Southern California Public Radio’s LAist has selected Alejandra Santamaria has President and CEO succeeding the recently retired Herb Scannell.

Santamaria joins LAist and its network based at 89.3 KPCC Pasadena/Los Angeles from Univision where she
worked in multiple roles for the past three decades. She held roles in Los Angeles as Research Director, account executive, Senior Account Executive, Local Sales Manager and Director of Local Sales between 1993 and 2014 before relocating to the company’s Phoenix cluster as VP/Director of Sales and then President/General Manager between 2014 and 2019 when she returned to Los Angeles as VP/Director of Sales and was Interim President/General Manager in 2022-23.

Santamaria stated, “Los Angeles is my home and I am thrilled to lead one of the premier mission driven organizations serving my community. My career has been aligned with a media organization that has meant a lot to me because of their mission to empower, educate and inform Latinos like my own family. I am ready to bring those skills and passion to LAist. The reporting LAist is doing is some of the best in the world. Now it’s our job to shine a brighter light on great reporting and continue to be a resource for Angelenos.”

SCPR Board Chair Drew Murphy added, “Alex is the leader LAist needs today and for the future. Public radio remains a vital, important part of the Los Angeles media ecosystem and we are confident that her experience and talent is ideal to shepherd us forward, helping us to deliver on our mission, while remaining financially sound, in order to continue our role as an essential resource for our community.”