. Sanburn most recently worked as a producer for Gimlet Media, where he worked on The Journal, a podcast for the Wall Street Journal. He has also held producer and writer roles with XG Productions, ABC News, National Geographic and Time magazine. At Reveal, he will partner with Kara McGuirk-Allison, the senior radio editor hired this summer, to help create new weekly programs.
Kate Botello is leaving her position as a host for Classical IPR, a station owned by Interlochen Public Radio in Michigan. Botello joined the station in 2012 as a morning host. She has also been host and creator of the IPR programs Kids Commute, Show Tunes, Classical Sprouts and Singalong Soiree.
Governance
Andrew Russell, CEO of PBS SoCal in Los Angeles, was reelected chair of the California Public Television Board for an additional one-year term. Kurt Mische, CEO of PBS Reno in Nevada, was reelected vice chair. Darren LaShelle, CEO of Northern California Public Media, was reelected secretary, and David Lowe, president and GM of KVIE in Sacramento, was reelected treasurer.
Current reporter Tyler Falk contributed reporting to this column.
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