1 – Please detail your qualifications for the NPR Board.

I have many years of experience managing small and large radio stations and radio station groups, both rural and urban. When we noticed our audiences were moving online in the early 90s, we began to learn the “new media” business and I oversaw the redevelopment of wgbh.org. .I have served on a number of boards and I have a good feel for what the role of a good board member can be.

For ten years I’ve overseen the production of the national radio news program, The World, now carried by 230 stations nationwide. I’ve also overseen performance-based music services; digital radio and TV projects; an interesting mix of strong community outreach projects and innovative online projects. Collaboration and partnership have been at the heart of most of these activities, which is what I think will mark NPR’s future.

2 - 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 feel I would be an effective member of the Governance Committee. Having served as Board Chair and top manager of several organizations, I’ve had to consider the ways in which boards and their work can be effectively structured to best serve mission, users, members and staff.

I am also very interested in the program distribution area, particularly as the tools we use to move content around continue to evolve. I also served on the NPR Distribution & Interconnection Committee several years ago, which I found educational. Program distribution is a central part of any strategy for expansion and service, and I find it stimulating to consider possibilities in this area.

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

Organizations work particularly well when there is a good understanding of the separate but complementary roles of Board and Staff. When there is a respectful balance of responsibilities, the Board benefits from informed leadership coming from the Management side, and Management benefits from having clear expectations long-term and good feedback short-term.

The question of whether a Board is high profile or not is less important to me than whether it can be effective. It should have the confidence of those represented by it and vesting their support in the organization. The Management–Board relationship is critical. Transparency, trust, responsiveness, dedication to excellence, broad system awareness and a frank exchange of views should be its hallmarks. I think that sort of partnership is what the NPR Board is working toward with both NPR and the system.

4 - NPR does not currently have a conflict of interest policy and procedure for Board members. What sort of policy should be established in order to handle conflict of interest situations when a board member has a primary duty as an employee or officer of a competing station, network or distributor?

Senior staff and Board members should file an annual report detailing any personal or organizational associations they have that could be construed as creating conflicts of interest with NPR, particularly in financial dealings.

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?

I believe the organization should create an opportunity that will bring at least a quorum of its membership to our annual meeting. This might begin with moving the annual meeting to coincide with one of the two large gatherings of station managers.

Understanding the purpose of the annual meeting seems particularly important if we are going to use the opportunity to be in touch with one another. Once that purpose is determined, we can understand what percentage of members should reasonably be present, and whether or not financial support should be offered to bring station representation to the meeting.

6 - What suggestions might you have to add diverse experience and opinions to the board and management deliberative process? Would the reimplementation of working advisory committees with station staff members and others for specific topics and issues serve as a way to expand knowledge and increase awareness of station’s needs, feelings and reactions?

I believe it is important for us to be educated about the various concerns our membership has particularly as we are in a time of steady technical change. Having Board members with a mixed set of skills is one basic way to think about good representation. Establishing a pattern of true consultation or partnership with radio and system members, framing questions in a way that invites comment and deliberation in the system are other ways to ensure we understand our members’ concerns. Creating advisory committees around specific topics is a good way to spread the work and increase awareness of stations’ needs. The overall goal is to establish a good working understanding of the complexities in our systems as we build the enterprise.

7 - 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?

The majority of the Board’s work should take place in open session. Executive session should be brief and used when there are personnel issues, legal or business matters that will rely on confidentiality. Otherwise, all matters pertaining to business ventures, financial and legal obligations, program considerations, strategy, staff reports, and other matters of policy or review that may come before the Board should be discussed in open session.