WHMT - President and CEO

The Board of Trustees of WMHT seeks a President and CEO for this successful public media organization. The leader we seek will understand the importance of public television and radio and community engagement and have a track record demonstrating people centered public service focused leadership, creativity and innovation in public service.

We are proud of our strong staff, our current state (including financially) and our place in the community, though we know there is much to do to keep moving forward, including in the changing media environment, in the Capital Region and in society itself. WMHT is a strategy centered organization with a sense of who it is and where we need to continue to grow, and we seek the transformational leader who will keep us on that path.

WMHT Public Media, located in New York State's Capital Region, serving Eastern New York and Western New England, is the only locally owned, nonprofit, multichannel public communications organization that reaches beyond the traditional broadcasting model to act as a leader by convening arts, culture, learning and civic interests. WMHT focuses on Community, Culture and Connections by providing entertainment, enrichment and engagement through television, radio, digital media, and educational services.

Salary: $225,000 to $290,000

Services

Services include WMHT-DT (17.1), CreateTV (17.2), WORLD (17.3), WMHT PBS Kids (17.4), Classical WMHT-FM 89.1 & 88.7 (classical public radio); and WEXT Radio 97.7/106.1(AAA public radio). WMHT also operates RISE, a radio reading service for the blind and print disabled.

Mission

WMHT uses media to enrich our communities with programs and services that advance education, culture and civic engagement, empower individuals, celebrate our diversity, and reveal what we have in common.

Vision

WMHT envisions a community confident in its identity, its potential fully realized, inspired and connected through trusted public media.

The Capital Region has 1.1 million people living in eight counties. In addition to being the home of New York’s capital city (Albany), the region is a major talent generator with 24 higher education institutions. Key regional industry clusters include: Cleantech, Life Sciences, Advanced Electronics/Semiconductors, R&D/Commercialization, Logistics and Distribution, Software-IT/Digital Gaming. The Capital Region is in the middle of a major geographic zone – with New York City, Boston and Montreal a three-hour drive away. The region is brimming with opportunities for leisure and recreation, surrounded by the Catskill, Berkshire and Adirondack mountains and filled with arts, cultural and food destinations in between them.

Together the Board and Staff of WMHT have created the profile of the ideal leader for our organization. We will consider candidates who most clearly demonstrate the following skills, experience and personal characteristics:

Leadership:

We seek an externally focused individual, with a strong set of leadership and management abilities, who will help maintain and grow a positive, inclusive culture within WMHT, who also:

• Has an open style, but is also an effective decision-maker;
• Shows up – in the community and with the staff;
• Practices shared leadership, while at the same time provides direction and accountability for organizational and staff results;
• Has great people skills – comfortable and effective at dealing with a wide range of stakeholders – from the broad range of individuals and communities in the Capital Region and across our service area;
• Have a full set of CEO level fundraising skills including demonstrated comfort making significant requests for donations. 

Integrity:

Our greatest asset is the trust that our listeners, staff, and community have in our programming and in WMHT as an organization. We seek a leader with:

• High standards of personal integrity, clear values and expectation of that in others;
• A record of being trustworthy and of trusting others;
• A high level of transparency;
• Courage and ethics and a strong awareness of self;
• Demonstrated ability to identify, confront, analyze, and resolve ethically ambiguous issues and potential or real conflicts of interest, both for themselves and for others in the organization.

Communication:

To lead and represent WMHT in various arenas, we seek a person with highly developed public and private interpersonal skills, who:

• Can demonstrate being a skillful listener;
• Is effective in a public situation (connecting individually and with large audiences in front of the room);
• Is an organized thinker, effective writer and speaker;
• Is personable, inspiring, and respectful; and
• Is an effective spokesperson for the organization.

Vision:

In the context of the ongoing changes digital media are having on availability and use of media, we seek a person with the  ability to project WMHT’s (and the community’s) needs out into the long-term future; see and understand future trends in media, in related fields and the world, and the impact on WMHT’s operations and;

• Is a big picture person;
• Has a learning orientation, including demonstrated methods for gathering, assimilating and making meaning out of information about the changing media, technology and demographic landscape;
• Portfolio management – provide leadership in maintaining current services while investing in and growing new activities that will keep us growing and relevant;
• Balances vision with doing.
• Is able to enroll others in working together to execute vision.

