American Public Media has announced the appointment of Duchesne Drew as President of Minnesota Public Radio.
Drew joins MPR from the Bush Foundation where he served as Community Network Vice President since March 2015. He previously spent over nineteen years at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune over two terms starting as an intern and rising through the reporter ranks to Managing Editor for Operations.
Prior to a restructuring last November, American Public Media CEO Jon McTaggart served as direct leader of Minnesota Public Radio. Tim Roesler, Chief Business Development Officer at the group served as Interim President since then. He will return to his primary position after the leadership transition through the end of June.
After an extensive national search, Jon McTaggart, president and CEO of American Public Media Group (APMG) and CEO of Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), today announced that Duchesne Drew has been named president of MPR. He will start at MPR on May 4.
As MPR president, Duchesne Drew will lead strategy, programming and daily operations serving MPR’s growing regional audiences through MPR News, Classical MPR, The Current and MPR’s rapidly expanding digital, social and mobile services.
Drew comes to MPR from the Bush Foundation, where he led the foundation’s leadership programs, community innovation and communication teams and built networks across the region as its Community Network vice president. Prior to his role at Bush Foundation, Drew was managing editor of operations at the Star Tribune, where he began as a summer intern and rose to one of the most senior roles in the newsroom. Last year, he was honored with the Widening the Circle Award by ThreeSixty Journalism, recognizing individuals who have contributed to the next generation of journalists, particularly while promoting inclusion and diversity.
“Duchesne is absolutely the right leader for our regional services – especially during this extraordinary time. He has terrific leadership and news experience, and his commitment to using public media to inform and inspire people is a perfect fit for MPR,” said McTaggart. “Duchesne has a wonderful ability to connect with people and welcome new ideas. He brings passion and curiosity about how MPR can serve our audiences even better.”
“I’m delighted to be joining MPR,” Drew said. “Minnesotans are relying on MPR now more than ever. Our music and news services are proving their importance in people’s lives. I’m honored to lead these talented teams and I look forward to helping us serve even more Minnesotans.”
In addition to serving on the board of the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, Drew is a member of the Itasca Project’s working team and Make It. MSP.’s Leadership Council, which is focused on attracting and retaining talent within the Twin Cities region. Drew’s other board commitments include the African American Leadership Forum, the Monitors Club, the Leadership Learning Community and the Columbia Daily Spectator.
Since November, Tim Roesler, APMG’s chief business development officer, has served as interim president of MPR and he will assist with this leadership transition through the end of June. Tim will then return to his responsibilities developing new business and earned revenue support for the APM Group.
“Without missing a beat, Tim stepped into the role as interim president of MPR last year,” McTaggart said. “His strong leadership added stability during a time of change, and we have all relied on his many talents, good humor, and his no-nonsense, compassionate approach.”
