Since its earliest days, NPR has had women's voices on the air and women correspondents covering the tough beats. Although there were fewer women than men in leadership roles at NPR in the early days, now over half of NPR's Executive Team is made up of women. To close Women's History Month, I'd like to highlight some of the women in leadership at NPR. I wanted to understand how their experiences lead them where they are, how NPR's culture is with this dynamic and what advice they would reach back and give. Here are their answers:
What was crucial to your success?
Selyn Hong, who was just promoted to Chief People Officer, underlines the importance of believing in the mission of the company and the people you work with.
Selyn Hong: I think doing work that aligns with my values for an organization whose mission I believe in has been crucial. It's instilled in me a passion and drive to try to do my best work and to persevere, even when the road has been bumpy and uncertain. I've been incredibly lucky in that NPR is full of people who inspire me to keep trying my best and to not give up, people who care deeply about others, the world we live in, the workplace we work in and our commitment to the public. Every time I've met and gotten to know someone at NPR, it's turned out to be an opportunity to learn, to laugh, to be moved or to grow.
I also credit my support system, both inside and outside of NPR, for any successes I've had to date and any I may have in the future. They're essential – those people you inherently trust, those people who believe in you, who champion and mentor you, those people full of integrity who model the behaviors you want to have, those people who will tell you the truth when it's easier to avoid it because the truth will help you or others. I don't think I could have succeeded without those people. They make me better every day, and I'm so grateful for them.
Edith Chapin, VP and Executive Editor, speaks to the opportunities she was given at NPR and how crucial it is to experience many roles to develop your skills.
Edith Chapin: I was very fortunate to be able to alternate jobs that had me working in the office and in the field, so I learned quickly to appreciate the needs of people in both roles. I also made sure I was good at balancing out the skills of whatever team I worked with on a given job or assignment. I said yes to most opportunities and made sure I was as well rounded as possible with assignments covering national stories, living and reporting overseas and then in Washington. It is unusual to get all three of those experiences, but I did and it has made me a much stronger journalist. I also made sure to learn something from colleagues with more experience than me – sometimes what to do and sometimes what not to do. Unfortunately you only get experience by getting it, so you have to be moderately patient but learn a lot as you go along.
At NPR, our leaders are humble and modest, so I wanted to provide an opportunity for these women to promote their work and toot their own horn. Only Nancy Barnes, SVP for News & Editorial Director, decided to respond to this question, although in true NPR fashion, she tooted NPR's horn instead of her own.
How do you feel about the impact of your contribution to NPR?
Nancy Barnes: I am incredibly proud of all the tremendous journalism the newsroom has contributed to the world, and to our audiences, in these most recent years of a pandemic, a renewed racial justice movement, natural disasters, an election, the Jan. 6 insurrection, a new administration, the Supreme Court, Afghanistan, Ukraine. The list goes on. This is a team sport, and all credit goes to the entire NPR village who pulled together during the most difficult of circumstances.
Chief Financial Officer Debbie Cowan and Chief Communications Officer Isabel Lara gave us more insight on their roles and how they help shape NPR.
Why is your job important to NPR?
Debbie Cowan: As a non-profit, we are not beholden to the financial goals of for-profit companies like earnings or stock prices for example, but we still are a business and have to be able to financially support our mission. As such, it is the finance team that outlooks our revenue picture and ensures we prudently manage our spending and prioritize and allocate resources within our means to generate revenue. That entails planning exercises such as developing annual budgets and periodic re-forecasts to predict our financial results, as well as projecting long-term financial scenarios. Additionally, the finance teams are responsible for many other business processes, such as payroll, purchasing and accounts payable, accounts receivable and collections, fixed assets, debt management, gift & grants management, treasury and investments, insurance and risk management, taxes, financial statement preparation and audits. The finance team is also liaison to three committees of the board and assists with their financial diligence and oversight. Those committees are Finance, Investments and Audit.
Isabel Lara: My job supports NPR's mission to inform the American public. The Communications team does this in three key ways: by increasing the reach of our journalism through media placements so as many people as possible have access to – and know about! – the amazing work our news and programming teams are doing; by engaging with NPR's listeners and readers wherever they are through social media or email, answering their questions in a timely manner, or meeting them in person at conferences and events; and by providing transparent internal communications to our staff and stakeholders so we can all work together better. Public radio is the most trusted and widely available free source of news and entertainment. It is so important to let everyone know about this and ensure that everyone feels welcome and seen/heard/represented in our programs. One of my favorite things about my job is helping listeners get to know the hosts and reporters who work so hard to bring them the human stories behind the headlines – like our teams risking their lives right now so we can hear voices from the conflict in Ukraine.
