The Board of Directors of NPR announced today that Paul G. Haaga Jr., will serve as acting president and CEO of NPR, effective Sept. 30. Haaga has served on the board since 2011, most recently as vice chair of the board and chair of its finance committee.
“His intimate knowledge of our organization, his unwavering commitment to the highest quality of journalism and programming and his financial acumen make him particularly well-suited to lead NPR as we begin our search for a permanent chief executive,” said Kit Jensen, chair of the NPR board and CEO of WVIZ/PBS and WCPN(FM) Ideastream.
Haaga is the retired chairman of the board of Capital Research and Management Company, former chairman of the Investment Company Institute, and former partner in the law firm of Dechert Price & Rhoads in Washington. He also served as a senior attorney for the Securities and Exchange Commission.
He described his time on the board as “one of the most rewarding and exciting phases of my career.”
Haaga will succeed Gary E. Knell, leaves the organization to become president and CEO of the National Geographic Society. NPR has appointed a search committee, co-chaired by board members Florence Rogers, president and general manager of Nevada Public Radio, and John Wotowicz, managing partner of Concentric Capital.
The board also approved a budget for fiscal year 2014 and a strategic roadmap to achieve a balanced budget over the next two years. The budget includes operating and investment revenues of $178.1 million, expenses of $183 million, and an operating cash deficit of $6.1 million, or 3% of revenues.
As part of the strategy to eliminate the deficit and lower expenses, NPR will offer a voluntary buyout plan, as the organization seeks to reduce staffing levels by approximately 10%.
Related:
Staff, Budget Cuts Coming to NPR
