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PBS BOARD ELECTS OFFICERS AND GENERAL DIRECTORS
Geoffrey Sands, McKinsey & Company Director, Re-elected Chair of the Board Malcolm Brett, General Manager, WHA-TV/Wisconsin Public Television, Elected Professional Vice Chair; and Donald Baer, Worldwide Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Burson-Marsteller, Elected General Vice Chair
Ernest Bromley, Chairman/CEO, Bromley Communications LLC,
Elected to Second Term as General Director
Erroll B. Davis, Jr., currently Superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools, Atlanta, Georgia and retired Chairman, President and CEO of Alliant Energy; Ramon A. Rodriguez, former Managing Partner and CEO, Madsen Sapp Mena Rodriguez & Co.; and Robert Sachs, Principal, Continental Consulting Group, LLC and former President and CEO of NCTA; Newly Elected General Directors
General Managers Tom Axtell, Vegas PBS and JoAnn Urofsky, WUSF,
Seated for Second Terms as Professional Directors; and
Rich Homberg, WTVS and Shae Hopkins, KET,
Seated at First Board Meeting as Professional Directors Since Summer Election
ARLINGTON, VA, November 08, 2013 Today, following the conclusion of the PBS Board of Directors' first meeting for FY2014, PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger announced a number of key actions taken regarding the leadership of American's largest public media enterprise, including the election of Board officers and General Directors, as well as the seating of Professional Directors.
Geoffrey Sands was elected to serve an additional one-year term as General Director and as Chair. Malcolm Brett and Donald Baer were elected to their first terms as Professional Vice Chair and General Vice Chair, respectively. General Director Ernest Bromley was re-elected to a second term, while Erroll B. Davis, Jr. and Ramon A. Rodriguez each won a first term on the PBS Board as General Directors. In addition, Robert Sachs was elected to fulfill the term of former General Director Secretary Chuck Hagel, who resigned from his seat on the Board when he accepted the appointment of U.S. Secretary of Defense. This term will expire in 2015.
In addition, the Board welcomed Tom Axtell, Rich Homberg, Shae Hopkins and JoAnn Urofsky to their first meeting since being elected to Professional Director seats by PBS member stations in voting that took place over the summer. Mr. Axtell and Ms. Urofsky are serving their second terms; Mr. Homberg and Ms. Hopkins are joining the Board for the first time.
The PBS Board is a group of outstanding individuals who give generously of their time and talent to help make public media even stronger than it is today. Our exceptional new Directors join other dedicated and skilled professionals who believe in the mission and bright future of PBS, said Ms. Kerger. As a system, we have worked strategically to achieve significant successes in a time of economic challenge and technological change. The advice and counsel of the Board will be invaluable as we determine how to lay the foundation for facing obstacles and seizing opportunities in the days and years to come.
The PBS Board includes both Professional Directors, who are station leaders, and General Directors, who represent the general public. The membership of PBS elects the Professional Directors. The General Directors and Officers are elected by the Board, which also appoints the PBS President and Chief Executive Officer.
The PBS Board of Directors is responsible for governing and setting policy for PBS. In total, the Board comprises 27 members: 14 Professional Members; 12 General Directors; and the PBS President. PBS Board members serve three-year terms, without pay.
Biographical Information
Tom Axtell
Tom Axtell has served as general manager of Vegas PBS since 1994. In Las Vegas, he has reinvigorated local programming, integrated emerging technologies, developed new fee for service business models, and created community partnerships to expand the range of sustainable public media services offered locally. His prior service includes public radio stations in Minneapolis/St. Paul and Fargo, and public television stations in Spokane and Milwaukee. He has experience working for nonprofit, college, and school district licensees as well as markets where the stations operated in sole-service, duopoly and multi-market situations. He has left the industry a few times to work as a College Vice President for Development and State Senate Legislative Aide.
Vegas PBS moved into its new Educational Technology Campus in 2009 following a successful $72 million capital campaign. The building is the nation's first LEED Gold television facility, and first post-Katrina, post 9-11, FCC Media Security and Reliability Commission compliant studio. Vegas PBS operates a multi-cast television service; programs four additional cable and five EBS channels; manages a media library with over 210,000 online and 16,000 on the shelf titles; an emergency communications data-casting service for police, fire fighters, hospitals, and schools; and a statewide Described and Captioned Media Center. An extensive Ready To Learn outreach program hosts over 600 workshops a year attended by over 100,000 people. Vegas PBS produces 20 local TV series and specials annually, plus extensive web content. Its Global Online Advanced Learning (GOAL) program offers 330 professional certifications and 5,000 personal improvement courses for high school students, teachers, medical professionals, workforce training programs, and returning veterans. Over 115,000 students successfully completed courses last year. The station routinely ranks in the top ten PBS stations in the Nielsen overnight metered market reports for sign on to sign off gross rating points.
Mr. Axtell is active in Las Vegas community affairs, serving on the boards of the Atomic Testing Museum, United Way of Southern Nevada, Nevada Development Authorit
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