Robin Turnau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vermont Public Radio, has announced plans to step down in May 2018.
Turnau began her career at VPR in 1989 as membership and volunteer coordinator. She went on to serve as capital campaign coordinator, development manager, director of development, and vice president for development before being named president and CEO in 2009.
“Reaching this decision has been very difficult for me,” said Turnau. “I care deeply about VPR and it has been an integral part of my life for the past 28 years. Every one of those years has been incredibly rewarding and waking up and coming to work each day continues to be a joy. I’ve been working at VPR for more than half my life and I realized it was time for a new challenge. While I don’t have plans at this time, I look forward to taking some time to assess what my next professional endeavor will be.”
VPR has flourished under Turnau’s leadership. Most recently, she oversaw a successful $10 million capital campaign which included the expansion and renovation VPR’s headquarters in Colchester and the establishment of an Innovation Fund to fuel the next generation of program and content initiatives.
“On behalf of the VPR Board of Directors, our thanks go out to Robin, who has served as an outstanding leader and inspiration to everyone at VPR,” said Peggy Williams, chair of the board. “She has led our beloved institution during a time of intense media disruption. Thanks to her dedication, hard work and professionalism, VPR is stronger than ever and poised for an even greater future. She has kept our focus firmly on doing what’s best for VPR’s audience.”
Highlights of Turnau’s leadership:
- VPR provided essential continuous coverage of Tropical Storm Irene. In the weeks and months after the storm wreaked havoc on much of Vermont, VPR provided its single greatest public service in its history.
- Bringing VPR to the Brattleboro area with the addition of WVBA 88.9 in 2012.
- VPR’s broadcast audience grew to more than 200,000 listeners for the first time in 2013.
- VPR’s digital audience at VPR.net has more than doubled, while the number of listeners streaming VPR has tripled.
- The successful completion of the VPR Next Campaign, an effort to raise $10 million for the expansion and renovation of VPR’s headquarters in Colchester as well as the creation of the VPR Innovation Fund for new program initiatives.
“VPR is in an incredibly strong position to look to the future with new leadership,” said Turnau. “VPR is a highly respected and influential organization across Vermont, and is seen as a role model for other public radio stations nationally. I consider this to be the best job in Vermont and I’m sure it will attract exceptionally talented candidates.”
Editor's Note: This post has been updated. Turnau will stay on at VPR until early May.
