Comings and goings: MPR hires chief meteorologist, WHRO expands newsroom …

Ben Cathey joined Minnesota Public Radio’s MPR News as chief meteorologist. He succeeds Paul Huttner, who retired earlier this spring.

Cathey was previously a Ted Scripps Fellow in Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Most recently, he has been reporting in Tierra del Fuego on behalf of the Pulitzer Center, studying climate impacts of wildfires for a multimedia special.

He holds meteorology certifications from the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association. He previously worked for WVLT-TV in Knoxville, Tenn., and WTVG-TV in Toledo, Ohio.

“The chief meteorologist job at Minnesota Public Radio is truly a dream role. The legacy of MPR — at a hyperlocal and national level — is unmatched,” Cathey said in a press release. “I’m so excited to spread my love of science, climate, weird weather, and space with listeners across the state. Folks are so attuned to the changing weather, for ice fishing, farming, and just knowing whether to eat on the porch or have dinner inside.”

Cathey’s first day at MPR News was Monday.

WHRO Public Media in Norfolk, Va., added three reporters.

Elizabeth McGowan is joining the station’s Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism. McGowan has freelanced for the center, covering the environmental hazards of highway construction and investigating a Nature Conservancy conservation project in southwest Virginia.

Brian Sanders joined the station as a general assignment reporter covering Norfolk. Sanders previously reported in Philadelphia and worked in the sports department at The Virginian-Pilot. He also launched a podcast, Court & Cork, which features discussions about wine and basketball.

Ashley White became an education reporter for WHRO. She previously covered education in Lafayette, La., for The Acadiana Advocate. 

Content

Nashville PBS named Paul Mojonnier EP of Tennessee Crossroads, a travelogue show in its 39th season. Mojonnier started with the station in October 2011 as a videographer and editor. His first shoot was for a Crossroads segment about Victor Wooten’s Bass Camp, and “he’s been hooked on Crossroads ever since,” the station said in a press release. Mojonnier became the station’s director of production in 2024.

Amy Feiereisel left her role as community engagement reporter for North Country Public Radio in Canton, N.Y. Her last day was Wednesday. Feiereisel interned for the station in 2015, then returned about a year later on a part-time basis to start the station’s North Country at Work project. She later became a full-time reporter. In her new work, Feiereisel will “be getting to think about a lot of the same issues I’ve reported on for years now,” she said in an interview with the station.

Aspen Public Radio in Colorado hired Hannah Weaver as its Women’s Desk reporter. The desk was created last year “to better understand the status of women through economic, sociocultural, regulatory, technological, and news-making contexts,” the station said in a press release. Weaver was previously a reporter for the Lodi News-Sentinel in California and produced audio features for KQED’s statewide show The California Report Magazine. She was also a reporter and Morning Edition host at public radio station KFSK in Petersburg, Alaska, on an Institute for Nonproft News fellowship. “As an alumna of a historically women’s college, with a background in public radio, and consistent experience reporting on women’s issues, I felt uniquely qualified for this role,” Weaver said in the release. Sarah Tory, the inaugural Women’s Desk reporter, will continue filing stories for the desk in a freelance role.

Communications

Brendan Daly joined PBS as senior director for communications. Daly was previously VP of communications and external affairs for CPB from 2021 to September 2025. “So glad to be back in the public media family,” Daly said in a post on LinkedIn.

Education

Sam Morykwas joined Detroit PBS as manager of education communications and digital strategy. Morykwas was previously marketing manager for Craftsman Technology Group in Detroit, according to his LinkedIn page. “I can’t express how excited I am for this opportunity and how much it feels like a return to form for my career,” he said on LinkedIn. “I’ve worked remotely the past few years and I realized how much I was missing community, connection, and creating in Michigan.”

Development

PBS Reno in Nevada promoted Chris Roach to development operations coordinator. Roach joined the station in January 2025 as community partnership coordinator.

Fellowships

Clare Roth was selected as a recipient of a 2026–27 Knight-Wallace Fellowship for Journalists. Roth is managing editor of The Ohio Newsroom, a partnership among the state’s public media organizations. The Knight-Wallace Fellowships provide participants with a year of study to pursue journalism projects and “tackle challenges facing the journalism industry.” Roth will focus on “how news collaborations can leverage their infrastructure and partner with civic institutions to create and sustain regional reporter positions” serving news deserts.