Community Relationships:

The leader we seek will:

• Grow WMHT’s presence in the community (including communities we are underserving now), have personal qualities the community can connect with, and, over a short period of time, become an active participant and recognized leader in our community;
• Demonstrate an understanding and record of community engagement and collaboration, and of developing partnerships with individuals and organizations;
• Be comfortable and effective with a wide range of people, including at high levels (and being seen as peer) of civic leadership in the region;
• Have a high level of energy for the work, including authentic enthusiasm for the region in all of its geographic and demographic diversity.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:

A record of strong commitment to and results in growing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace, in audiences, and in communities served. We seek a leader with:

• A high level of expertise in DEI best practices including understanding and addressing implicit bias and microaggression, creating an inclusive workplace, and promotion of civility;
• Cultural fluency, awareness, and empathy; demonstrated respect for the values of others, treats all people as individuals, sees and uses different perspectives, and has experience in other cultures;
• Expertise in diversity-focused hiring practices from position announcements to recruiting and interviewing;
• Understanding and effectiveness at growing and maintaining inclusion and a sense of belonging across organizations;
• Demonstrated evidence of being able to adapt leadership style to current context and realities.

Passion:

WMHT seeks a highly energetic person who is inspired by the direction and public service mission of WMHT and:

• Has authentic enthusiasm for and commitment to the heritage and future of WMHT and Public Media, and for developing and deploying new and innovative service delivery mechanisms;
• Communicates passion in a way that engages others and generates action by staff, the Board and the community, including potential funders.

Team Building:

WMHT seeks an inspiring, respectful, collaborative, highly competent manager of people, who:

• Creates and maintains an effective, diverse, cross-functional culture of engaged professionals within WMHT;
• Has a focus on staff and individual and team growth including mentoring and the use of professional and leadership development, as well as succession planning;
• Adjusts his or her style as needed, collaborating, enrolling, delegating and directing as required by the situation;
• Clearly communicates WMHT’s mission and goals, and holds self and staff accountable for results; and
• Is not a micromanager.

Strategic focus:

We are looking for a leader with powerful understanding of and use of strategy in organizational life and who is:

• Knowledgeable of the dynamics affecting current and future environment of WMHT (especially the volatile media environment) and effective at maximizing the organization in response to these dynamics;
• Highly developed at prioritizing, and accomplished at sequencing change;
• Understanding of and makes use of networking with and benchmarking other organizations to increase WMHT’s effectiveness;
• Able to continuously develop, execute and evaluate strategic plans, in concert with other stakeholders, and to champion strategic perspectives.

Change Management:

As we continue to move through the revolution in media consumption and seek to become more of a truly indispensable local institution, we are looking for a track record demonstrating skill in the change process, including someone who:

• Understands the impact of culture on change efforts and is able to successfully navigate cultural as well as process change;
• Is personally creative and able to act on that creativity. Is open-minded and a good learner;
• Has a focus on innovative models and conquering challenges;
• Sees possibilities even in the face of severe difficulties;
• Is an out-of-the-box thinker.

How to Apply

WMHT is being assisted in the search by Livingston Associates. Inquiries are welcome by calling 410.243.1974 or emailing us at info@livingstonassociates.net

As part of your application process, you are asked to also submit a resume, letter of introduction including why you’re a great fit for this position. These documents should be uploaded when you apply.

Please apply by September 30th, 2022 by following this link.

WMHT Educational Telecommunications is an equal opportunity employer. The community and audience they serve is diverse, and they wish to foster that diversity in their workplace. Toward that end, WMHT does not discriminate against individuals in hiring, employment, or promotion on the basis of race, religion, color, sex/gender, gender identity and gender expression, age, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, citizenship, handicap or disability, veteran or military status, political belief, pregnancy, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.