New PBS Board Members Elected, Seated at First Meeting of Fiscal Year Station Leaders Roy Clem, Kim Johnson, and Molly Phillips Elected As First-Term Professional Directors

PBS announced the results of its recent Board elections following its first Board meeting of fiscal year 2018. Four Professional Directors who were elected by the PBS membership in August took their seats at the meeting, which was held Friday, November 10: Molly Phillips of Iowa Public Television, who was elected to a first term, and incumbent Directors Becky Magura of WCTE/Cookeville, TN, Neal Shapiro of WNET/New York, NY, and Lisa Shumate of Houston Public Media, who were each elected to a second term. 

In addition, Roy Clem of Alabama Public Television and Kim Johnson of Colorado Public Television were elected by the Board to their first terms as Professional Directors. They will fill the vacancies created by the resignations of Eric Hyyppa, who is leaving Montana PBS to assume the presidency of the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA), and Linda O’Bryon, who recently retired from South Carolina Educational Television (SCETV).

The Board also re-elected four General Directors: Donald A. Baer, Worldwide Chair and CEO of Burson-Marsteller, was elected to a third term and was also re-elected as Board Chair. Molly Corbett Broad, president emerita of the American Council on Education was elected to second term. Larry Irving, president and CEO of the Irving Group, and Allan Landon, assistant dean of the Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah, were each elected to a third term.

Ms. Shumate was elected as Professional Vice Chair. She will serve alongside Afsaneh Beschloss, founder and CEO of the global investment and advisory firm The Rock Creek Group, who was elected as General Vice Chair.

In welcoming the new members, the Board also recognized three departing Professional Directors: Mr. Hyyppa, Ms. O’Bryon, and Don Boswell, general manager of WNED in Buffalo, who retired from the Board pursuant to term limits. Mr. Boswell most recently held the Board positions of Professional Vice Chair and Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees.

“As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Public Broadcasting Act, public media in America is more vital, and also stronger, than ever,” said Ms. Kerger. “In this dynamic media environment, we are grateful to the station leaders who are joining our Board, as well as re-elected directors and those who have completed their service on the Board. Their commitment and strategic counsel enables the work that we do at PBS and across the system in service to our great mission.”

The 27-person PBS Board includes both Professional Directors, who are station leaders, and General Directors, who serve as lay members of the Board, as well as the PBS President. The PBS Board of Directors is responsible for governing and setting policy for PBS. General and Professional Directors of the PBS Board serve without pay.

Except in the case of filling vacancies created by resignations, PBS member stations elect the Professional Directors. The General Directors are elected by the full Board, as are the PBS President and the Board officers and Professional Directors filling vacancies.

About PBS

PBS, with nearly 350 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches nearly 100 million people through television and nearly 28 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’ broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirms that PBS’ premier children’s media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV – including a new 24/7 channel, online at pbskids.org, via an array of mobile apps and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile and connected devices.