Comings and goings: COOs at Vermont Public, KUOW announce departures

Brendan Kinney is leaving Vermont Public to become CEO of the Vermont Journalism Trust, the nonprofit publisher of VTDigger.

Kinney is currently COO of Vermont Public. He joined Vermont Public Radio in 2010 as VP of development and marketing and was also SVP of development and marketing. After the radio organization merged with Vermont PBS, he became SVP of development and later served as interim CEO. Kinney was elected to the board of Greater Public last year.

He starts the new job in June.

“Vermont Public has given me 16 amazing years, and I have incredible gratitude for all of the opportunities that Vermont Public has given me,” Kinney said in an interview with Vermont Public. “I don’t feel like I’m leaving as much as I’m starting the next chapter of the same story, which is serving Vermonters through media that matters. I feel like I’ve given [Vermont Public] everything I’ve got, and knowing that I’ve got maybe 10 good years left in my professional career, I want to put that experience and expertise to good use.”

Kerry Swanson, COO of KUOW in Seattle, will leave the organization in June.

Swanson joined the station in 2022 and was also its interim CEO and president. From 2008–22 he was station manager for Northwest Public Broadcasting in Pullman, Wash.

He previously worked for more than 20 years for KNKX in Tacoma, Wash.

“KUOW has long been a station I admired deeply. While I was at KPLU (KNKX), we competed against KUOW and respected the strength of its journalism and connection to community,” Swanson wrote in a staff memo. “While I was at Northwest Public Broadcasting, we collaborated with KUOW as partners in public media serving both sides of the Cascades. To ultimately be invited to join this organization and help lead it during an important chapter has been both meaningful and rewarding.”

“While I do not yet know exactly what my next role will be, I do know this: I will continue bringing my experience, energy, and belief in mission-driven organizations to whatever comes next,” Swanson added. “Public media matters deeply to me, and that commitment will not change.”

Legal

June M. Baldwin, general counsel and assistant secretary at PBS SoCal in Los Angeles, is retiring. Baldwin joined the station in 2004 as director of business and legal affairs and was also SVP. Before joining PBS SoCal, she worked in business affairs for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson at NBC. She was also VP of business affairs at United Paramount Network and head of business affairs at Columbia TriStar Television. “It has been the privilege of my career to serve the mission of public media,” Baldwin said in a staff memo. “I leave enormously grateful for every opportunity and proud of the work my colleagues and I accomplished together to serve our Southern California communities.”  

Marketing

Brilee Weaver joined Ocean State Media in Rhode Island as director of digital and audience engagement. She previously worked for WBUR in Boston, first as a marketing specialist and later as marketing and communications manager. She has also been on the social media team for Northeastern University and worked on the audience engagement unit for Frontline.

PBS Reno in Nevada hired Kate Hirschfelt as a graphic designer. Hirschfelt previously worked for Tahoe Modern, first as a junior interior designer and later as a technical designer and strategic project manager. She has also been a freelance designer. “Kate brings a strong background in visual design, print production, branding, and digital marketing, with experience creating campaigns across print, social media, and large-format materials,” said Yunis Cho, PBS Reno director of marketing, in a news release. “We are thrilled to welcome Kate to PBS Reno and look forward to the creativity, energy, and talent she will bring to the team.”

Technology

Lowell Kissling was promoted to technical product manager at Oregon Public Broadcasting. Kissling joined OPB in 2017 as digital platform developer and most recently worked as senior digital platform developer. “Lowell is a champion of accessibility, thoughtful user experience and iterative, user-informed development, raising the standard for how we build and deliver digital products at OPB,” said Margaux Maxwell, OPB’s director of platform and product, in a LinkedIn post. “This combination of technical depth and product thinking has made Lowell an integral part of both OPB’s digital growth and the digital product team, and makes him well suited for his new role.”

Content

Sasha Aslanian was hired as senior editor of investigations for American Public Media Group and Minnesota Public Radio. Aslanian most recently worked as supervising producer for ABC News. She held producer roles at MPR from 1992–2000 and at APMG from 2000–08. She reported for MPR from 2008–15 and was a correspondent and producer for APMG before joining ABC News. “I’m returning to my roots,” she said on LinkedIn. “One of the fun parts of having a career as long as mine is when your former interns hire you. Pro-tip: volunteer to run the internship program. You’ll be hiring your future boss.”

Mikhaela Singleton was hired as Morning Edition host for WXXI in Rochester, N.Y. Singleton previously worked as an anchor for WROC, a CBS affiliate in Rochester. She has also been an anchor for stations in Columbus, Ga., and Albany, N.Y. Singleton succeeds Beth Adams, who will now host All Things Considered. Adams joined WXXI in 2012. Alex Crichton, who previously hosted ATC, retired in February.

Bradley George became weekend host and reporter for WUNC in Chapel Hill, N.C. “I’m moving into a new role where I’ll be anchoring your weekend news and—most excitingly—hitting the road for more in-depth storytelling,” he said on LinkedIn. “I can’t wait to get out of the studio and back into our communities to tell the stories that matter most.” George joined WUNC in 2022 as a morning host and reporter. He has also been a reporter, producer and host for Georgia Public Broadcasting, Nashville Public Radio and WFDD in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Tom Layson, managing editor, producer and host of Northwest Now for KBTC PBS in Tacoma, Wash., is retiring. Layson joined the station in 2012 after working for commercial stations in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, California and Washington state. “My first Northwest Now went to air in April of 2012, and now 435 programs later; our latest and last season, at least under my watch, concludes on May 29th,” he told Current. In retirement, he plans to fish on a quiet river and spend time with his family.

Malya Fass was hired as a producer for Think Out Loud, a daily public affairs program produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting. Fass joined the station in 2025 as a podcast intern and became a fill-in producer in November. “It’s an honor to work on a show that I’m SO proud of, and I’m thrilled to continue learning from and collaborating with this team of intelligent, thoughtful journalists,” she said on LinkedIn.

Jennifer Stayton is leaving her role as Morning Edition host for KUT in Austin, Texas, later this summer. She will continue working for the station as a co-host of Austin Signal, a public affairs program, and will appear on other news programs. “It has been an incredible honor to share news, information and companionship with listeners for all of these years,” Stayton said in a news release. “What I will miss most is starting the day together and experiencing major news events in real time with our audience. But I’m looking forward to continuing to connect with listeners in new ways — and honestly, getting a little more sleep.” Stayton joined the station in 2004.

Governance

The Public Media Journalists Association announced the results of its 2026 board elections.

The elected board members who will serve two-year terms are:

• Julie Drizin, a freelancer and former executive director of Current;
• Kyra Miles, an early childhood education reporter for MPR News at Minnesota Public Radio; and
• Vinnee Tong, managing editor for KPBS in San Diego.

Serving one-year terms are Megan Kamerick, news director for KUNM in Albuquerque, N.M., and Ryan Vasquez, news director for WWNO/WRKF in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La., and managing editor of the Gulf States Newsroom.

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