Comings and goings: CPB VP lands at Maine Public, Rocky Mountain Public Media hires SVP …

Katherine Arno was hired as director of special projects for Maine Public.

Arno most recently worked for CPB as VP of Community Service Grants and station initiatives, overseeing the distribution of more than $300 million to stations. The corporation expects to dissolve this month.

Arno joined CPB in 2013 as director of television CSG policy and review. She was promoted to her latest position in 2020.

Before joining CPB, she was senior policy associate and senior manager for the U.S. Department of Justice at the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine. She was also director of training and communications for Maine’s branch of the Small Business Administration. Before that, she was VP of television and education for Maine Public. “It’s great to be back in Maine and back at Maine Public!” she said on LinkedIn.

Nathan Byford was hired as SVP of people and change management for Rocky Mountain Public Media.

Byford most recently worked for the Zuri Group, a consulting company for nonprofits, as senior director of people operations and later as VP of people operations. Byford was also senior director of people operations for the University of Colorado.

“I’m energized by RMPM’s commitment to public service and the chance to steward a people strategy that strengthens culture, supports thoughtful change, and allows talented teams to do their best work in service of the public,” Byford said in a news release.

Mitch Wertlieb will host a new hourlong weekly sports program for Vermont Public.

The Sports Rapport launches Monday and will focus on “major matchups to niche pursuits,” according to a news release. It will broadcast live on YouTube Mondays at 2 p.m. and aims to include real-time audience interactions through chat, voice memos and viewer submissions. Every episode will be available as a podcast and will air on radio Monday nights.

Wertlieb has worked for Vermont Public since 2003, most notably as host of Morning Edition. During his run on the program, he regularly discussed high school and college games as well as the Boston Red Sox and the Boston Bruins. The new program will also feature interviews with athletes, coaches, referees and more. Aside from mainstream sports, Wertlieb plans to cover topics like skiing, mountain biking, hiking, archery and tractor pulling.

“Sports are one of the ways Vermonters connect across towns, generations, and differences,” Wertlieb said in the news release. “The Sports Rapport is about exploring those connections, from the big moments to the smaller stories that say a lot about who we are.”

“You don’t have to be a diehard fan to enjoy The Sports Rapport,” he added. “We’re creating a space that’s curious, welcoming, and rooted in Vermont — where anyone who’s interested in sports, even just a little, can pull up a chair and join the conversation.”

Content

Regan McCarthy was hired as news director for WFSU Public Media in Tallahassee, Fla. She succeeds Lynn Hatter, who was promoted to director of content last year. McCarthy joined the organization in 2011 as an assignment editor and was later promoted to assistant news director. She recently worked as interim news director. “Regan is a visionary leader with a firm grasp of state and local issues and a calm hand at guiding coverage of the things that matter most to the people in our region,” Hatter said in a news release. “… I am confident that Regan is ready to grow and expand WFSU’s presence at a time when the landscape of public media is changing rapidly.” Before joining WFSU, McCarthy worked for Indiana Public Broadcasting as an anchor, reporter and producer.

Kate Furby was hired as senior environment reporter for Michigan Public in Ann Arbor. Furby will cover environmental issues across the state and will work with the Great Lakes News Collaborative, which includes Michigan Public, Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, The Narwhal and Great Lakes Now at Detroit PBS. She has been a freelance science reporter for Inside Climate News, National Geographic, NPR, Scientific American, The Washington Post and PBS Digital Studios. “I’m really invested in reporting on important environmental news and bringing a sense of curiosity and wonder into our stories about Michigan and the natural world,” Furby said in a news release. “So far I’m keeping an eye on everything from water quality to fat squirrels.”

Lauren McGaughy is leaving her position as a statewide investigative reporter and editor for KUT Public Media in Austin, Texas. She is joining The New York Times as the newspaper’s Texas politics correspondent. McGaughy joined the station in 2023. Before that, she was a reporter for The Dallas Morning News, The Houston Chronicle, The Times-Picayune and Asahi Shimbun. “Working at KUT has been a total joy,” she wrote on LinkedIn. “Radio has made me a better storyteller and changed the way I think about how best to inform people on what’s going on around us. I am really excited in this new role to … keep improving my audio and video skills.”

Fellowships

Hari Sreenivasan is among the six new members appointed to the Poynter Institute’s national advisory board. Sreenivasan is a host for Amanpour & Company, which is co-produced by CNN and the WNET Group in New York. He previously worked as an anchor for PBS News Weekend when it was produced by WNET. He has also hosted Take on Fake, a YouTube series produced by the WNET Group, and was host of SciTech Now, presented by WLIW in Long Island, which operates under WNET.

Send news of “comings and goings” to people@current.org