Deborah Cowan is the new top money person at NPR. She replaces Jim Elder and starts Aug. 2.
She becomes CFO at NPR after working as senior VP of finance at Radio One. She’ll report to SVP of Strategic Operations and Finance Debra Delman. Among the organization’s stated goals for her are working with top managers on “expanding NPR’s independent journalism, growing its service on digital platforms, improving the effectiveness of its operations and helping NPR become a leader in diversity.”
According to the announcement, “As SVP of Finance for Radio One, Inc., the $275M broadcast/media company, Cowan managed its financial operations, and was a key member of the leadership team that grew the organization through mergers and acquisitions and organic growth, handling many complex strategic and financial issues.”
Before joining Radio One nine years ago, she was a senior financial manager with IBM and also worked for Coopers & Lybrand. She is a CPA and holds a bachelor’s of business administration in accounting from Howard University and an MBA in finance and international business from Columbia Business School.
She’s been involved with the National Education Association Foundation, National Association of Black Accountants, Media Financial Management and Radio Music License Committee.
