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KQED Promotes DeLinda Mrowka and Maria Miller to New Executive Posts

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DeLinda Mrowka, chief revenue officer, (left) and Maria Miller, chief operations and administration officer (right). Photos by Kirsten Dalldorf.

RESTRUCTURING OF STATION’S EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM SUPPORTS A NEW ERA OF COMMUNITY SERVICE

KQED formally announces the promotions of DeLinda Mrowka and Maria Miller to the newly created posts of Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Operations and Administration Officer respectively. The promotions are part of a larger restructuring of the organization’s leadership framework that clarifies accountability and more widely distributes decision-making capabilities in the core areas of content, operations, revenue, finances, product and legal across the institution, and supports KQED’s mission to inform, inspire and involve its Bay Area communities.

As Chief Revenue Officer, Mrowka is now accountable for areas that grow and deepen KQED’s relationships with audiences and financial supporters. These areas include the membership, corporate sponsorship, major giving, foundations and planned giving, audience development and intelligence, marketing and communications, creative, and events teams. She will further integrate and align all of the departments that drive financial support for the station, while developing long-term strategies to reach new audiences, and expand on current ones.

Mrowka, who was promoted from the position of Chief Audience Officer, has served in a number of roles for the station since her arrival in 2013. Under her oversight, membership at KQED has grown to 257,000 members on average—the highest number in the station’s history—and the station has tripled its digital revenue. On the audience side, she led the creation of the audience intelligence, audience development, and live events programming teams. Currently, 2.7 million people, almost half of Bay Area adults, use a KQED service each week.*

“During her tenure, DeLinda’s teams have contributed to unprecedented growth for the station,” says President and CEO Michael Isip. “With all audience and revenue departments under her leadership, KQED is poised to drive support so we can serve future generations.”

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In her new role as Chief Operations and Administration Officer, Miller oversees organizational and technical operations and administrative functions while developing the talent, staff engagement and work culture needed to best reflect and serve KQED’s Bay Area communities. Miller and her operations teams provide direction on technical investments, expand KQED’s capabilities supporting live events, and pursue strategic partnerships that improve or enhance the station’s technical capabilities and service.

Miller's oversight includes television and radio engineering and operations, which were responsible for delivering service to nearly 800,000 (cumulative average) weekly television viewers** and over 730,000 (cumulative average) weekly broadcast radio listeners*** and over 517,000 average monthly radio live stream listeners****. Information security and technology, facilities, safety, human resources, DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), employment law, labor relations, venue and event services and strategic partnerships also fall under her supervision. Miller, who started her career at KQED in 2016 as Vice President, Human Resources & Chief Labor and Employment Counsel. previously served as the station’s Chief Administrative Officer.

“Maria has displayed exceptional leadership in maintaining the continuity of our operations during the two-year renovation of our headquarters, all the while helping us navigate the pandemic,” says Isip. “Her expanded role recognizes the importance of leadership and accountability for our operations, our people and our culture.“

Executive Management Team and Leadership Structure
Mrowka and Miller join Isip, Chief Content Officer Holly Kernan, Vice President of Product Duke Fan, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary William L. Lowery, and Chief Financial Officer Mitzie Kelly on KQED’s newly formed Executive Management Team (EMT). The EMT is responsible for strategic and operational leadership; establishing overall strategic goals, determining organizational and financial priorities, and supporting staff and strengthening work culture at KQED. The EMT replaces the station’s previous executive leadership team structure to more efficiently and effectively clarify accountability and ensure alignment in KQED’s core areas.

As part of this new framework, leadership and decision making working under EMT will be distributed more widely as part of KQED’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in management. Approximately sixty director-level leaders across eight cross-functional working groups will now meaningfully participate in long-range planning and establish priorities and action plans on issues that impact operations, staff and service to the community.

“The successful close of our eight-year Campaign 21 fundraising initiative this fall, along with the renovation of our headquarters position KQED for a new era of community service,” adds Isip. “These organizational changes share leadership responsibility for decisions that impact the entire organization, giving everyone at KQED a stake in our future. We believe greater participation and inclusion in our planning and decision making strengthen KQED and our service to the community.”

Notes
*Nielsen Scarborough data, KQED Audience for TV radio & web, 2021 Release 2 (July 2021).
**Nielsen Local TV View, average weekly cume, KQED 9 + KQED PLUS (Oct 2020 – Sep 2021)
***Nielsen PPM, average weekly cume, KQED 88.5FM (Oct 2020 – Sep 2021)
****Triton WebMetrics, average monthly cume (Oct 2020 – Sep 2021).

About KQED
KQED serves the people of Northern California with a public-supported alternative to commercial media. An NPR and PBS member station based in San Francisco, KQED is home to one of the most listened-to public radio stations in the nation, one of the highest-rated public television services and an award-winning education program helping students and educators thrive in 21st-century classrooms. A trusted news source, leader and innovator in interactive technology, KQED takes people of all ages on journeys of exploration — exposing them to new people, places and ideas.
www.kqed.org

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