Comings and goings: Chicago Public Media hires sales SVP, Local Public names CTO …

Chicago Public Media hired Andres Lombana as SVP of sales and sponsorship.

Lombana most recently worked in business development for AI partnerships at Lenovo, according to his LinkedIn page. He worked for Tribune Publishing from 2014–21 in leadership roles including VP of international business development.

“As we continue to reach new local audiences, we must develop new ways for advertisers, sponsors and community partners to engage with them through experiences that are useful, trusted and aligned with our mission,” said CEO Melissa Bell in a news release. “Andres’ deep experience at the intersection of journalism and advertising will help us meet people where they are while building lasting relationships that strengthen both our impact and our long-term sustainability.”

Simon ‘Symonty’ Gresham became CTO of Local Public, a subsidiary of Cascade PBS in Seattle.

Gresham most recently worked as senior principal engineer and architect for the Seattle public TV station. He has also been senior principal engineer and architect at Sinclair Broadcasting Group and Bally Sports.

“Symonty’s deep technical expertise and track record of managing large-scale, complex architecture have been vital to our progress behind the scenes,” CEO Kevin Colligan said on LinkedIn. “As we look toward the future … his leadership will be instrumental in scaling our platforms and delivering even greater value to our partner stations.”

Tanya Ott was hired as regional news editor for the Gulf States Newsroom.

The newsroom, which received CPB funding, is a collaboration among Mississippi Public Broadcasting; WWNO in New Orleans; WBHM in Birmingham, Ala.; and WRKF in Baton Rouge, La.

Ott most recently worked as a part-time editor for Northern Public Radio in DeKalb, Ill. She has also been a VP of radio and news content for Georgia Public Broadcasting and a news director for WBHM.

Development

Khaver Siddiqi became an executive assistant for NPR, reporting to CDO Rachel Evans. Siddiqi previously worked as an HR assistant for the U.S. Embassy in Mexico. He has also been an office management assistant for the U.S. Embassy in Belize and a consular associate for the U.S. Embassy in Nepal.

Marketing

Anne Husted Blatt became senior manager of communications and media relations for the Peninsula Open Space Trust in California. Blatt most recently worked as director of marketing and communications for Frontline, the investigative news and public affairs series produced by GBH in Boston. Husted Blatt joined Frontline in 2014 as an intern. “While New England will always hold a special place in my heart, I’m grateful to begin this new chapter on the West Coast and join a team whose passion and expertise safeguards the Bay Area’s spectacular landscape and wildlife habitats,” she wrote on LinkedIn. “I’m so excited for what’s to come!”

Content

Neda Ulaby announced that she was laid off by NPR. Ulaby was a reporter on the Arts Desk. She joined the organization in 2000 as a producer and has also been an editor. “It was a glorious 26 year run,” she wrote on LinkedIn. “You better believe I know how lucky I was, especially in my magnificent colleagues and friends who taught me, encouraged me and made the job a joy for such a long time.”

Margaret Barthel left her job as a reporter for WAMU in Washington, D.C., and moved to Italy. She joined WAMU in 2018 as a producer for The Kojo Nnamdi Show. “The surface reason for my move abroad is that my husband lost his federal job last year and (thankfully) found a new one, this time in Europe,” she said on LinkedIn. “But the deeper one is that it was getting harder for me to show up, both for the job I loved and for the rest of my life. The decline of local news isn’t just an abstract social problem; for the people doing the work, it’s a lived experience. So for now, I’m taking a break, if you count learning a new language and culture ‘a break.’”

David Kroman was hired as co-host of Soundside, a public affairs program produced by KUOW in Seattle. He will work alongside co-host Libby Denkmann. Kroman most recently worked as a reporter for The Seattle Times. Before joining the newspaper in 2021, he reported for Crosscut, a news site that was part of Cascade PBS in Seattle. Kroman has also been a guest on KUOW’s Soundside, Week in Review and Seattle Now. “I’m beyond excited to welcome David to Soundside as my broadcasting partner,” Denkmann said in a news release. “My goal with adding a second host to Soundside is to lean into conversation: with our audience, newsmakers, and each other. The dream outcome is a combination of the authenticity of talk programs with the rigor and editorial standards of public radio.” 

Governance

Texas Public Radio announced that Cara Nichols, board chair for the San Antonio Report, became the second vice chair on TPR’s board following the merger of the organizations. Nichols will hold the position for the remainder of the calendar year. She is commissioner for the San Antonio Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women and held leadership positions at Rackspace, a cloud storage company.

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