Mark Contreras to retire as CEO of Connecticut Public
Connecticut Public
Contreras
Mark Contreras will retire this year as president and CEO of Connecticut Public.
A news release Tuesday said the network’s board of trustees has assembled a search committee to find the next leader. Contreras will continue to serve as the organization’s top executive through the transition period.
“My time at Connecticut Public has been both an honor and a privilege,” Contreras said in the release. “I believe the time is right to create space for new energy, creativity and vision at the organization.”
Contreras has led Connecticut Public since 2019. The news release credited him with expanding the network’s programming initiatives in Fairfield County. He also helped launch the Somos Connecticut Latino content initiative.
Last year, Connecticut Public and Puerto Rico newspaper publisher GFR Media received a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to hire two reporters to serve Spanish-speaking populations. Connecticut Public has also received CPB funding for statehouse reporting. In 2024, it co-produced Generation Barney, a limited-series podcast about the history of Barney & Friends, which the network co-produced.
“During my time at Connecticut Public, the institution has faced a number of serious challenges including COVID and, during 2025, the loss of federal funding for public media,” Contreras wrote on LinkedIn. “Because of the strength and ingenuity of our senior leadership team, we have overcome each of these challenges extremely well.”
Contreras said the network has “a strong balance sheet and growing audiences. Importantly, it is led by extraordinary senior leaders and an inspired and mission-driven workforce.”
Before joining Connecticut Public, Contreras was dean of the school of communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn. He was also CEO of Calkins Media Inc., which owns newspapers and broadcast stations, and SVP of newspapers for the E. W. Scripps Company.
“Mark has been a remarkable leader, and we are deeply grateful for his dedication to stewarding our mission and goals,” said George Norfleet, chairman of the Connecticut Public board of trustees. “His vision, integrity and dedication will leave a lasting impact on the organization and the communities we serve. We are delighted his retirement will allow him to spend more time with his family, including the upcoming birth of his first grandchild.”
Mark is one great guy, journalist and media executive. He was respected everywhere he worked.
Best of Luck, be healthy and enjoy your well deserved retirement.
Jack Sander