Gina Garrubbo, President and Chief Executive Officer of National Public Media, speaks to NPR's North Star and how that motivates her work.
What is your goal for yourself in this position?
Gina Garrubbo: I am completely dedicated to working with my team in creating a diverse, inclusive and joyful organization. This work is ongoing, as we are constantly challenged by commercial media companies competing for sponsorship dollars. We are on a journey as an organization to do an exceptional job, while creating a culture of care. This is a work in progress, but we have an incredible group of committed people who are helping make this happen. It is an honor and a journey for me.
Gina then talked more about her direct impact at NPR, and Selyn amplified NPR's North Star.
What is your goal for NPR and how are you doing that through your position?
Gina Garrubbo: My goal as head of NPM is to help my team bring as much sponsorship revenue to NPR and the Member stations as possible. We are proud to take the story of NPR's quality journalism and programming out to the biggest brands in the U.S. and create ways for these brands to deliver their messages in a way that fits the style and tone of NPR. We work closely with NPR to continuously evolve the many ways for brands to message their support of NPR across platforms.
Selyn Hong: My goal is for NPR to rise towards a culture that moves us closer to our North Star. I would love to see NPR free of systemic barriers to equity and inclusion, and full of respectful, healthy, productive, honest dialogue where we're empowered to do our best work. We've been through devastating challenges over the past two years – a relentless pandemic, reckoning with systemic racism, economic crisis, threats to our democracy, and violence all over the world. I think we need some time to heal and to build more trusting relationships throughout the organization. I believe we can get there if we work together and start from a place of openness, empathy, mutual respect and eagerness to learn from one another. As Chief People Officer, I plan to keep building upon the work we already started in HR, which I believe should move us in the right direction – defining and implementing practices and programs for a more inclusive workplace; continuing to build more equitable and transparent core practices for compensation and promotion (including adding additional market data and surveys to assist in compensation decisions); implementing programs and policies to support employees with physical, mental and emotional well-being; continuing to evaluate and refine our HR processes to be more efficient and effective; and providing centralized support for external training and development resources, among other things. As Chief People Officer, I also hope to consistently model the change I wish to see in my interactions with the people who are NPR and to act in a way that instills faith and trust.
Finally, I asked what advice they had to share with young women. Sarah Gilbert, VP of News Programming, kept it fun. Edith Chapin reminds us that there can be joy in work. And Isabel Lara suggests we stay open to all opportunities and where they may lead us.
What advice would you give to young women reading this?
Sarah Gilbert: I can only speak from my own perspective at this point in my life, but if I met my 25-year-old self, I'd say – Spend less time worrying about whether or not you can do it, or how crushing it would be to fail...and just give it a go. Ask for help. People are always much more willing to give it than you might imagine, and you're going to make some great friends in the process. Be kinder to yourself, and try to live in the moment. Sit down and try this – it's a martini and you're going to like it.
Edith Chapin: A career in journalism can be fun, rewarding and challenging if you are ready to embrace unpredictability every day. Embrace opportunities even when they are unexpected. Some of the best career moments are ones I didn't see coming. Witnessing history and trying to make sense of it in real time is fun. If you remember the audience at all times you will make sure they are well served. I still can't believe I get paid to know what is going on in the world every day.
Isabel Lara: To be open to the unexpected and unplanned. Yes, you can plan ahead and stress out about where you'll be in five years, but life is full of surprises and things never turn out as you thought they would. So stay curious and always be open to new opportunities. I studied literature because I knew I wanted to read as many books as I could before grown up life got complicated and busy. When I graduated I knew my only "marketable" skills were writing and being bilingual, so I was really humble about my aspirations and open to working pretty much anywhere that would hire me. My first job was in advertising and I met so many interesting people. There's a lot of waiting when you're filming and producing commercials and a lot of time to ask questions and hear people's stories and experiences. Since then, each job has led me to the next opportunity. I always try to approach projects with curiosity and humility: There's so much to learn, even when you've been in the same field for a long time.
Happy Women's History Month!
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