Comings and goings: NPR editor leaves for Columbia, NHPR announces promotions …

NPR Chief Business Editor Pallavi Gogoi will leave the network Aug. 3.

Gogoi was named executive director of the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in economics and business journalism at the Columbia Journalism School in New York. She starts the job Aug. 17, succeeding Robert Smith, a host of NPR’s Planet Money who had worked as the director since 2021.

Gogoi joined NPR in 2017 and also worked for CNN and The Associated Press, among other outlets. She has also taught at Columbia University and Princeton University.

“Pallavi is a true newsroom leader,” said NPR Executive Editor and VP of News Krishnadev Calamur in a statement to Current. “Under her leadership, the award-winning Business Desk provided our audience a deeper understanding of business, economics, tech and the media, and showcased how these industries shape the lives of people and change the course of history.”

“I believe that economics undergirds every decision in life, which is why I am a torchbearer for journalism that sheds light on this topic,” said Gogoi in a Columbia news release. “I’m so thrilled about bringing a lifetime of mission-driven work to this role.”

New Hampshire Public Radio announced promotions.

Rebecca Lavoie, director of on-demand audio and podcasts, was named CCO. Lavoie joined the station in 2010 as producer and later served as senior producer of Word of Mouth. She has also been digital director and director of audience and engagement.

“Rebecca has been a spark to innovation in advancing NHPR’s public-service mission,” said CEO Jim Schachter in a news release. “She came up as a producer, which above all else means she figures out how to get things done. And she’s a natural leader, which means she gets things done purposefully.”

“I’m thrilled to begin working with all of our content leaders to expand our offerings and explore new opportunities for news, broadcast, and podcasts,” Lavoie said. “People often say that NHPR ‘punches above its weight’ but I see this new role as a chance to prove our success isn’t an anomaly. I’m beyond confident our exemplary journalism will continue to be the engine that drives our business forward.”

Dan Barrick became VP of news. Barrick joined NHPR in 2015 as senior editor for politics and became news director in 2016. He previously worked as deputy director for the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies and held several editorial positions at the Concord Monitor.

“Dan’s extraordinary news sense, compassionate management of people, hiring acumen, and editing prowess have made NHPR the most important news source in New Hampshire and one of the most admired in public media,” Schachter said.

“Managing NHPR’s newsroom is a daily adventure, and it’s so rewarding to keep doing this work for our audience with such a talented, dedicated team of journalists,” Barrick said.

KEXP in Seattle appointed two chief officers.

Cyrus Despres became CFO. Despres joined KEXP in 2006 as systems coordinator and was also computer and information systems manager, manager of IT, director of budget and business intelligence, and interim CFO.

Jyoti Shukla was named chief product and technology officer. She started the role in March on an interim basis. Before that, she was a consultant. She has held leadership positions at SiriusXM, Nordstrom, Starbucks and Microsoft.

Despres and Shukla “are gifted leaders who share a passion for KEXP’s mission and will make an already strong C-level team even stronger,” CEO Ethan Raup said on LinkedIn. “I’m very grateful to both of them.”

Ling Ling Sun was promoted to CTO for Maryland Public Television.

Sun joined MPT last year as VP of technology. She previously worked as CTO for Nebraska Public Media and was also chief engineer for WOSU Public Media in Columbus, Ohio.

Sun was chair of the PBS Engineering Technology Advisory Committee from 2013–18. She has also been chair of the National Association of Broadcasters BEIT Conference Program Committee and was on the board of the Advanced Television Systems Committee.

Development

WYSO in Yellow Springs, Ohio, named Michael Roediger major gifts officer. Roediger most recently worked as executive director of the Dayton Art Institute and has also been VP of development for the Victoria Theatre Association and major gifts officer for Carnegie Mellon University. At WYSO, he succeeds Sara Woodhull, who will retire at the end of the summer. Woodhull joined the station in 2019. “I have been a long-time listener and supporter of WYSO and am so honored to now be a member of this incredible team,” Roediger said in the release. “I look forward to continuing to nourish the strong relationships which Sara Woodhull has built while also developing new friends and supporters.”

Technology

NPR named Kriti Singh as a design technologist for its AI Labs. Singh joined the organization in 2025 as an AI Labs intern and became an AI implementation and enablement specialist last year. “I am thrilled to land this role which is a perfect amalgamation of my education, research, and interests,” she wrote on LinkedIn. “In this role, I will be working across teams to create interfaces and systems that are both delightful and utilitarian, consulting with designers, journalists, developers and leadership.”

Content

Kayla Kissell was hired as an education reporter for Central Florida Public Media in Orlando. After graduating from college in May 2025, Kissel worked for the station as a multimedia producer from August to December. “Public media has been at the heart of why I wanted to become a journalist, so this opportunity means the world to me,” she said on LinkedIn. “I can’t wait to get started …, serve the community I’ve come to call home in Central Florida, and cover education, a topic I’ve grown to care deeply about.”

Governance

Cary McMillan was elected board chair for Window To The World Communications, the parent company of WTTW and WFMT in Chicago. McMillan has been on the board since 1999 and most recently served as executive vice chair. He will serve a two-year renewable term. He succeeds David Blowers, a former executive for Northern Trust, a financial services company. McMillan was CEO of True Partners Consulting, a tax and financial consulting company, and has also worked for Sara Lee Corp. and Arthur Andersen.

Fellowships

Cincinnati Public Radio hired two reporters as part of the Adam R. Scripps Foundation’s fellowship program, which provides funding for journalists to work for three-year periods. Daniela Villarreal Martinez joined WVXU as the first Scripps Fellow in January after graduating from the University of Washington in July 2025. Lilley Halloran joined this month as the second fellow. She graduated from the University of Missouri in May and was a statehouse reporting intern at St. Louis Public Radio.

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