Natasha Thompson leaves CEO role at WSKG

Natasha Thompson has left her position as president and CEO of WSKG in Vestal, N.Y.

Thompson decided not to renew her contract with the station, according to a news release. The contract expired June 30.

Thompson became WSKG’s leader in 2023. Before that, she was president and CEO of the Food Bank of the Southern Tier in Elmira, N.Y. From 2018–21, Thompson hosted Chasing the Dream, a WSKG public affairs series that focused on poverty in the region.

The WSKG news release said that during Thompson’s tenure, WSKG “held its most successful fund drives, launched new local programming initiatives, expanded its capacity to deliver its sought-after educational resources, and reinforced its commitment to sound financial management.”

“I’m proud to leave WSKG in a much stronger position financially and operationally and have confidence that the WSKG staff, Board of Trustees, and Chris DiRienzo, our Interim CEO, will continue to build on the success we’ve had navigating the challenges over the past year,” Thompson said in a statement to station supporters that was shared with Current.

WSKG Board Chair Duane Spilde praised Thompson for her work at the station. “The Board of Trustees is grateful to Natasha Thompson for her commitment and her contributions to WSKG,” Spilde said in the release. “She leaves us in a stronger position in many ways, including staffing, organizational structure and infrastructure.  During her time here the Board membership expanded to become more representative of the broader region we serve as did the organization’s community engagement.”