New York Public Radio CEO Goli Sheikholeslami will exit on February 1 to join Politico Media Group as CEO.
Goli Sheikholeslami joined NYPR in October 2019 after spending five years in the same role at Chicago Public Media overseeing 91.5 WBEZ and Vocalo.org. In New York she led an organization that included Public News/Talk 820 WNYC and 93.9 WNYC-FM, Classical 105.9 WQXR, New Jersey Public Radio, Gothamist.com and the WNYC Studios podcast network.
Board of Trustees Chair Timothy Wilkins shared the following email to staff regarding Sheikholeslami’s upcoming departure.
Our President and CEO Goli Sheikholeslami has accepted an exciting new role as the CEO of Politico Media Group and will be moving on from New York Public Radio.
Goli has made a tremendous impact during her two years with the organization. She brought a strategic, committed and values-driven ethos to the organization, and invested significantly in our DEI efforts, including the launch of the Race Equity Action Plan. She hired a talented executive leadership team, strengthened our financial position, increased the size of the newsroom, and led the creation of a three-year strategic plan to better serve and expand NYPR’s audiences and bolster our position as a leader on the local journalism and cultural landscape. And she did all this while leading through a pandemic – working with all of you to keep our audiences informed, connected and inspired during one of the most challenging times for our organization and our city and region.
On behalf of the Board, I want to express our deepest gratitude to Goli for her leadership – and to all of you for your dedicated service to our community.
Goli’s last day will be Tuesday, February 1st. At that point, NYPR Trustee and former Board Chair Cynthia King Vance will step in to serve as Interim CEO, working closely with our stellar executive leadership team to continue driving our three-year strategic plan, and ensure the important work you do every day is supported seamlessly throughout this transition.
The Board of Trustees is commencing a national search process, led by a committee co-chaired by Trustees Tanuja Dehne and Josh Empson, to find a new CEO as expeditiously as possible. The trusted news, conversation, classical music, and cultural programming you produce everyday are unparalleled—and truly essential to the function of our city and our region. The Board is confident we will find a visionary new leader to continue this organization’s incredible momentum and carry us forward.
Thank you for everything you do for our community. I look forward to seeing you shortly at the All-Staff meeting.
