New York Public Radio Announces New Chair of the Board of Trustees and Four New Board Members
(New York, NY – May 2, 2017) – The New York Public Radio Board of Trustees elected media and digital executive and investor Mayo S. Stuntz, Jr. as Chair at its April meeting. Stuntz joined New York Public Radio’s Board of Trustees in 2009 and served as Vice Chair of the Board, Co-Chair of the Strategic Planning and Programming Policy Committee, Co-Chair of the Investment Committee, and is a member of the Executive and Campaign Committees as well as a member of the Digital Task Force.
Stuntz takes over from Cynthia King Vance, who served as Chair for four consecutive one-year terms from April 2013 to April 2017 and will remain a Trustee.
Stuntz is a Founding Member of Pilot Group LLC, a New York City-based private investment firm, and an Operating Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners. Prior to Pilot Group, Stuntz served as Executive Vice President of AOL Time Warner, a position that followed his appointments as Chief Operating Officer of AOL’s Interactive Services Group and President of CompuServe. Prior to AOL, Stuntz served as Executive Vice President of Six Flags Theme Parks, Chief Operating Officer of Century 21 Real Estate, Executive Vice President of Quantum Media, Executive Vice President of Time Warner Enterprises, and Senior Vice President of Business Management and Development for MTV. Stuntz began his career as a Marketing Manager for American Airlines and went on to serve in management capacities at both ABC and NBC. A graduate of Cornell University, Stuntz received his MBA from Harvard Business School.
“I am thrilled that after serving on our Board for close to a decade, Mayo will now bring his formidable digital and strategic expertise to bear in an even more heightened capacity as Chair,” said Laura Walker, President and CEO of New York Public Radio, one of the nation’s largest public radio franchises and home to WNYC, WQXR, WNYC Studios, and New Jersey Public Radio. “Mayo brings a potent combination of experience leading commercial media organizations during times of transformation and innovation along with a deep appreciation for our mission as an independent non-profit source of impactful local and national news, pioneering and influential podcasts, and classical music. His track record of leadership and deep understanding of our digital and programming ambitions will help us serve our audiences even more powerfully in years to come.”
The Board also elected four new trustees: founder and creative chairman of Droga5 advertising agency David Droga; real estate developer and NYC Planning Commission member Cheryl Cohen Effron; founder of education news site LA School Report Jamie Alter Lynton; and real estate and economic development consultant Carl Weisbrod.
“It’s an honor to welcome these new members to the Board of Trustees – all significant leaders in their respective fields,” said Walker. “David’s unparalleled achievements in the advertising world have moved hearts and minds worldwide. Cheryl and Carl understand the pulse of New York City from both the public and private sectors of urban planning and commercial real estate. And Jamie’s experience with public school issues will add a new dimension as we continue to elevate our local journalism service even as other journalistic outlets make cuts. We’re excited to have them join and lend their considerable skill at such a critical time for journalism and the arts.”
"I am honored and delighted to serve as Chair of the Board of this amazing organization," said Stuntz. "Now more than ever, our mission to bring listeners thought-provoking, fact-based programming which includes multiple perspectives, is critically important to our city and our country. I look forward to working even more closely with Laura Walker and the uniquely talented team at New York Public Radio as they continue their impressive growth of our content and voices on the radio and increasingly in the digital media."
About the New Trustees
David Droga is Founder and Creative Chairman of 11-time Agency of the Year–awarded agency Droga5. Prior to Droga5, David was the first-ever Worldwide Chief Creative Officer of the Publicis Network. He was also Executive Creative Director of Saatchi & Saatchi London, Regional Creative Director of Saatchi & Saatchi Asia and Partner and Executive Creative Director of OMON Sydney. David is the most awarded creative at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity, the youngest person ever inducted into the New York Art Directors Club Hall of Fame and one of the youngest members of the American Advertising Federation Hall of Achievement. Beyond his family and business, David is obsessed with the arts, the environment, learning about too many things and Australia.
Cheryl Cohen Effron was a founder and president of ATC Management, a developer known for its redevelopment of warehouses, including Chelsea Market; she now concentrates on tri-sector solutions for urban issues. Ms. Effron has served on more than thirty City and State commissions and non-profit boards in social service, culture, higher education, urban design and volunteerism and is currently on the NYC Planning Commission, a member of the Governors Island Trust, a trustee of The Brookings Institution, immediate past chair of the Dalton School board, chair of the board of the Charles H. Revson Foundation, a trustee of the National Book Foundation, Chair and Founder of Greater NY and honorary trustee of New York Cares.
Jamie Alter Lynton is the founder of LA School Report, an online news site devoted to reporting news and information about the politics and policies of the Los Angeles public school system. Lynton was a TV news producer and executive for 15 years, working at CNN, CBS, CNBC and Court TV before leaving the workforce to devote time to her family. In addition to founding LA School Report in 2012, she has served on the boards of a number of political and non-profit organizations, and is currently a Trustee of CalArts, Injustice Watch and the 74Million.
Carl Weisbrod is currently a Senior Advisor at HR&A Advisors, Inc., an industry-leading real estate and economic development consulting firm with offices across the country, and a Senior Fellow at New York University’s Marron Institute of Urban Management. He also is the Chairman of the Trust for Governors Island. Mr. Weisbrod has more than 40 years of experience serving the people of New York. Starting under Mayor John Lindsay, Weisbrod has been the appointee of five New York City mayors. From 2014 until February 2017, Mr. Weisbrod served in the de Blasio Administration as the Chairman of the New York City Planning Commission and Director of the New York City Department of City Planning, where he was charged with creating land use policies to promote an equitable, resilient, sustainable and economically vibrant city. At City Planning, he created a new Capital Planning division to integrate planning principles and priorities into the city’s capital budget process and also created a new Regional Planning division, recognizing that the city’s and region’s health are intimately intertwined. Mr. Weisbrod is the recipient of awards from the Real Estate Board of New York, the Center for an Urban Future, Crain’s New York Business, New York Landmarks Conservancy, and New York University.
About New York Public Radio
With an urban vibrancy and a global perspective, New York Public Radio produces innovative public radio programs, podcasts, and live events that touch a passionate community of over 23 million people monthly on air, online and in person. From its state-of-the-art studios in New York City, NYPR is reshaping radio for a new generation of listeners with groundbreaking, award-winning programs including Radiolab, Freakonomics Radio, On the Media, Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin and Carnegie Hall Live, among many others. New York Public Radio includes WNYC Studios, WNYC, WQXR, The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, and New Jersey Public Radio. Further information about programs, podcasts, and stations may be found at www.nypublicradio.org.
