BoardWalk Consulting Seeks President and CEO for Public Broadcasting Atlanta

October 14, 2020 – Executive recruitment firm BoardWalk Consulting was recently enlisted by Public Broadcasting Atlanta (PBA) to lead its search for a new president and CEO. Kathy Bremer, managing director, and Patti Kish, director of research, are spearheading the assignment. “The CEO will lead PBA into its next era of growth and impact, building from a position of strength,” said BoardWalk Consulting. “The CEO will be an inspiring frontline leader able to implement a visionary agenda, deepen relationships and grow the organization.”

The new leader will manage a full-time staff of about 80 professionals and reports to the board of directors of AETC (Atlanta Educational Telecommunications Collaborative), the entity that oversees management of PBA.

The search firm said that PBA’s new CEO will be expected to lead a team known for innovation, passion and thought leadership in the Atlanta community and in public media nationally. The individual must also bring relevant experience and a record of success as well as enhance PBA’s reputation, offerings and resources.

A Media Leader

PBA’s next CEO will be charged with being a frontline, world-class public media leader, said BoardWalk Consulting. He or she must be strategic, innovative and able to lead the next era of success for PBA. The individual will engage and energize a diverse staff and board, donors, audiences and stakeholders throughout the metro Atlanta community. The role also calls for building a trusting partnership with the board and with Atlanta Public Schools, which holds PBA’s station licenses, and connecting well with internal and external stakeholders including national public media partners.

The new CEO must also grow relationships and donor support. “As the face of PBA, the CEO will be an experienced, passionate fundraiser and relationship builder with a record of success in major fundraising and capital campaigns,” said BoardWalk Consulting. The individual must increase major and transformational giving, endowment and legacy commitments.

In the near future, the CEO will be expected to lead a capital campaign to take PBA’s facilities, technology and fiscal integrity to the next level.

The ideal CEO for PBA will be a dynamic, media-savvy leader with a passion for public media, the mission and potential of PBA, and the Atlanta community, said BoardWalk Consulting. Personal assets will include: credibility, authenticity and an energizing presence; ability to lead, empower and inspire people to work together; compassion, relationship building, listening and communication skills; and a demonstrated commitment to building a diverse and inclusive staff and culture at all levels.

Strong relationship-building, fundraising and business-building skills are also required. Candidates should have financial and business acumen, coupled with entrepreneurial spirit. They should also have self-confidence and humility, the ability to build consensus and to make tough decisions, and change-management and culture-building experience. Strengths in strategy, innovation and execution are essential as is the ability to actively listen and synthesize information.

Non-Profit Recruiters

Public Broadcasting Atlanta is a leader in America’s 10th largest media market and ranks among the nation’s top public media entities. PBA is an independent 501(c)3 under contract with license holder Atlanta Public Schools, which is not involved in operations. The non-profit delivers news and storytelling to 1.4 million viewers and listeners a month across radio, TV, podcast and other digital platforms. PBA’s mission is to inspire a community of life-long learners; its vision is to be the most valued source of information in people’s lives.

BoardWalk Consulting, based in Atlanta, is a national executive search firm that recruits CEOs and senior leadership for mission-driven non-profit organizations. Founded in 2002, the firm leads executive searches for clients from across the non-profit sector with global, national, regional and local missions. Many of the firm’s team members have previously served as non-profit executives, grant makers and board leaders. BoardWalk Consulting is also an active partner in Panorama, the global network of independent executive search firms.

Ms. Bremer joined BoardWalk Consulting in 2007 after eight years as head of Porter Novelli Atlanta. Prior to that, she served as senior vice president of fundraising and marketing for CARE. Earlier in her career, Ms. Bremer was a senior executive at three New York ad agencies, where she led Procter & Gamble and other client work. Prior to these roles, she worked as a journalist and writer in Tokyo. She has led numerous executive searches for clients including ADL, Heifer, Save the Children, CDC Foundation, Oxfam, HIAS, Research!America, Jane Goodall Institute, TSNE MissionWorks, The Trustees and many others.

Ms. Kish works closely with search consultants to develop and implement research strategies and proactively recruit senior-level executives into non-profit leadership roles. Prior to joining BoardWalk Consulting in 2015, she led full life cycle talent acquisition for a national search firm that specialized in C-suite executive search for consumer products organizations. Ms. Kish began her career with EDS (now HP) where she spent several years managing the entire talent acquisition organization for the southeast region. She has successfully placed CEOs, presidents, executive directors and CFOs for organizations with national and global impact. Clients include the Centers for Disease Control Foundation, the Jane Goodall Institute, Anti-Defamation League, Trustees of Reservations, Year Up, StriveTogether, Goodwill of North Georgia, and many others.

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor  – Hunt Scanlon Media