1 – Please detail your qualifications for the NPR Board.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of my first night on the board for a small AM/FM combo in Myrtle Beach, SC, when I was 15. It was the night of the Apollo fire on the pad in 1967, which killed Gus Grissom and two other astronauts. The AP and UPI machines hit "Five Bells" and I plunged into radio news. I am a ham radio operator, and first thought of radio in engineering terms, but when an opening occurred and a teenager given a chance, it began my life’s choice for vocation.

I began work at South Carolina ETV during college, and with a stint at WIS TV, the local NBC affiliate, have been here since with an opportunity to work on air, producing and in management of public radio and television programs and departments. I've managed SC Educactional Radio since 1992 when the first vice president, Bill Hay, retired. We took a major hit with a state funding cut in 1995, losing 75% of our staff. Our engineer and I had a week's notice of the cut, and were able to get gear in place to keep us on the air when the RIFs occurred. We built a website to handle customer service calls at first. Attention to our listeners grew the audience and support. They valued public radio and supported us through difficult times. By 2000, we split the eight station network to three broadcast formats: classical/news, NPR news and jazz.

While my degree is in journalism, honored by Phi Beta Kappa, my life has been public broadcasting. I believe years at a joint licensee give me a viewpoint shared by others that there is a lack of critical awareness by our television colleagues at the national and station level that the loyalty of the public radio audience, and frugality shared by public radio stations, have much to teach our television colleagues.

2 - As a Board member, how will you separate your station's self-interest from network interests?

Our stations' self interest is more appropriately framed by our existence within a joint licensee, state agency environment. Over the years, service on panels led by Rick Madden at CPB gave me a wonderful view of the diversity of our system. I think we can each see locally, and in my case, I know the view is different as we seek to serve each of our members.

3. - If elected to the NPR Board, on what Board Committee – or in connection with what issue – do you believe you have the most to offer NPR?

I believe the potential of our audience is greater than the "plateau" we currently measure, and that success locally directly translates to wins nationally. On any board of an organization, the board member must separate considerations of their individual experiences from the needs of the larger community they represent. In the case of public radio, it is a vast and diverse community more reflecting America than any other media.

4. Would you recommend any changes to the way in which network program providers charge stations for programming?

In general, the system is more equitable than models our television program providers use. There always should be flexibility for stations who demonstrate acute fiscal need.

5 - Since the institution of the A-Reps meeting format, NPR has not achieved a quorum for its Annual Meeting.  Do you view this as a problem?  Do you have any recommendations for engaging more stations in the citizenship of the annual meeting?   

Moving to a hybrid of "in person" and secure, online representation. The A-Reps format is a good one, but full consideration of any issue must be done with most of the members present. We have stressed online use for our audience. Why don't we adopt it for our own internal uses.

6 – Do you support the proposed changes in NPR Board composition and structure described in the recently issued NPR Governance consultant’s report?

I am not in favor of A-Reps losing proportional representation. I believe this is one of our strengths as a system.

7 - What is your overall assessment of the NPR board?  Is it responsive to stations?  Is it sufficiently high profile? 

Our colleagues in public television have larger staffs in multiple organizations advocating for PTV. Public radio is extraordinary in how lean it works at the regional and national level. This requires a commitment of time and energy on NPR board members and the staff supporting the board. The NPR Board is best served when its membership reflects the diversity of our system, and speaks to the strengths we have in programming, service and research.

8 - As an NPR Board member, how would you distinguish between the types of business you believe the Board should conduct in Executive Session versus the business that should be conducted in Open Session?

My thought is that Executive Session should be invoked solely for personnel or legal discussions, and that any action taken in Executive Session should be announced at the conclusion of the session with a summary of the question.   If the matter is not voted on, then it would be said so.