Polly Anderson will retire as executive director of the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority on March 31.
Anderson has been at the helm since 2017, according to her LinkedIn page. Her public broadcasting career spans nearly 30 years and includes CEO posts at WUCF in Orlando, Fla., and New Mexico PBS. In 2022 she received the National Advocacy Award from America’s Public Television Stations.
Anderson announced her plan to retire during a Friends of OETA board meeting, according to a Friday news release from OETA.
“It has been the capstone of my career to lead OETA,” Anderson said in the release.
“Polly Anderson leaves a lasting and powerful legacy at OETA,” said Garrett King, president of the Board of Trustees of Friends of OETA and a trustee of APTS. “Her trailblazing service as the first woman to lead America’s most-watched PBS station will be remembered as a tenure marked by the most profound professionalism, high-caliber management, and steadfast devotion to OETA’s work in public safety, education, and civic engagement.”
“A veteran of public media, Polly retires having worked with lawmakers and private supporters to effectively modernize the entirety of OETA’s physical and digital infrastructure, ensuring the viability and utility of this critical state asset for another quarter-century,” King added.
The OETA board will launch a national search for Anderson’s successor, according to the release.