Caroline Ross was hired as COO of Public Media Co.
Ross previously worked as COO and chief of staff for the National Trust for Local News. She has also been director of innovation and impact for the University of Pennsylvania, senior director of Sorenson Impact, and a research and policy analyst for the Urban Institute.
“As PMC marks 25 years of supporting nonprofit and independent media organizations across the country, I’m grateful to be stepping into this work at such an important moment for the field,” Ross said on LinkedIn. “I was drawn to the opportunity to support public media at a time of real change and possibility. What made the decision easy, though, was the people – deeply committed to the essential role public-serving media plays in civic life. I’m excited to work with this incredible team to help build what comes next.”
GBH in Boston announced new hires.
Marjon Javadi was hired as managing director of the station’s Documentary Unit. She will work with GBH series the station produces, including Frontline, American Experience, and Nova. Javadi will have a special focus on strategy and business partnerships for Frontline Features, which produces feature-length and short docs for global multiplatform distribution.
Javadi previously worked as VP of documentary film and series for Disney and also helped launch films on Disney+ and ABC. She also had leadership roles at Doc Society and worked for Netflix’s documentary team, Focus Features, and Scott Rudin Productions.
Nicki DeMarco joined Frontline as a senior producer of digital and audience. From 2012 until this year, she worked for the Washington Post, first as a video intern and later as a video editor of breaking news, video producer for features and pop culture, senior video producer of breaking news, and EP of videos. She was also a distribution intern for PBS.
Public Media Management hired Christian Siebeneck as VP of technology and innovation.
Siebeneck will be charged with supporting the growth of the company’s cloud and joint master control services for public television.
Siebeneck previously worked as CTO for TPT in St. Paul, Minn. He joined the station in 2021 after working as chief technologist for Ideastream Public Media in Cleveland. He was also an advisor on PBS’ Enterprise Technology Committee.
“Christian brings exactly the kind of real-world public media experience that resonates with station leaders,” said PMM CEO Marc Hand in a news release. “His understanding of the challenges stations face, from aging infrastructure to tightening budgets, makes him a natural advocate for what PMM delivers in support of local public stations.”
Finance
Tamra Swiderski was hired as senior director of finance for Nashville PBS. Swiderski previously worked for the National Educational Telecommunications Association. She joined NETA in 2015 as controller and was also managing controller, senior controller, managing finance director of the NETA Business Center, and director of finance. “I am grateful to be onboard with Nashville PBS and working with a team where respect and appreciation are core values,” she said in a news release. “I believe public media has a critical role in the well-being of the community by delivering information and providing entertainment and education in a trusted environment. I have been an avid Downton Abbey fan and look forward to discovering many new favorites.”
Content
Sam Stockbridge was hired as an elections and investigative reporter for Central Florida Public Media in Orlando, which comprises WMFE and WMFV. Stockbridge most recently worked as a freelance reporter and was also a contract legislative reporter for Reform Austin and a reporter for the Ketchikan Daily News. “I’m excited to join the team at Central Florida Public Media!” Stockbridge said in a news release. “I’ve been listening to public media since I was a kid, tuning into NPR every weekend on the drive to my grandparents’ house. And I’ve been covering elections and scrubbing campaign finance records for as long as I’ve been a professional journalist. I’m looking forward to helping our audience navigate this year’s midterms and understand how money is shaping politics in this hugely consequential election year.”
Dylan Lysen is leaving his position as a reporter for the Kansas News Service, led by KCUR in Kansas City, Mo. He will join the government accountability team at the Kansas City Star. “I’m sad to leave such an important position for my career,” he wrote on LinkedIn. “I’ve grown a lot as a reporter thanks to the editors and fellow reporters I’ve worked with. This job changed my life. And that is not hyperbole.” Lysen joined KCUR in 2022 as a politics reporter and was also interim news editor and social services and criminal justice reporter.
Nick Offerman, an author and actor known for his roles in Parks and Recreation and The Last of Us, will host A Wonder Is What It Is, a poetry segment for WNYC in New York. The segment observes National Poetry Month and will air during All of It, the station’s daily talk show hosted by Alison Stewart. In four short installments released Fridays, Offerman will read poems by Wendell Berry. “Offerman first pitched the idea of a poetry series to the All of It team following a fall 2025 appearance on the show to discuss his latest book,” said a WNYC news release. “Offerman then asked Berry’s family to suggest poems and invited friends to contribute music and art that capture Berry’s enduring reverence for the natural world. With selections that blend humor, personal stories, and deep respect for the outdoors, the result is a multi-layered sonic tribute to Berry and his ideals.”
Send news of “comings and goings” to people@current.org.
